L  1  B  RAR.Y 

OF   THL 
U  N  1  VER5ITY 
Of    ILLINOIS 

977.3793 


lUiioit  lutorjcal  Survej 


HISTORY 


OF 


JEFFERSON  COUNTY, 


ILLaINOIS. 


ehditeid  sy  "wilxjI.a.:m:  heitR/^t  i=ER.i^iiNr. 


ILLUSO^RA^EXD 


CHICAGO: 

GLOBE  PUBLISHING  CO.,  HISTORICAL  PUBLISHERS, 

183  Lake  Street. 

1883. 


PREFACE 


^r^HE  history  of  Jefferson  County,  after  months  of  persibtent  toil  and  research,  is  now 
completed,  and  it  is  believed  that  no  subject  of  universal  public  importance  or  interest 
has  been  omitted,  save  where  protracted  effort  failed  to  secure  reliable  results.  We  are  well 
aware  of  our  inability  to  furnish  a  perfect  history  from  meager  public  documents  and  num- 
berless conflicting  traditions,  but  claim  to  have  prepared  a  work  fully  up  to  the  standard 
of  our  promises.  Through  the  courtesy  and  assistance  generously  afforded  by  the  residents 
of  the  county,  we  have  been  enabled  to  trace  out  and  put  on  record  the  greater  portion  of 
the  important  events  that  have  transpired  in  Jefferson  up  to  the  present  time.  And  we  feel 
assured  that  all  thoughtful  people  in  the  county,  now  and  in  future,  will  recognize  and 
appreciate  the  importance  of  the  work  and  its  permanent  value.  A  dry  statement  of  events 
has,  as  far  as  possible,  been  avoided,  and  incidents  and  anecdotes  have  been  interwoven 
with  facts  and  statistics,  forming  a  narrative  at  once  instructive  and  entertaining. 

We  are  indebted  to  George  M.  Haynes,  Esq.,  for  his  very  able  history  of  the  Bench 
and  Bar;  to  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson  for  the  history  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  to  other  prominent 
citizens  for  interesting  and  important  facts  and  data  in  the  compilation  of  the  work. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 
November,   1883. 


r 

987535 


CONTENTS, 


PART  I. 


Northwest  Territory 

Early  History  of  Illinois.. 


PAGE. 

1 


101 


PAKT    II. 

GENERAL  HISTORY. 
CHAPTER  I.— Introductory— Geology  and  Its  Practical 
Value— How  Thoroughly  to  Educate  the  Farmers- 
Why  They  Should  Understand  the  Geological  Forma- 
tions of  the  Land  They  Till— Age  of  the  Earth  Ac- 
cording to  the  Research  of  the  Geologists— Local  Ge- 
ology—Configuration—Soils and  Timber— Minerals 
and  Mineral  Springs— Building  Materials,  etc 

CHAPTER  II.— The  Pre-historic  Races— Mound-Iiuilders- 
Their  Occupation  of  the  Country— Relics  Left  by 
Them— The  Indians— Speculations  as  to  Their  Origin 
—Ultimate  Extinction  of  the  Race— Something  of  the 
Tribes  of  Southern  Illinois— What  Became  of  Them— 
Local  Traditions  and  Incidents  — The  Black  Hawk 
War,  etc.,  etc HO 

CHAPTER  III.— Settlement  of  the  County  by  White  Peo- 
ple—Who the  Pioneers  Were,  and  Where  They  Came 
From- Andrew  Jloore— His  Murder  by  the  Indians- 
Moore's  Prairie,  and  the  People  Who  Settled  It- The 
Wilkeys,  Crenshaws,  Atchisons,  etc.— Settlement  at 
Mount  Vernon— Other  Pioneers  —  Hardships,  Trials, 
Privations,  Manners,  Customs,  etc.,  etc 121 

CHAPTER  IV.— Illinois  a  County  of  Virginia— John  Todd, 
the  First  Civil  Governor— Organization  of  Jefferson 
County— The  Legislative  Act  Creating  It— Location  of 
the  Seat  of  .lustice— First  Officials— The  Courts— Pub- 
lic Buildings— Census— The  County  Divided  Into  Dis- 
tricts—County Officers— J.  R.  Satterfield— Township 
Organization,  etc 1^0 

CHAPTER  v.— Some  of  the  Pioneer  Families  of  the  County 
—The  Caseys— Their  Emigration  to  .America- How 
They  Served  in  the  Revolution— Facts  and  Incidents 
of  Their  Residence  Here— The  .Maxeys,  .\uother  Old 
Family— Their  Welsh  Descent— Where  and  When 
They  Settled— The  .lohnsons— They  are  an  Old  Fam- 
ily, Too— Something  of  Them  and  Their  Descendants 
— Other  Pioneers — Incidents,  etc.,  etc 142 

CHAPTER  VI.— The  Bench  and  Bar— Supreme  Court— Its 
Location  at  Mount  Vernon— The  Judges  of  the  Same 
—Breeze  and  Scales- Other  Luminaries— The  .\ppel- 
late  Court— Some  of  Its  Great  Lights— Circuit  Court- 
Judge  Tanner  and  Others— Early  Cases  Tried  in  the 
Courts— Marshall,  Baugh,  etc.— Present  Members  of 
the  Bar,  etc.,  etc 153 


CHAPTER  VII.— Political  History— Birth  of  the  Whig  and 
Democratic  Organizations— Party  Strife  and  Scramble 
for  Office— Joel  Pace,  Finst  Clerk  of  the  County— Poli- 
ticians of  the  Times— Zadok  Casey — His  Life  and 
Official  Services— Gov.  .\nderson — Sketch  of  His  Pub- 
lic Career — Noah  Johnston  and  Other  Distinguished 
Characters— Senators  and  Representatives,  etc 179 

CHAPTER  VIII.— Something  More  About  the  Pioneers— 
Those  Who  Came  In  Later— Their  Settlement— Game 
and  W^ild  .Animals- Pioneer  Incidents — Mrs.  Robinson 
and  the  Panther— Some  Rattling  Snake  Stories— Fe- 
male Fashion  and  Dress — Woman's  Life  in  the  Wilder- 
ness—Hard Times,  Financial  Difficulties,  etc 196 

CHAPTEE  IX —Internal  Improvements— Early  Roads  and 
Trails— Saline  and  Walnut  Hill  Road— The  Vandalia 
Road— Other  Highways  and  Bridges— Railroads— How 
They  Grew  Out  of  the  Old  Improvement  .System— Jef- 
ferson County's  Efforts  for  Railroads— St.  Louis  South- 
eastern—The Air  Line— Projected  Roads,  Some  of 
which  will  be  Built,  etc 203 

CHAPTER  X.— Educational— Early  Eflorts  at  Free  Schools  ^,--- 
— The  Duncan  Law — Education  at  Present — Statistics— 
The  Press— Editor  John  S.  Began— First  Newspapers- 
Mount  Vernon  a  Newspaper  Graveyard— The  Press  of 
To-day— Religious  History— Old-Time  Christianity- 
Pioneer  Ministers — Churches  Organized — Rev.  John 
Johnson,  etc 218 

CHAPTER  XL— Agriculture— Its  Rank  Among  the 
Sciences — How  to  Keep  the  Boy.s  Upon  the  Farm— Edu- 
cate Them  To  It— Progres,s  of  Agriculture  in  the  County  -^ 
— .Some  Statistical  Information- County  Fairs  and  .Asso- 
ciations-Officials of  the  Same— Horticulture- Value  of 
Fruit  Growing— Statistics— The  Forests,  etc 236 

CHAPTER  XII.— War  History— The  Revolution  and  the 
War  of  1812— What  We  Gained  ByThom-rTbe  Mexican 
War— Jefferson  County's  Part  in  It— Her  Officers  and 
Soldiers— The  Late  Civil  War— Sketches  of  the  Regi- 
ments in  which  the  County  was  Represented — Gen. 
Anderson,  Col.  Hicks  and  Other  Veterans— Incidents, 


etc.,  etc.. 


24S 


CHAPTER  Xin.— Odds  and  Ends— De  Omnibus  Rebus  Et 
Quibusdam  Aliis— A  Brief  Retrospection— Millers  and 
Mills— Blacksmiths  and  Other  Mechanics -Births,  Mar- 
riages, Deaths— A  Batch  of  Incidents— Buck  Casey 
Playiug  Bull  Calf— Donnybrook  Fights— Forest  Fires— 
A  Runaway  Negro— Counterfeiting— The  Poor  Farm, 
etc.,  etc 264 


CONTENTS. 


PART  in. 

HISTORY  01'"  THE  TOWNSHIPS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  I.  —  Mount  Vernon  Township  —  Description, 
Topography,  etc.— Early  Settlement— Old  Surveys  and 
Land  Entries — A  Closer  Acquaintance  With  the  Pio- 
neers—Who They  Were  and  Where  They  Located  — 
Their  Good  Traits  and  Peculiarities— The  Selecting  of  a 
Site  for  a  Town— .Mount  Vernon  Chosen  as  the  County 
Seat,  ete 275 

CHAPTEE  II.— City  of  Mount  Vernon— The  Laying-out  and 
Beginning  of  the  Town— .Sale  of  Lots— Erection  of  Pub- 
lic Buildings— The  First  Court  House— Stray  Pound, 
Gaol  and  Clerk's  Office — Stick  Chimneys,  Court  House 
Lock,  etc.— The  Pioneers  aud  First  Settlers  in  the  Town 
— Their  Genealogical  Trees,  etc 283 

CHAPTER  III.— City  of  Mount  Vernon— IVIore  About  Ita 
Early  Citizens  —  Some  Pen  Photographs— The  Second 
Court  House— Mount  Vernon  From  1824  to  1830— A  Few 
of  the  ( lid  Houses— Relics  of  a  By-gone  Period— More 
Township  Items,  and  a  Triple  Weddiug— Later  Settlers 
—County  Roads— The  First  Churches  Outside  of  Town, 
etc.,  etc 290 

CHAPTER  IV.— City  of  Mount  Vernon— The  Decade  From 
1830  to  1840- Growth  of  the  Town— New  Buildings  and 
New  Business— A  Look  Beyond  the  Town- Brief  Retro- 
spect—.\nother  Court  House  — .Some  of  the  Business 
Men  and  What  They  Did— Still  Another  Court  House— 
The  .Jail— Organization  of  Mount  Vernon  Township- 


Officials,  etc.. 


CHAPTER  v.— Mount  Vernon— Its  Religious  History— The 
Methodists,  the  Pioneers  of  Christianity  iu  the  Couuty 
—A  List  of  Ministers— The  First  Church— Presbyterian 
Church— Baptists— Catholics  and  Other  Denominations 
—Churches  of  the  Township— Schools  In  and  Out  of  the 
City,  etc.,  etc 3[q 

CHAPTER  VI.— Mount  Vernon- Town  Surveys  aud  .Addi- 
tions-" More  Than  Any  Man  Can  Number  "—Casey's 
Addition— Green's,  Strattan's  and  Several  Others— The 
Number  of  Acres  Covered  by  the  City— Municipal  Gov- 
ernment—City Officials,  etc.,  etc 326 

CHAPTER  VII.— Mount  Vernon— Temperance  Movements 
—Their  Good  Work  in  the  Community— Village  of  East 
Mount  Veruon-Mystic  Orders-Masons,  Odd  Fellows, 
etc.— Miscellaneous— Which  Comprises  Fires,  Fire  De- 
partment, and  Many  Other  Local  Items-Births,  Deaths 
^^-  "" 335 

CHAPTER  Vlll.-Shiloh  Township-General  Description 
—Topography  and  Boundaries— Early  Settlement— Pio- 
neer Hardships  and  Privations-Mills,  etc.— An  Incident 
—Births,  Deaths  and  Marriages— Roads  and  Bridges- 
Stock-raising— Schools  and  Churches— Woodlawn  Vil- 
lage, etc.,  etc g^ 

CHAPTER  IX.— Pendleton  and  Moore's  Prairie  Townships 
—General  Description  and  Topography— The  First  Set- 
tlers-Moore's Prairie  a  Historical  Spot-Pioneer  Hard- 
ships aud  DilHculties-Early  Industries  and  Customs- 
Township  Officers-Churches  and  Schools-Lynchburg 
-Belle  Rive  and  Opdyke-TheirfJrowth,  Business  etc 
etc '  „., 


CHAPTER  x:— Rome  Township— Topographical  and  Phys- 
ical Features — Occupation  by  White  People — Who  the 
Pioneers  Were— The  Maxwells  and  Others— Hardships 
and  Trials — Mills  and  Other  Improvements— Township 
Officers  —  Schools  and  Churches  —  Village  of  Rome — 
Growth,  Improvement,  etc 360 

CHAPTER  XL— Spring  Garden  Township— General  De- 
scription and  Topography— Settlement  of  the  Whites— 
Their  Early  Trials  and  Tribulations — Roads,  Mills,  etc., 
etc. — .Schools  and  Churches — Township  Officials — Spring 
Garden  Village — Its  Growth,  Development,  etc.,  etc 365 

CHAPTERXII.—WebberTownship— Introduction  and  De- 
scription— Boundaries,  Topography,  etc. — Early  Settle- 
ment— Pioneer  Life  and  Trials — Pigeon  Post  Office — A 
Law  Suit — Township  Officials — Schools  and  Churches — 
Marlow,  Bluford,  etc..  etc 372 

CHAPTER  XIII  —Elk  Prairie  Township— Topography  and 
Physical  Features— Coming  of  the '  Pale  Faces— Inci- 
dents of  their  Settlement — Hard  Times,  etc. — Roads, 
Jlills  and  Bridges — Schools  and  Schoolhouses — Churches, 

etc. — Township  Officials — Villages,  etc.,  etc 376 

CHAPTER  XIV.— Farrington  Township— General  Topog- 
raphy, Boundaries,  etc. — Settlement  of  White  People — 
Early    Industries — Schools    and    Churches  —  Township 

Officers— Villages — Stock-raising,  etc 380 

CHAPTER  XV.— Grand  Prairie  Township— Boundaries  and 
Topography — Early  Settlement,  Hardships  of  the  People, 
etc.— First  Mills  and  Roads— Birth,  Death  and  Marriage 
— An  Incident — First  Voting  Place — Township  Officials, 

etc. — Schools  and  Schoolhouses — Churches,  etc.,  etc 387 

CHAPTER  XVI.— McC'lellan  Township— Introduction  and 
Description  — Topography  — Early  Settlement— Trials, 
Hardships  and  Good  Times— Pioneer  Improvements- 
Roads,  Bridges  and  Mills — Education,  Schoolhouses  and 
Teachers- Early  Churches— Township  Officials,  etc.,  etc.  391 
CHAPTER  XV II.— Field  Township— Topographical,  Geo- 
graphical, Physical,  etc  —Settlement  by  White  I'eople — 
Life  on  the  Border— Educational  Facilities— Churches 
and  Church  Buildings— An  Incident— Township  Officers 

— Summary,  etc.,  etc 396 

CH.VPTEB  XVIII.— Casner  Township— Topography  and 
Physical  Features— Early  Settlement— Rough  Fare  of 
the  Pioneers— Schools  and  Churches— List  of  Township 
Officers— Politics,  etc. — Roachville  Village,  the  Chicago 

of  the  County,  etc.,  etc 399 

CHAPTER  XIX.— Dodds  Township— Description  and  Topog- 
raphy— Coming  of  the  Whites — Early  Facts  and  Inci- 
dents—The Main  Settlement— Roads— First  Mills,  etc.— 
Early  .'^(jhools  —  Mode  of  Paying  the  Teachers  —  First 

Preachers  and  Churches — Township  Officers,  etc.,  etc 405 

CHAPTER  XX.— Blissville  Township— Description  and  To- 

pograi>hy — Knob  Prairie — Settlement — How  the  People 

Lived — Name  of  Township,  aud  Its  List  of  Officials— 

.yPoads,  Bridges,  etc.  — The  Village  of  Williamsburg — 

Churches  and  Schools — Retrospectiou,  etc  ,  etc 411 

CHAPTER  XXI.— Bald  Hill  Township-Its  Geographical 
and  Physical  Features— Advent  of  the  Pioneers— Their 
Trials,  Tribulations,  etc.— Mills  and  Roads — Organiza- 
tion of  the  Township,  and  the  List  of  Officials — Schools, 
Churches,  etc.,  etc 416 


CONTENTS. 


PAKT  IV. 

BIOGRAPHIC.iL. 

PAGE. 

Mount  VernoD — City  aud  Township 3 

Pendleton  Townsliip , 45 

Shiloh  Township .'. 68 

Webber  Township 73 

Rome  Township 78 

Dodds  Township 87 

Blissville  Township 93 

Spring  Garden  Townsliip 102 

Grand  Prairie  Township Ill 

Field  Township 119 

Moore's  Prairie  Township 123 

Casner  Township 130 

Farrington  Township 135 

Elk  Prairie  Township 138 

McClellan  Township 144 


PAGE. 

Bald  Hill  Township 147 

Sketch  of  C.  T.  Stratton 149 

PORTRAITS. 

Anderson,  W.  B 259 

Baldridge,  J.  C 116 

Bruce,  M.  D 133 

Carpenter,  S.  W 169 

Dees,  J.  A 187 

Garrison,  W.  J 205 

Gilbert,  Eli 223 

Hails   J.  W 241 

Hicks,  S.  G 151 

Holland,  T.  G 395 

Jones,  G.  D 313 

Moss,  J.  R ;. 331 

Norris,  0.  P : 349 

Plummer,  H.  S .^ 277 


..  n 


v\    V 


APP'JilN'DIX. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


INCLUDING  A  BRIEF 


HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


GEOGEAPHIOAL    POSITION. 

"TTTHEN  the  Northwestern  Territory 
VV  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by 
Virginia  in  1784,  it  embraced  only  the  terri- 
tory lying  between  the  Oiiio  and  the  Missis- 
sippi Rivers,  and  north  to  the  northern  lim- 
its of  the  United  States.  It  coincided  with 
the  area  now  embraced  in  the  States  ofOhio, 
Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and 
that  portion  of  Minnesota  lying  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Mississippi  River.  The  United 
States  itself  at  that  period  extended  no 
farther  west  than  the  Mississippi  River; 
but  by  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  in  1803, 
the  western  boundary  of  the  United  States 
was  extended  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean.  The  new 
territory  thus  added  to  the  National  do- 
main, and  subsequently  opened  to  settle- 
ment, has  been  called  the  "  New  North- 
west," in  contradistinction  from  the  old 
"  Northwestern  Territory." 

In  comparison  with  the  old  Northwest 
this  is  a  territory  of  vast  magnitude.  It 
includes  an  area  of  1,887.850  square  miles; 
being  greater  in  extent  than  the  united 
areas  of  all  the  Middle  and  Southern  States, 
including  Texas.     Out  of  this  magnificent 


territory  have  been  erected  eleven  sovereign 
States  and  eight  Territories,  with  an  aggre- 
gate population,  at  the  present  time,  of 
13,000,000  inhabitants,  or  nearly  one-third 
of  the  entire  population  of  the  United 
States. 

Its  lakes  are  fresh-water  seas,  and  the 
larger  rivers  of  the  continent  flow  for  a. 
thousand  miles  through  its  rich  alluvial  val- 
leys and  far-stretching  prairies,  more  acres 
of  which  are  arable  and  productive  of  the 
highest  percentage  of  the  cereals  than  of 
any  other  area  of  like  extent  on  the  globe. 

For  the  last  twenty  years  the  increase  of 
population  in  the  Northwest  has  been  about 
as  three  to  one  in  any  other  portion  of  the 
United  States. 

EARLY    EXPLORATIONS. 

In  the  year  1.541,  De  Soto  first  saw  the 
Great  West  in  the  New  World.  He,  how- 
ever, penetrated  no  farther  north  than  the 
35th  parallel  of  latitude.  The  expedition 
resulted  in  his  death  and  that  of  more  than 
half  his  army,  the  remainder  of  whom 
found  their  way  to  Cuba,  thence  to  Spain, 
in  a  famished  and  demoralized  condition. 
De  Soto  founded  no  settlements,  produced 
no  results,  and  left  no  traces,  unless  it  were 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


that  lie  awakened  the  hostility  of  the  red 
man  atrainst  the  white  man,  and  disheart- 
ened such  as  might  desire  to  follow  up  the 
career  of  discovery  for  better  purposes. 
The  French  nation  were  eager  and  ready  to 
seize  upon  any  news  from  this  extensive 
domain,  and  were  the  first  to  profit  by  De 
Soto's  defeat.  Yet  it  was  more  than  a 
century  before  any  adventurer  took  advan- 
tage of  these  discoveries. 

In  1616,  four  years  before  the  pilgrims 
"  moored  their  bark  on  the  wild  New  Eng- 
land shore,"  Le  Caron,  a  French  Franciscan, 
had  penetrated  through  the  Iroquois  and 
and  Wyandots  (Hurons)  to  the  streams 
which  run  into  Lake  Huron;  and  in  1634, 
two  Jesuit  missionaries  founded  the  first 
mission  among  the  lake  tribes.  It  was  just 
one  hundred  years  from  the  discovery  of 
the  Mississippi  by  De  Soto  (1541)  until  the 
Canadian  envoys  met  the  savage  nations  of 
the  Northwest  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  be- 
low the  outlet  of  Lake  Su'ierior.  This 
visit  led  to  no  permanent  result,  yet  it  was 
not  until  1659  that  any  of  the  adventurous 
fur  traders  attempted  to  spend  a  winter  in 
the  frozen  wilds  about  the  great  lakes,  nor 
was  it  until  1660  that  a  station  was  estab- 
lished upon  their  borders  by  Mesnard,  who 
perished  in  the  woods  a  few  months  after. 
In  1665,  Claude  Allouez  built  the  earliest 
lasting  habitation  of  the  white  man  among 
the  Indians  of  the  Northwest.  In  1668, 
Claude  Dablon  and  James  Marquette 
founded  the  mission  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie  at 
the  Falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  two  years  after- 
ward, Nicholas  Perrot,  as  agent  for  M. 
Talon,  Governor  General  of  Canada,  ex- 
plored Lake  Illinois  (Michigan)  as  far 
south  as  the  present  City  of  Chicago,  and 
invited  the  Indian  nations  to  meet  him  at 


a  grand  council  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  the 
following  spring,  where  they  were  taken 
under  the  protection  of  the  king,  and  formal 
possession  was  taken  of  the  Northwest. 
This  same  vear  Marquette  established  a 
mission  at  Point  St.  Ignatius,  where  was 
founded  tiie  old  town  of  town  of  Michilli- 
mackinac. 

During  M.  Talon's  explorations  and  Mar- 
quette's residence  at  St.  Ignatius,  they 
learned  of  a  great  river  away  to  the  west, 
and  fancied — as  all  others  did  then — that 
upon  its  fertile  banks  whole  tribes  of  God's 
children  resided,  to  whom  the  sound  of  the 
Gospel  had  never  come.  Filled  with  a 
wish  to  go  and  preach  to  them,  and  in  com- 
pliance with  a  request  of  M.  Talon,  who 
earnestly  desired  to  extend  the  domain  of 
his  king,  and  to  ascertain  whether  the 
river  flowed  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  or  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Marquette  with  Joliet,  as 
commander  of  the  expedition,  prepared  for 
the  undertaking. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1673,  the  explorers, 
accompanied  by  five  assistant  French  Can- 
adians, set  out  from  Mackinaw  on  their 
daring  voyage  of  discovery.  The  Indians, 
who  gathered  to  witness  their  departure, 
were  astonished  at  the  boldness  of  the 
undertaking,  and  endeavored  to  dissuade 
them  from  their  purpose  by  representing 
the  tribes  on  the  Mississippi  as  exceedingly 
savage  and  cruel,  and  the  river  itself  as 
full  of  all  sorts  of  frightful  monsters  ready 
to  swallow  them  and  their  canoes  together. 
But,  nothing  daunted  by  these  terrific  de- 
scriptions, Marquette  told  them  he  was 
willing  not  only  to  encounter  all  the  per- 
ils of  the  unknown  region  they  were  about 
to  explore,  but  to  lay  down  his  life  in  a 
cause   in    which  the  salvation  of  souls  was 


THE  ^'ORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


involved;  and  having  prayed  together  they 
separated.  Coasting  along  the  northern 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  the  adventurers 
entered  Green  Bay,  and  passed  thence  up 
the  Fox  River  and  Lake  "Winnebago  to  a 
village  of  the  Miamis  and  Kickapoos. 
Here  Marquette  was  delighted  to  tind  a 
beautiful  cross  planted  in  the  middle  of  the 
town,  ornamented  with  white  skins,  red  gir- 
dles and  bows  and  arrows,  which  these 
good  people  had  offered  to  the  great  Man- 
itou,  or  God,  to  thank  him  for  the  pity  lie 
had  bestowed  on  them  during  the  winter  in 
giving  them  an  abundant  "  chase."  This 
was  the  farthest  outpost  to  which  Dablon  and 
Allouez  had  extended  their  missionary  la- 
bors the  year  previous.  Here  Marquette 
drank  mineral  waters  and  was  instructed  in 
the  secret  of  a  root  which  cures  the  bite  of 
the  venomous  rattlesnake.  He  assembled 
the  chiefs  and  old  men  of  the  village,  and, 
pointing  to  Joliet,  said:  "  My  friend  is  an 
envoy  of  France,  to  discover  new  coun- 
tries, and  lam  an  ambassador  from  God  to 
enlighten  them  with  the  truths  of  the  Gos- 
pel."  Two  Miami  guides  were  here  fur- 
nished to  condnct  them  to  the  Wisconsin 
River,  and  they  set  out  from  the  Lulian 
village  on  the  10th  of  June,  amidst  a  great 
crowd  of  natives  who  had  assembled  to 
witness  their  departure  into  a  region  where 
no  white  man  had  ever  yet  ventured.  Tlie 
euides,  havins:  conducted  them  across  the 
portage,  returned.  The  explorers  launclied 
their  canoes  upon  the  Wisconsin  which 
they  descended  to  the  Mississippi  and  pro- 
ceeded down  its  unknown  waters.  What 
emotions  must  have  swelled  their  breasts 
as  they  struck  out  into  the  broadening  cur- 
rent and  became  conscious  that  they  were 
now  upon  the  bosom  of  the   Father  of  Wa- 


ters. The  mystery  was  about  to  be  liftea 
from  the  long-sought  river.  The  scenery 
in  that  locality  is  beautiful,  and  on  that 
delightful  seventeenth  of  June  must  have 
been  clad  in  all  its  primeval  loveliness  as  it 
had  been  adorned  by  the  hand  of  Nature. 
Drifting  rapidly,  it  is  said  that  the  bold 
bluffs  on  either  hand  "  reminded  them  of 
the  castled  shores  of  their  own  beautiful 
rivers  of  France."  By-and-by,  as  they 
drifted  along,  great  herds  of  buffalo  ap- 
peared on  the  banks.  On  going  to  the 
heads  of  the  valley  they  could  see  a  coun- 
try of  the  greatest  beauty  and  fertility,  ap- 
parently destitute  of  inhabitiints  yet  pre- 
senting the  appearance  of  extensive  man- 
ors, under  the  fastidious  cultivation  of 
lordly  proprietors. 

On  June  25th,  they  went  ashore  and  found 
some  fresh  traces  of  men  upon  the  sand, 
and  a  path  which  led  to  the  prairie.  The 
men  remained  in  the  boat,  and  Marquette 
and  Joliet  followed  the  path  till  they  dis- 
covered a  village  on  the  banks  of  a  river, 
and  two  other  villages  on  a  hill,  within  a 
half  league  of  the  first,  inhabited  by  Indians. 
They  were  received  most  hospitably  by 
these  natives,  who  had  never  before  seen  a 
white  person.  After  remaining  a  few  days 
they  re-embarked  and  descended  the  river 
to  about  latitude  33°,  wliere  they  found  a 
village  of  the  Arkansas,  and  being  satisfied 
that  the  river  flowed  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  turned  their  course  up  the  river, 
and  ascending  the  stream  to  the  month  of 
the  Illinois,  rowed  up  that  stream  to  its 
source,  and  procured  guides  from  that 
point  to  the  lakes.  "  No  where  on  this 
journey,"  says  Marquette,  "  did  we  see  such 
grounds,  meadows,  woods,  stags,  buffaloes, 
deer,  wildcats,  bustards,  swans,  ducks,  par- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


roquets,  and  even  beavers,  as  on  the  Illinois 
River."  The  party,  witliout  loss  or  injury, 
reached  Green  Bay  in  September,  and  re- 
ported their  discovery — one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  age,  but  of  which  no 
record  was  preserved  save  Marquette's, 
Joliet  losing  his  by  the  upsetting  of  his 
canoe  on  his  way  to  Quebec.  Afterward 
Marquette  returned  to  the  Illinois  Indians 
by  their  request,  and  ministered  to  them 
until  1675.  On  the  18th  of  May,  in  that 
year,  as  he  was  passing  the  mouth  of  a 
stream — going  with  his  boatmen  up  Lake 
Michigan — he  asked  to  land  at  its  mouth 
and  celebrate  mass.  Leaving  his  men  with 
the  canoe,  he  retired  a  shore  distance  and 
began  his  devotions.  As  much  time  passed 
and  he  did  not  return,  his  men  went  in 
search  of  him,  and  found  him  upon  his 
knees,  dead.  He  had  peacefully  passed 
away  while  at  prayer.  He  was  buried  at 
this  spot.  Charlevoix,  who  visited  the 
place  fifty  years  after,  found  the  waters  had 
retreated  from  the  grave,  leaving  the  be- 
loved missionary  to  repose  in  peace.  The 
river  has  since  been  called  Marquette. 

While  Marquette  and  his  companions 
were  pursuing  their  labors  in  the  West, 
two  men,  differing  widely  from  him  and 
each  other,  were  preparing  to  follow  in  his 
footsteps  and  perfect  the  discoveries  so  well 
begun  by  him.  These  were  Robert  de  La 
Salle  and  Louis  Hennepin. 

After  La  Salle's  return  from  the  discovery 
of  the  Ohio  River  (see  the  narrative  else- 
where), he  established  himself  again  among 
the  French  trading  posts  in  Canada.  Here 
he  mused  long  upon  the  pet  project  of 
those  ages — a  short  way  to  China  and  the 
East,  and  was  busily  planning  an  expedi- 
tion   up    the    great    lakes,  and  so    across 


the  continent  to  the  Pacific,  when  Mar- 
quette returned  from  the  Mississippi.  At 
once  the  vigorous  mind  of  La  Salle  received 
from  his  and  his  companions'  stories  the 
idea  that  by  following  the  Great  River 
northward,  or  by  turning  up  some  of  the 
numerous  western  tributaries,  the  object 
could  easily  be  gained.  He  applied  to 
Frontenac,  Governor  General  of  Canada, 
and  laid  before  him  the  plan,  dim  but 
gigantic.  Frontenac  entered  warmly  into 
his  plans,  and  saw  that  La  Salle's  idea  to 
connect  the  great  lakes  by  a  chain  of  forts 
with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  would  bind  the 
country  so  wonderfully  together,  give  un- 
measured power  to  France,  and  glory  to 
himself,  under  whose  administration  he 
earnestly  hoped  all  would  be  realized. 

La  Salle  now  repaired  to  France,  laid  his 
plans  before  the  King,  who  warmly  ap- 
proved of  them,  and  made  him  a  Chevalier. 
He  also  received  from  all  the  noblemen  the 
warmest  wishes  for  his  success.  The  Chev- 
alier returned  to  (Janada,  and  busily  en- 
tered upon  his  work.  He  at  once  rebuilt 
Fort  Frontenac  and  constructed  the  first 
ship  to  sail  on  these  fresh-water  seas.  On 
the  7th  of  August,  1679,  having  been  joined 
by  Hennepin,  he  began  his  voyage  in  the 
Grifiin  up  Lake  Erie.  He  passed  over 
this  lake,  through  the  straits  beyond,  up 
Lake  St.  Clair  and  into  Huron.  In  this 
lake  they  encountered  heavy  storms.  They 
were  some  time  at  Michillimackinac,  where 
La  Salle  founded  a  fort,  and  passed  on  to 
Green  Bay,  the  "  Baie  des  Puans  "  of  the 
French,  where  he  found  a  large  quantity  of 
furs  collected  for  him.  He  loaded  the 
Griflin  with  these,  and  placing  her  under 
the  care  of  a  pilot  and  fourteen  sailors, 
started  her  on  her  return  voj-age.     The  ves- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


sel  was  never  afterward  heard  of.  He  re- 
mained about,  these  parts  nntil  early  In  the 
winter,  when,  hearing  nothing  from  tlie 
Griffin,  he  collected  all  his  men — thirty 
working  men  and  three  nionks^ — and 
started  again  upon  his  great  undertaking. 

By  a  short  portage  they  passed  to  the  Il- 
linois or  Kankakee,  called  by  the  Indians, 
"  Theakeke,"  loolf,  because  of  the  tribes  of 
Indians  called  by  that  name,  commonly 
known  as  the  Mahingans,  dwelling  there. 
The  French  pronounced  it  Kialcikl,  which 
became  corrupted  to  Kankakee.  "  Falling 
down  the  said  river  by  easy  journeys,  the 
better  to  observe  the  country,"  about  the 
last  of  December  they  reached  a  village  of 
the  Illinois  Indians,  containing  some  five 
hundred  cabins,  but  at  that  moment  no  in- 
habitants. The  Seur  de  La  Salle  being  in 
want  of  some  breadstuffs,  took  advantage 
of  the  absence  of  the  Indians  to  help  him- 
self to  a  sufficiency  of  maize,  large  quanti- 
ties of  which  he  found  concealed  in  holes 
under  the  wigwams.  This  village  was  sit- 
uated near  the  present  village  of  Utica  in 
La  Salle  County,  Illinois.  The  corn  being 
securely  stored,  the  voyagers  again  betook 
themselves  to  the  stream,  and  toward  even- 
ing on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1680,  they 
came  into  a  lake,  which  must  have  been 
the  lake  of  Peoria.  Tiiis  was  called  by  the 
Indians  Pim-i-te-wi,  that  is  a  place  where 
th&re  are  many  fat  beasts.  Here  the  na- 
tives were  met  with  in  large  numbers,  but 
they  were  gentle  and  kind,  and  having 
spent  some  time  with  them,  La  Salle  deter- 
mined to  erect  another  fort  in  that  place, 
for  he  had  heard  rumors  that  some  of  the 
adjoining  tribes  were  trying  to  disturb  the 
good  feeling  which  existed,  and  some  of 
his  men  were  disposed  to  complain,  owing 


to  the  hardships  and  perils  of  the  travel. 
He  called  this  fort  '■'  Crevecmur"  {hvcikew- 
lieart),  a  name  expressive  of  the  very  nat- 
ural sorrow  and  anxiety  which  the  pretty 
certain  loss  of  his  ship.  Griffin,  and  his  con- 
sequent impoverishment,  the  danger  of 
hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  and  of 
mutiny  among  his  own  men,  might  well 
cause  him.  His  fears  were  not  entirely 
groundless.  Atone  time  poison  was  placed 
in  his  food,  but  fortunately  was  discovered. 

AVhile  building  this  fort,  the  winter 
wore  away,  the  prairies  began  to  look 
green,  and  La  Salle,  despairing  of  any  rein- 
forcements, concluded  to  return  to  Canada, 
raise  new  means  and  new  men,  and  embark 
anew  in  the  enterprise.  For  this  purpose 
he  made  Hennepin  the  leader  of  a  party  to 
explore  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississi]ipi, 
and  he  set  out  on  his  journej'.  This  jour- 
ney was  accomplished  with  the  aid  of  a 
few  persons,  and  was  successfully  made, 
though  over  an  almost  unknown  route,  and 
in  a  bad  season  of  the  year.  He  safely 
reached  Canada,  and  set  out  again  for  the 
object  of  his  search. 

Hennepin  and  his  party  loft  Fort  Creve- 
cceur  on  the  last  of  Febriuiry,  1680.  When 
La  Salle  reached  this  place  on  his  return  ex- 
pedition, he  found  the  fort  entirely  desert- 
ed, and  he  was  obliged  to  return  again  to 
Canada.  He  embarked  the  third  time, 
and  succeeded.  Seven  days  after  leaving 
the  fort,  Hennepin  reached  the  Mississippi, 
and  paddling  up  the  icy  stream  as  best  he 
could,  reached  no  higher  than  the  Wis- 
consin River  by  the  11th  of  April.  Here 
he  and  his  followers  were  taken  prisoners 
by  a  band  of  Northern  Indians,  who  treat- 
ed them  with  great  kindness.  Hennepin's 
comrades  were   Anthony  Auguel  and  Mi- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


chael  Ako.  On  this  voyage  they  found  sev- 
eral beautiful  lakes,  and  "  saw  some  charm- 
ing prairies."  Their  captors  were  the 
Isaute  or  Sauteurs,  Chippewas,  a  tribe  of 
the  Sioux  nation,  who  took  them  up  the 
river  until  about  the  first  of  May,  when 
they  reached  some  falls,  which  Hen- 
nepin christened  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 
in  honor  of  his  patron  saint.  Here  they 
took  the  land,  and  traveling  nearly  two 
hundred  miles  to  the  northwest,  brought 
them  to  their  villages.  Here  they  were 
kept  about  three  niontlis,  were  treated  kind- 
ly by  their  captors,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  were  met  by  a  band  of  Frenchmen, 
headed  by  one  Seur  de  Luth,  who,  in  pur- 
suit of  tiade  and  game,  had  penetrated  thus 
far  by  the  route  of  Lake  Superior;  and 
with  these  fellow-countrymen  Hennepin  and 
his  companions  were  allowed  to  return  to 
the  borders  of  civilized  life  in  November, 
16S0,  just  after  La  Salle  had  returned 
to  the  wilderness  on  his  second  trip.  Hen- 
nepin soon  after  went  to  France,  where 
he  published  an  account  of  his  adven- 
tures. ( 

The  Mississippi  was  first  discovered  by 
De  Soto  in  April,  15-41,  in  his  vain  endeav- 
or to  find  gold  and  precious  gems.  In  the 
following  spring,  De  Soto,  weary  with  hope 
long  deferred,  and  worn  out  with  his  wan- 
derings, fell  a  victim  to  disease,  and  on 
the  21st  of  May,  died.  His  followers,  re- 
duced by  fatigue  and  disease  to  less  than 
three  hundred  men,  wandered  about  the 
country  nearly  a  year,  in  the  vain  endeavor 
to  rescue  themselves  by  land,  and  finallv 
constructed  seven  small  vessels,  called  brig- 
antines,  in  which  they  embarked,  and  de- 
scending the  river,  supposing  it  would 
lead  them  to  the  sea,  in  July  they  came  to 


the  sea  (Gulf  of  Mexico),  and  by  Septem- 
ber reached  the  Island  of  Cuba. 

They  were  the  first  to  see  the  great  out- 
let of  the  Mississippi;  but,  being  so  weary 
and  discouraged,  made  no  attempt  to  claim 
the  country,  and  hardly  had  an  intelligent 
idea  of  what  they  had  passed  through. 

To  La  Salle,  the  intrepid  explorer,  belongs 
the  honor  of  giving  the  first  account  of 
the  mouths  of  the  river.  His  great  desire 
was  to  possess  this  entire  country  for  his 
king,  and  in  January,  16S2,  he  and  his 
band  of  explorers  left  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan  on  their  third  attempt,  crossed 
the  portage,  passed  down  the  Illinois  Riv- 
er, and  on  the  6th  of  February,  reached  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi. 

On  the  13th  they  commenced  their  down- 
ward course,  which  they  pursued  with  but 
one  interruption,  until  upon  the  6th  of 
March  they  discovered  the  three  great  pas- 
sages by  which  the  river  discharges  its 
waters  into  the  gulf.  La  Salle  thus  narrates 
the  event: 

"  "We  landed  on  the  bank  of  the  most 
western  channel,  about  three  leagues  (nine 
miles)  from  its  mouth.  On  the  seventh, 
M.  de  La  Salle  went  to  reconnoiter  the  shores 
of  the  neighboring  sea,  and  M.  de  Tonti 
meanwhile  examined  the  great  middle  chan- 
nel. They  found  the  main  outlets  beau- 
tiful, large  and  deep.  On  the  Sth  we  reas- 
cended  the  rivei,  a  little  above  its  conflu- 
ence with  the  sea,  to  find  a  dry  place  be- 
yond the  reach  of  inundations.  The  el- 
evation of  the  Xorth  Pole  was  here  about 
twenty-seven  degrees.  Here  we  prepared 
a  column  and  a  cross,  and  to  the  column 
were  affixed  the  arms  of  France  with  this 
inscription: 

Louis  LeGrand.  Roi  De  France  et  de  Xavarre, 
regne;  Le  neuvieme  .\vril  1682. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


The  wliolc  party,  under  arras,  clmiited 
the  Te  Deum,  and  then,  aftei-  a  salute  and 
cries  of-'  Vive  le  Boi,"  tlie  column  was 
erected  by  M.  de  La  Salle,  who,  standing 
near  it,  proclaimed  in  a  loud  voice  the  au- 
thority of  the  King  of  France.  La  Salle 
returned  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
Mississippi  settlements  in  Illinois,  thence 
he  proceeded  to  France,  where  another  ex- 
pedition was  fitted  out,  of  which  he  was 
commander,  and  in  two  succeeding  voy- 
ages failed  to  find  the  outlet  of  the  river 
by  sailing  along  the  shore  of  the  gulf.  On 
his  third  voyage  he  was  killed,  through 
the  treachery  of  his  followers,  and  the  ob- 
ject of  his  expeditions  was  not  accom- 
plished until  1699,  when  D'Iberville,  un- 
der the  authority  of  the  crown,  discovered, 
on  the  second  of  March,  by  way  of  the  sea, 
the  mouth  of  the  "  Hidden  River."  This 
majestic  stream  was  called  by  the  natives 
"  J\£alf)otichia,^^  and  by  the  Spaniards,  "  Za 
Palissade, "  from  the  great  number  of 
trees  about  its  mouth.  After  traversing  the 
several  outlets,  and  satisfying  himself  as  to 
its  certainty,  he  erected  a  fort  near  its 
western  outlet  and  returned  to  France. 

An  avenue  of  trade  was  now  opened  out, 
which  was  fully  improved.  In  1718,  New 
Orleans  was  laid  out  and  settled  b}'  some 
European  colonists.  In  1762,  the  colony 
was  made  over  to  Spain,  to  be  regained  by 
France  under  the  consulate  of  Napoleon. 
In  1803,  it  was  purchased  by  the  United 
States  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  million  dollars, 
and  the  territory  of  Louisiana  and  com- 
merce of  the  Mississippi  River  came  under 
the  charge  of  the  United  States.  Although 
La  Salle's  labors  ended  in  defeat  and  death, 
he  had  not  workeil  and  suflered  in  vain. 
He    had   thrown  open  to  France  and  the 


world  an  immense  and  most  valuable  coun- 
try; had  established  several  ports,  and  laid 
the  foundations  of  more  than  one  settle- 
ment there.  "  Peoria,  Kaskaskia  and  Ca- 
hokia,  are  to  this  day  monuments  of  La 
Salle's  labors;  for,  though  he  had  founded 
neither  of  them  (unless  Peoria,  which  was 
built  nearly  upon  the  site  of  Fort  Creve- 
coeur,)  it  was  by  those  whom  he  led  into  the 
West  that  these  places  were  peopled  and 
civilized.  He  was,  if  not  the  discoverer, 
the  first  settler  of  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  as  such  deserves  to  be  known  and 
honored." 

The  French  early  improved  the  opening 
made  for  them.  Before  the  year  1698,  the 
Rev.  Father  Gravier  began  a  mission  among 
the  Illinois,  and  founded  Kaskaskia.  For 
some  time  this  was  merely  a  missionary 
station,  where  none  but  natives  resided,  it 
being  one  of  three  such  villages,  the  other 
two  being  Cahokia  and  Peoria.  What  is 
known  of  these  missions  is  learned  from  a 
letter  written  by  Father  Grabriel  Marest, 
dated  "Aux  Cascaskias,  autrement  dit  de 
I'Immaculate  Conception  de  la  Sainte 
Vierge,  le  9  Novembre,  1712."  Soon  after 
the  founding  of  Kaskaskia,  the  missionary, 
Pinet,  gathered  a  flock  at  Cahokia,  while 
Peoria  arose  near  the  ruins  of  Fort  Creve- 
coeur.  This  must  have  been  about  a  year 
1700.  The  post  at  Vincennes  on  the 
Oubache  river,  (pronounced  Wa-ba,  mean- 
ing summer  cloud  moving  swiftly)  was  es- 
tablished in  1702,  according  to  the  best 
authorities.*     It  is  altogether  probable  that 

*  There  ia  consideraUe  dispute  about  this  date, 
some  asserting^  it  was  foundi'd  uh  late  aa  1742.  When 
the  new  court  house  at  Vincennes  was  erected,  all 
authorities  on  the  subject  were  carefully  examined, 
and  1702  fixed  upon  as  the  correct  date.  It  was  ac- 
cordingly engraved  on  the  corner-stone  of  the  court 
house. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


on  La  Salle's  last  trip  he  established  the 
stations  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia.  In 
July,  1701,  the  fonndations  of  Fort  Pon- 
chartrain  were  laid  by  De  la  Motte  Cadillac 
on  the  Detroit  River.  These  stations,  with 
those  established  further  north,  were  the 
earliest  attempts  to  occupy  the  Northwest 
Territory.  At  the  same  time  efforts  were 
being  made  to  occupy  the  Southwest,  which 
finally  culminated  in  the  settlement  and 
founding  of  the  City  of  New  Orleans  by  a 
colony  from  England  in  1718.  This  was 
mainly  accomplished  through  the  efforts  of 
the  famous  Mississippi  Company,  estab- 
lished by  the  notorious  John  Law,  who  so 
quickly  arose  into  prominence  in  France, 
and  who  with  his  scheme  so  quickly  and  so 
ignominionsly  passed  away. 

From  the  time  of  the  founding  of  these 
stations  for  fifty  years  the  French  nation 
were  engrossed  with  the  settlement  of  the 
lower  Mississippi,  and  the  war  with  the 
Chicasaws,  who  had,  in  revenge  for  repeated 
injuries,  cutoff  the  entire  colony  at  Natchez. 
Although  the  company  did  little  for  Louis- 
iana, as  the  entire  West  was  then  called, 
yet  it  opened  the  trade  through  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  and  started  the  raising  of 
grains  indigenous  to  that  climate.  Until 
the  year  1750,  but  little  is  known  of  the 
settlements  in  the  Northwest,  as  it  wjis  not 
until  this  time  that  the  attention  of  the 
English  was  called  to  the  occupation  of 
this  portion  of  the  New  World,  which  they 
then  supposed  they  owned.  Vivier,  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  Illinois,  writing  from 
"Anx  Illinois,"  six  leagues  from  Fort 
Chartres,  June  8,  1750,  says:  "We  have 
here  whites,  negroes  and  Indians,  to  say 
nothing  of  cross-breeds.  There  are  five 
French  villages,  and  three  villages  of  the 


natives,  within  a  space  of  twenty-one 
leagues  situated  between  the  Mississippi 
and  another  river  called  the  Karkadaid 
(Kaskaskias).  In  the  five  French  villages 
are,  perhaps,  eleven  hundred  whites,  three 
hundred  blacks  and  some  sixty  red  slaves 
or  savages.  The  three  Illinois  towns  do 
not  contain  more  than  eight  hundred  souls 
all  told.  Most  of  the  French  till  the  soil ; 
they  raise  wheat,  cattle,  pigs  and  horses, 
and  live  like  princes.  Three  times  as  much 
is  produced  as  can  be  consumed  ;  and  great 
quantities  of  grain  and  flour  are  sent  to 
New  Orleans."  This  city  was  now  the 
seaport  town  of  the  Northwest,  and  save 
in  the  extreme  northern  part,  where  only 
furs  and  copper  ore  were  found,  almost  all 
the  products  of  the  country  found  their 
way  to  France  by  the  mouth  of  the  Father 
of  Waters.  In  another  letter,  dated  No- 
vember 7,  1750,  this  same  priest  says: 
"  For  fifteen  leagues  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  one  sees  no  dwellings,  the 
ground  beins;  too  low  to  be  habitable. 
Thence  to  New  Orleans,  the  lands  are  only 
partially  occupied.  New  Orleans  contains 
black,  white  and  red,  not  more,  I  think, 
than  twelve  hundred  persons.  To  this 
point  come  all  lumber,  bricks,  salt-beef, 
tallow,  tar,  skins  and  bear's  grease  ;  and 
above  all,  pork  and  flour  from  the  Illinois. 
These  things  create  some  commerce,  as 
forty  vessels  and  more  have  come  hither 
this  year.  Above  New  Orleans,  plantations 
are  again  met  with  ;  the  most  considerable 
is  a  colony  of  Germans,  some  ten  leagues 
up  the  river.  At  Point  Coupee,  thirty-five 
leagues  above  the  German  settlement,  is  a 
fort.  Along  here,  within  five  or  six  leagues, 
are  not  less  than  sixty  habitations.  Fifty 
leagues   farther   up  is    the   Natchez  post, 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


9 


where  we  have  a  garrison,  who  are  kept 
prisoners  through  fear  of  tlie  Cliicasaws. 
Here  and  at  point  Coupee,  tliey  raise  excel- 
lent tobacco.  Another  hundred  leagues 
brings  us  to  the  Arkansas,  where  we  have 
also  a  fort  and  a  garrison  for  the  benefit  of 
the  river  traders.  *  *  *  From  the  Ar- 
kansas to  the  Illinois,  nearly  five  hundred 
leagues,  there  is  not  a  settlement.  There 
should  be,  however,  a  fort  at  the  Oubache 
(Ohio),  the  only  path  by  which  the  English 
can  reach  the  Mississippi.  In  the  Illinois 
country  are  numberless  mines,  but  no  one 
to  work  them  as  they  deserve."  Father 
Marest,  writing  from  the  post  at  Yincennes, 
in  1812,  makes  the  same  observation.  Vi- 
vier  also  says:  "  Some  individuals  dig 
lead  near  the  surface  and  supply  the  Ind- 
ians and  Canada.  Two  Sjianiards  now  here, 
who  claim  to  be  adepts,  say  that  our  mines 
are  like  those  of  Mexico,  and  that  if  we 
would  dig  deeper,  we  should  find  silver  un- 
der the  lead  ;  and  at  any  rate  the  lead  is 
excellent.  There  is  also  in  this  country, 
beyond  doubt,  copper  ore,  as  from  time  to 
time  large  pieces  are  found  in  the  streams." 
At  the  close  of  the  year  1750,  the  French 
occupied,  in  addition  to  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi posts  and  those  in  Illinois,  one  at 
Du  Quesne,  one  at  the  Maumee  in  the 
country  of  the  Miamis,  and  one  at  Sandus- 
ky, in  what  may  be  termed  the  Ohio  Val- 
ley. In  the  northern  part  of  the  North- 
west they  had  stations  at  St.  Joseph's  on 
the  St.  Joseph's  of  Lake  Michigan,  at  Fort 
Ponchartrain  (Detroit),  at  Michillimack- 
anac  or  Massillimacanac,  Fox  Kiver  of 
Green  Bay,  and  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The 
fondest  dreams  of  La  Salle  were  now  fully 
realized.  The  French  alone  were  possess- 
ors of  this  vast  realm,  basing  tiieir  claim 


on  discovery  and  settlement.  Another  na- 
tion, however,  was  now  turning  its  atten- 
tion to  this  extensive  country,  and  hearing 
of  its  wealth,  began  to  lay  plans  for  oc- 
cupying it  and  for  securing  the  great 
profits  arising  therefrom. 

The  French,  however,  had  another  claim 
to  tliis  country,  namely,  the 

DISCOVEET   OF    THE    OHIO. 

This  "  Beautiful  "  river  was  discovered 
by  Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle  in  1669,  four 
years  before  the  discovery  of  the  Missis- 
sippi by  Joliet  and  Marquette. 

While  La  Salle  was  at  his  trading  post 
on  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  found  leisure  to 
study  nine  Indian  dialects,  the  chief  of 
which  was  the  Iroquois.  He  not  only  de- 
sired to  tacilitate  his  intercourse  in  trade, 
but  he  longed  to  travel  and  explore  the  un- 
known regions  of  the  West.  An  incident 
soon  occurred  which  decided  him  to  fit  out 
an  exploring  expedition. 

While  conversing  with  some  Senecas,  he 
learned  of  a  river  called  the  Ohio,  which 
rose  in  their  country  and  flowed  to  the  sea, 
but  at  such  a  distance  that  it  required 
eight  months  to  reach  its  mouth.  In  this 
statement  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributa- 
ries were  considered  as  one  stream.  La 
Salle,  believiVi'g,  as  most  of  the  French  at 
that  period  did,  that  the  great  rivers  flow- 
ing west  emptied  into  the  Sea  of  Califor- 
nia, was  anxious  to  embark  in  the  enter- 
prise of  discovering  a  route  across  the  con- 
tinent to  the  commerce  of  China  and 
Japan. 

He  repaired  at  once  to  Quebec  to  obtain 
the  approval  of  the  Governor.  His  elo- 
quent appeal  prevailed.  The  Governor 
and   the    Inteudant,   Talon,  issued   letters 


10 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


patent  autliorizing  the  enterprise,  but  made 
no  provision  to  defray  tlie  expenses.  At 
this  juncture  the  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice 
decided  to  send  out  missionaries  in  connec- 
tion with  the  expedition,  and  La  Salle  offer- 
ing to  sell  his  improvements  at  La  Chine  to 
raise  money,  the  offer  was  accepted  by  the 
Superior,  and  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
dollars  were  raised,  with  which  La  Salle 
purchased  four  canoes  and  the  necessary 
nipplies  for  the  outfit. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  1669,  the  party,  num- 
bering twenty-four  persons,  embarked  in 
seven  canoes  on  the  St.  Lawrence;  two  ad- 
ditional canoes  carried  the  Indian  guides. 
In  three  days  they  were  gliding  over  the 
bosom  of  Lake  Ontario.  Their  guides  con- 
ducted them  directly  to  the  Seneca  village 
on  the  bank  of  the  Genesee,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  present  City  of  Rochester,  New 
York.  Here  they  expected  to  procure 
guides  to  conduct  them  to  the  Ohio,  but  in 
this  they  were  disappointed. 

The  Indians  seemed  unfriendly  to  the 
enterprise.  La  Salle  suspected  that  the 
Jesuits  had  prejudiced  their  minds 
against  his  plans.  After  waiting  a  month 
in  the  hope  of  gaining  their  object,  they 
met  an  Indian  from  the  Iroquois  colony  at 
the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  who  assured 
them  that  they  could  there  find  guides,  and 
offered  to  conduct  them  thence. 

On  their  way  they  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Niagara  River,  wlien'they  heard  for  the 
first  time  the  distant  thunder  of  the  cata- 
ract. Arriving  among  the  Iroquois,  tiiey 
met  with  a  tViendly  reception,  and  learned 
from  a  Shawanee  prisoner  that  they  could 
reach  the  Ohio  in  six  weeks.  Delighted 
with  the  unexpected  good  fortune,  they 
made  ready  to  resume    their  journey;  but 


just  as  they  were  about  to  start  they  heard 
of  the  arrival  of  two  Frenchmen  in  a  neigh- 
boring village.  One  of  them  proved  to  be 
Louis  Joliet,  afterward  famous  as  an  ex- 
plorer in  the  West.  He  had  beeu  sent  by 
tlie  Canadian  Government  to  explore  the 
copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior,  but  had 
failed,  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  Quebec. 
He  gave  the  missionaries  a  map  of  the 
country  he  had  explored  in  the  lake  region, 
together  with  an  account  of  tiie  condition 
of  the  Indians  in  that  quarter.  This  in- 
duced the  priests  to  determine  on  leaving 
the  expedition  and  going  to  Lake  Superior. 
La  Salle  warned  tliem  that  the  Jesuits  were 
probably  occupying  that  field,  and  that 
they  would  meet  with  a  cold  reception. 
Nevertheless  they  persisted  in  their  pur- 
pose, and  after  worship  on  the  lake  shore 
parted  from  La  Salle.  On  arriving  at  Lake 
Superior,  they  found,  as  La  Salle  had  pre- 
dicted, the  Jesuit  Fathers,  Marquette  and 
Dablon,  occupying  the  field. 

These  zealous  disciples  of  Loyola  in- 
formed them  that  they  wanted  no  assistance 
from  St.  Sulpice,  nor  from  those  who  made 
him  their  patron  saint;  and  thus  repulsed, 
they  returned  to  Montreal  the  following 
June  without  having  made  a  single  discov- 
ery or  converted  a  single  Indian. 

After  parting  with  the  priests,  La  Salle 
went  to  the  chief  Iroquois  village  at  Onon- 
daga, where  he  obtained  guides,  and  passing 
thence  to  a  tributary  of  the  Ohio  south  of 
Lake  Erie,  he  descended  the  latter  as  far  as 
the  falls  at  Louisville.  Thus  was  the  Ohio 
discovered  by  La  Salle,  the  persevering  and 
successful  French  explorer  of  the  West,  in 
1669. 

The  account  of  the  latter  part  of  his 
journey  is  found  in  an  anonymous   paper, 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


11 


which  purports  to  liave  been  taken  from  the 
lips  of  La  Salle  himself  during  a  subsequent 
visit  to  Paris.  In  a  letter  written  to  Count 
Frontenac  in  1667,  shortly  after  the  discov- 
ery, he  himself  says  that  he  discovered  the 
Ohio  and  descended  it  to  the  falls.  This 
was  regarded  as  an  indisputable  fact  by  the 
French  authorities,  who  claimed  the  Ohio 
Valley  upon  another  ground.  When  Wash- 
ington was  sent  by  the  colony  of  Virginia 
in  1753,  to  demand  of  Gordeur  de  St.  Pierre 
why  the  French  had  built  a  fort  on  the  Mo- 
nongahela,  the  haughty  commandant  at 
Quebec  replied :  "  We  claim  the  country  on 
the  Ohio  by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  of 
La  Salle,  and  will  not  give  it  up  to  the  Eng- 
lish. Our  orders  are  to  make  prisoners  of 
every  Englishman  found  trading  in  the 
Ohio  Valley.." 

ENGLISH      EXPLORATIONS     AND     SETTLEMENTS. 

When  the  new  year  of  1750  broke  in  up- 
on the  Father  of  Waters  and  the  Great 
Northwest,  all  was  still  wild  save  at  the 
French  posts  already  described.  In  1749, 
when  tiie  English  tirst  began  to  think  seri- 
ously about  sending  men  into  the  West, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  States  of  Indi- 
ana, Ohio,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
and  ilinnesota  were  j'et  under  the  domin- 
ion of  the  red  men.  The  English  knew, 
however,  pretty  conclusively  of  the  nature 
of  the  wealth  of  these  wilds.  As  early  as 
1710,  Governor  Spotswood,  of  Virginia, 
had  commenced  movements  to  secure  the 
country  west  of  the  Alleghanies  to  the 
English  crown.  In  Pennsylvania,  Gover- 
nor Keith  and  James  Logan,  seer  .tary  of 
the  province,  from  1719  to  1731,  represent- 
ed to  the  powers  of  England  the  necessity 
of  securing  the  Western  lands.       Nothina: 


was  done,  however,  by  that  power  save  to 
take  some  di]>lomatic  steps  to  secure  the 
claims  of  Britain  to  this  unexplored  wilder- 
ness. 

England  had  from  the  outset  claimed 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  on  the 
ground  that  the  discovery  of  tlie  seacoast 
and  its  possession  was  a  discovery  and  pos- 
session of  the  country,  and,  as  is  well  known, 
her  grants  to  the  colonies  extended  "from 
sea  to  sea."  This  was  not  all  her  claim. 
She  had  purchased  from  the  Indian  tribes 
large  tracts  of  laud.  This  latter  was  also  a 
strong  argument.  As  early  as  16S4,  Lord 
Howard,  Governor  of  Virginia,  held  a  trea- 
ty with  the  six  nations.  These  were  the 
great  Northern  Confederacy,  and  comprised 
at  first  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas, 
Cayugas,  and  Senecas.  Afterward  the  Tus- 
caroras  were  taken  into  the  confederacy, 
and  it  became  known  as  the  Six  Nations. 
They  came  under  the  protection  of  the 
mother  country,  and  again  in  1701,  they 
repeated  the  agreement,  and  in  September, 
1726,  a  formal  deed  was  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  the  chiefs.  The  validity  of  this 
claim  has  often  been  disputed,  but  never 
successfully.  In  1744,  a  purchase  was  made 
at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  of  certain  lands 
within  the  "Colony  of  Virginia,"  for  which 
the  Indians  received  £200  in  gold  and  a 
like  sum  in  goods,  with  a  promise  that,  as 
settlements  increased,  more  should  be  paid. 
The  Commissioners  from  Virginia  were 
Colonel  Thomas  Lee  and  Colonel  William 
Beverley.  As  settlements  extended,  the 
promise  of  more  pay  was  called  to  mind, 
and  Mr.  Conrad  Weiserwas  sent  across  the 
mountains  with  presents  to  appease  the 
savages.  Col.  Lee,  and  some  Viririnians 
accompanied  him  with    the   intention  of 


12 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


sounding-  the  Indians  upon  their  feeh'ngs 
regarding  the  English.  They  were  not 
satisfied  with  their  treatment,  and  plainly 
told  the  Commissioners  why.  The  English 
did  not  desire  the  cultivation  of  the  country, 
but  the  monopoly  of  the  Indian  trade.     In 

1748,  the  Oliio  Company  was  formed,  and 
petitioned  the  king  for  a  grant  of  land 
bej-ond  the  Alleghenies.  This  was  granted, 
and  the  government  of  Virginia  was  or- 
dered to  grant  to  them  a  half  million  acres, 
two  hundred  thousand  of  which  were  to  be 
located  at  once.     Upon  the  12th  of  June, 

1749,  800,000  acres  from  the  line  of  Canada 
north  and  west  was  made  to  the  Loyal 
Company,    and   on    the   29th   of  October, 

1751,  100,000  acres  were  given  to  the 
Greenbriar  Company.  All  this  time  the 
French  were  not  idle.  They  saw  that, 
should  the  British  gain  a  foothold  in  the 
West,  especially  upon  the  Ohio,  they 
might  not  only  prevent  the  French  set- 
tling upon  it,  but  in  time  would  come  to 
the  lower  posts  and  so  gain  possession  of 
the  whole  country.  Upon  the  10th  of  May, 
1774,  Vaudreuil,  Governor  of  Canada  and 
the  French  possessions,  well  knowing  the 
consequences  that  must  arise  from  allow- 
ing the  English  to  build  trading  posts  in 
the  Northwest,  seized  some  of  their  frontier 
posts,  and  to  further  secure  the  claim  of  the 
French  to  the  West,  he,  in  1749,  sent  Louis 
Celeron  with  a  party  of  soldiers  to  plant 
along  the  Ohio  River,  in  the  mounds  and 
at  the  mouths  of  its  principal  tributaries, 
plates  of  lead,  on  which  were  inscribed  the 
claims  of  France.     These  were  heard  of  in 

1752,  and  within  the  memory  of  residents 
now  living  along  the  "Oyo,"  as  the  beauti- 
ful river  was  called  by  the  French.  One 
of  these  plates  was  found  with  the  inscrip- 


tion partly  defaced.  It  bears  date  August 
16,  1749,  and  a  copy  of  the  inscription  with 
particular  account  of  the  discovery  of  the 
plate,  was  sent  by  DeWitt  Clinton  to  the 
American  Antiquarian  Society,  among 
whose  journals  it  may  now  be  found.* 
These  measures  did  not,  however,  deter  the 
English  from  going  on  with  their  explora- 
tions, and  though  neither  party  resorted  to 
arms,  yet  the  conflict  was  gathering,  and  it 
was  only  a  question  of  time  when  the  storm 
would  burst  upon  the  frontier  settlements. 
In  1750,  Christopher  Gist  was  sent  by  the 
Ohio  Company  to  examine  its  lands.  He 
went  to  a  village  of  the  Twigtwees,  on  the 
Miami,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
above  its  mouth.  He  afterward  spoke  of  it 
as  very  populous.  From  there  he  went 
down  the  Ohio  River  nearly  to  the  falls  at 
the  present  City  of  Louisville,  and  in 
November  he  commenced  a  survey  of  the 
company's  lands.  During  the  winter. 
General  Andrew  Lewis  performed  a  similar 
work  for  the  Greenbriar  Company.  Mean- 
while the  French  were  bus}'  in  preparing 
their  forts  for  defense,  and  in  opening 
roads,  and  also  sent  a  small  party  of  soldiers 
to  keep  the  Ohio  clear.  This  party,  having 
heard  of  the  Englisli  post  on  the  Miami 

*  The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  inscription  on 
the  plate:  "  In  the  year  1749,  reign  of  Louis  XV., 
King  of  Prance,  we,  Celeron,  commandant  of  a  de- 
tachment by  Monsieur  the  Marquis  of  Uallisoniere, 
commander-in-chief  of  New  France,  to  establish  tran- 
quility in  certain  Indian  villages  of  these  cantons, 
have  buried  this  plate  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Toradakoin,  this  twenty-ninth  of  July,  near  the  river 
Ohio,  otherwise  Beautiful  River,  as  a  monument  of 
renewal  of  possession  which  we  have  taken  of  the 
said  river,  and  all  its  tributaries;  inasmuch  as  the 
preceding  Kings  of  France  have  enjoyed  it,  and 
maintained  it  by  their  anns  and  treaties;  esp  cially 
by  those  of  Ryswick,  Utrecht,  and  Aix  La  Chapelle." 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


13 


River,  early  in  1652,  assisted  by  the 
Ottawas  and  Chipp(!\vas,  attacked  it,  and, 
after  a  severe  battle,  in  which  fuurteen  of 
the  natives  were  killed  and  others  wounded, 
captured  the  garrison.  (They  were  prob- 
ably garrisoned  in  a  block  house).  The 
traders  were  carried  away  to  Canada,  and 
one  account  says  several  were  burned.  This 
fort  or  post  was  called  by  the  English 
Pickawillany.  A  memorial  of  the  king's 
ministers  refers  to  it  as  "  Pickawillanes,  in 
the  center  of  the  territory  between  the  Ohio 
and  the  Wabash.  The  name  is  probably 
some  variation  of  Pickaway  or  Picqna,  in 
1773,  written  by  Rev.  David  Jones,  Pick- 
aweke." 

This  was  the  first  blood  shed  between  the 
French  and  English,  and  occurred  near  the 
present  City  of  Piqua,  Ohio,  or  at  least  at 
a  point  about  forty-seven  miles  north  of 
Dayton.  Each  nation  became  now  more 
interested  in  the  progress  of  events  in  the 
Northwest.  The  English  determined  to 
purchase  from  the  Indians  a  title  to  the 
lands  they  wished  to  occupy,  and  Messrs. 
Fry  (afterward  Commander-in-chief  over 
Washington  at  the  commencement  of  the 
French  War  of  1775-1763),  Lomax  and 
Patton  were  sent  in  the  spring  of  1752  to 
hold  a  conference  witli  the  natives  at  Logs- 
town  to  learn  what  they  objected  to  in  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster  already  noticed  and  to 
settle  all  difficulties.  On  the  9th  of  June, 
these  Commissioners  met  the  red  men  at 
Logstown,  a  little  village  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Ohio,  about  seventeen  miles 
below  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  Here  had 
been  a  trading  point  for  many  years,  but  it 
was  abandoned  by  the  Indians  in  1750.  At 
first  the  Indians  declined  to  recognize  the 
treaty  of  Lancaster,  but,  the  Commission- 


ers taking  aside  Montour,  the  interpreter, 
who  was  a  son  of  the  famous  Catharine  Mon- 
tour, and  a  chief  among  the  Six  Nations, 
induced  him  to  use  his  influence  in  their 
favor.  This  he  did,  and  upon  the  13th  of 
June  they  all  united  in  signing  a  deed,  con- 
firming the  Lancaster  treaty  in  its  full  ex- 
tent, consenting  to  asettleinent  of  the  south, 
east  of  the  Ohio,  and  guaranteeing  that  it 
should  not  be  disturbed  by  them.  These 
were  the  means  used  to  obtain  the  first 
treaty  with  the  Indians  in  the  Ohio  Valley. 

Meanwhile  the  powers  beyond  the  sea 
were  trying  to  out-maneuver  each  other, 
and  were  professing  to  be  at  peace.  The 
English  generally  outwitted  the  Indians, 
and  failed  in  many  instances  to  fulfill  their 
contracts.  They  thereby  gained  the  ill- 
will  of  the  red  men,  and  further  increased 
the  feeling  by  failing  to  provide  them  with 
arms  and  ammunition.  Said  an  old  chief, 
at  Easton,  in  1758:  "The  Indians  on  the 
Ohio  left  you  because  of  your  own  fault. 
When  we  heard  the  French  were  coming, 
we  asked  you  for  help  and  arms,  but  we  did 
not  get  them.  The  French  came,  they 
treated  us  kindly,  and  gained  our  affections. 
The  Governor  of  Virginia  settled  on  our 
lands  for  his  own  benefit,  and,  when  we 
wanted  help,  forsook  us." 

At  the  beginning  of  1653,  the  English 
thought  they  had  secured  by  title  the  lands 
in  the  West,  but  the  French  had  quietly 
gathered  cannon  and  military  stores  to  be 
in  readiness  for  tlie  expected  blow.  The 
English  made  other  attempts  to  ratify  these 
existing  treaties,  but  not  until  the  b  nnmer 
could  the  Indians  be  gathered  together  to 
discuss  the  plans  of  the  French.  They  had 
sent  messages  to  the  French,  warning  them 
away;    but  they  replied  that  they  intended 


14 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


to  complete  the  chain  of  forts  already  be- 
gun, and  would  not  abandon  the  field. 

Soon  after  this,  no  satisfaction  being  ob- 
tained from  the  Ohio  regarding  the  posi- 
tions and  purposes  of  the  French,  Governor 
Dinwiddie  of  Virginia  determined  to  send 
to  them  another  messenger  and  learn  from 
them,  if  possible,  their  intentions.  For 
this  purpose  he  selected  a  young  man,  a 
surveyor,  who,  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen, 
had  received  the  rank  of  major,  and  who 
was  thoroughly  posted  regarding  frontier 
life.  This  personage  was  no  other  than  the 
illustrious  George  Washington,  who  then 
held  considerable  interest  in  Western  lands. 
He  was  at  this  time  just  twenty-two  years 
of  age.  Taking  Gist  as  his  guide,  the  two, 
accompanied  by  four  servitors,  set  out  on 
their  perilous  march.  They  left  Will's 
Creek  on  the  10th  of  November,  1753,  and 
on  the  22d  reached  the  Monongahela,  about 
ten  miles  above  the  fork.  From  there  they 
went  to  Logstown,  where  Washington  had 
a  long  conference  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six 
Nations.  From  them  he  learned  the  con- 
dition of  the  French,  and  also  heard  of 
their  determination  not  to  come  down  the 
river  till  the  following  spring.  The  Indi- 
ans were  non-committal,  as  they  were  afraid 
to  turn  either  way,  and,  as  far  as  they 
could,  desired  to  remain  neutral.  Wash- 
ington, finding  nothing  could  be  done 
with  them,  went  on  to  Venango,  an  old 
Indian  town  at  the  mouth  of  Frencii  Creek. 
Here  the  French  had  a  fort,  called  Fort 
Machault.  Through  the  rum  and  flattery 
of  the  French,  he  nearly  lost  all  his  Indian 
followers.  Finding  nothing  of  importance 
here,  he  pursued  his  way  amid  great  priva- 
tions, and  on  tiie  11th  of  December  reached 
the  fort  at  the  head  of  French  Creek.    Here 


he  delivered  Governor  Dinwiddle's  letter, 
received  his  answer,  took  his  observations, 
and  on  the  16th  set  out  upon  his  return 
journey  with  no  one  but  Gist,  his  guide, 
and  a  few  Indians  who  still  remained  true 
to  him,  notwithstanding  the  endeavors  of 
the  French  to  retain  them.  Their  home- 
ward journey  was  one  of  great  peril  and 
sufi'ering  from  the  cold,  yet  they  reached 
home  in  safety  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1754. 

From  the  letter  of  St.  Pierre,  commander 
of  the  French  fort,  sent  by  Washington  to 
Governor  Dinwiddie,  it  was  learned  that 
the  French  would  not  give  up  without  a 
struggle.  Active  preparations  were  at 
once  made  in  all  the  English  colonies  for 
the  coming  conflict,  while  the  French  fin- 
ished the  fort  at  Venango  and  strengthened 
their  lines  of  fortifications,  and  gathered 
their  forces  to  be  in  readiness. 

The  Old  Dominion  was  all  alive.  Vir- 
o-inia  was  the  center  of  great  activities;  vo  - 
unteers  were  called  for,  and  from  all  the 
neighboring  colonies  men  rallied  to  the 
conflict,  and  everywhere  along  the  Potomac 
men  were  enlisting  under  the  governor's 
proclamation — which  promised  two  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  on  the  Ohio.  Along 
this  river  they  were  gathering  as  far  as 
Will's  Creek,  and  far  beyond  this  point, 
whither  Trent  had  come  for  assistance  for 
his  little  band  of  forty-one  men,  who  were 
working  away  in  hunger  and  want,  to  for- 
tify that  point  at  the  fork  of  the  Ohio,  to 
which  both  parties  were  looking  with  deep 
interest. 

"The  first  birds  of  spring  filled  the  air 
with  their  song;  the  swift  river  rolled  by 
the  Allegheny  iiillsides,  swollen  by  the 
melting  snows   of   spring  and   the   April 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


15 


showers.  The  leaves  were  appearing;  a 
few  Indian  scouts  were  seen,  but  no  enemy 
seemed  near  at  hand;  and  all  was  so  quiet, 
that  Frazier,  an  old  Indian  scout  and  trader, 
who  had  been  left  by  Trent  in  command, 
ventured  to  his  home  at  the  mouth  of 
Turtle  Creek,  ten  miles  up  the  Monongaliela. 
But,  though  all  was  so  quiet  in  that  wilder- 
ness, keen  eyes  had  seen  the  low  intrench- 
me  it  rising  at  the  fork,  and  swift  feet  had 
borne  the  news  of  it  up  the  river;  and  upon 
the  morning  of  the  17th  of  April,  Ensign 
Ward,  who  then  had  charge  of  it,  saw  upon 
the  Allegheny  a  sight  that  made  his  heart 
sink — sixty  batteaux  and  three  hundred 
canoes  filled  with  men,  and  laden  deep  with 
cannon  and  stores.  *  *  *  That  evening 
Jie  supped  with  his  captor,  Oontrecojur,  and 
the  next  day  he  was  bowed  off  bj'  the 
Frenchman,  and  with  his  men  and  tools, 
marched  up  the  Monongaliela." 

The  French  and  Indian  war  had  begun. 
The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  in  1748,  had 
left  the  boundaries  between  the  French  and 
English  possessions  unsettled,  and  the 
events  already  narrated  show  the  French 
were  determined  to  hold  the  country  wa- 
tered by  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries; 
while  the  English  laid  claims  to  the  country 
by  virtue  of  the  discoveries  of  the  Cabots, 
and  claimed  all  the  country  from  New- 
foundland to  Florida,  extending  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The  first  decisive 
blow  had  now  been  struck,  and  the  first 
attempt  of  the  English,  through  the  Ohio 
Company,  to  occupy  these  lands,  had  re- 
sulted disastrously  to  them.  The  French 
and  Indians  immediately  completed  the 
fortifications  begun  at  the  Fork,  which  they 
had  so  easily  captured,  and  when  completed 
gave  to  the  fort  the  name  of  Du  Quesne. 


Washington  was  at  Will's  Creek  when  the 
news  of  the  capture  of  the  fort  arrived.  He 
at  once  departed  to  recapture  it.  On  his 
way  he  entrenched  himself  at  a  place  called 
the  "  Meadows,"  where  he  erected  a  fort 
called  by  him  Fort  Necessity.  From  there 
he  surprised  and  captured  a  force  of  French 
and  Indians  marching  against  him,  but  was 
soon  after  attacked  in  his  fort  by  a  much 
superior  force,  and  was  obliged  to  yield  on 
the  morning  of  July  4th.  He  was  allowed 
to  return  to  Virginia. 

The  English  Government  immediately 
filanned  four  campaigns;  one  against  Fort 
Du  Quesne;  one  against  Nova  Scotia;  one 
against  Fort  Niagara,  and  one  against 
Crown  Point.  These  occurred  dnrinsr 
1755-6,  and  were  not  successful  in  driving 
the  French  from  their  possessions.  The 
expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesne  was  led 
by  the  famous  General  Braddock,  who,  re- 
fusing to  listen  to  the  advice  of  Washington 
and  those  acquainted  with  Indian  warfare, 
suflered  such  an  inglorious  defeat.  This 
occurred  on  the  morning  of  July  9tli,  and 
is  generally  known  as  the  battle  of  Monon- 
galiela, or  "  Braddock's  Defeat."  The  war 
continued  -with  various  vicissitudes  through 
the  years  1756-7;  when,  at  the  commence- 
of  1758  in  accordance  with  the  plans  of 
William  Pitt,  then  Secretary  of  State, 
afterward  Lord  Chatham,  active  prepara- 
tions were  made  to  carry  on  the  war. 
Three  expeditions  were  j)lanned  for  this 
year:  one,  under  General  Amherst,  against 
Louisburg;  another,  under  Abercrombie, 
against  Fort  Ticonderoga;  and  a  third,  un- 
der General  Forbes,  against  Fort  Du 
Quesne.  On  the  26th  of  July,  Louisburg 
surrendered  after  a  desperate  resistance  of 
more  than  forty  days,  and  the  eastern  part 


JC 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


of  the  Canadian  possessions  fell  into  the 
hands  of  tlie  British.  Abercrombie  cap- 
tured Fort  Frontenac,  and  when  the  ex- 
pedition against  Fort  Du  Quesne,  of  which 
Washington  had  the  active  command,  ar- 
rived there,  it  was  found  in  flames  and  de- 
serted. The  English  at  once  took  posses- 
sion, rebuilt  the  fort,  and  in  lionor  of  tlieir 
illustrious  statesman,  clianged  the  name  to 
Fort  Pitt. 

The  great  object  of  the  campaign  of 
1759,  was  the  reduction  of  Canada.  Gen- 
eral Wolfe  was  to  lay  siege  to  Quebec;  Am- 
herst was  to  reduce  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point,  and  General  Prideaux  was  to  cap- 
ture Niagara.  This  latter  place  was  taken 
in  July,  but  the  gallant  Prideaux  lost  his 
life  in  the  attempt.  Amherst  captured 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  without  a 
blow;  and  Wolfe,  after  making  the  memor- 
able ascent  to  the  plains  of  Abraham,  on 
September  13th,  defeated  Montcalm,  and 
on  the  18th,  the  city  capitulated.  In  this 
engagement  Montcalm  and  Wolfe  both 
lost  their  lives.  De  Levi,  Montcalm's  suc- 
cessor, marched  to  Sillery,  three  miles 
above  the  city,  with  the  purpose  of  defeat- 
ing the  English,  and  there,  on  the  2Sth  of 
the  following  April,  was  fought  one  of  the 
bloodiest  battles  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war.  It  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the 
French,  and  the  fall  of  the  city  of  Montreal. 
The  Governor  signed  a  capitulation,  by 
which  the  whole  of  Canada  was  surrendered 
to  the  English.  This  practically  conclu- 
ded the  war,  but  it  was  not  until  1763  that 
the  treaties  of  peace  between  France  and 
England  were  signed.  This  was  done  on 
the  10th  of  February  of  that  year,  and  un- 
der its  provisions  all  tiie  country  east  of 
the  Mississippi  and  north  of  the  Iberville 


river,  in  Louisiana,  were  ceded  to  England. 
At  the  same  time  Spain  ceded  Florida  to 
Great  Britain. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  1760,  Major 
Kobert  Rogers  was  sent  from  Montreal  to 
take  charge  of  Detroit,  the  only  remaining 
French  post  in  the  territory.  He  arrived 
thereon  the  19th  of  November,  and  sum- 
moned the  place  to  surrender.  At  first  the 
commander  of  the  post,  Beletre,  refused, 
but  on  the  29th,  hearing  of  the  continued 
defeat  of  the  French  arms,  suri-endered. 
Rogers  remained  there  until  December  23d, 
under  the  personal  protection  of  the  cele- 
brated chief,  Pontiac,  to  whom,  no  doubt, 
he  owed  his  safety.  Pontiac  had  come  here 
to  inquire  the  purposes  of  the  English  in 
taking  possession  of  the  country.  He  was 
assured  that  they  came  simply  to  trade 
with  the  natives,  and  did  not  desire  their 
country.  This  answer  conciliated  the  sav- 
ages, and  did  much  to  insure  the  safety  of 
Rogers  and  his  party  during  their  stay, 
and  while  on  their  journey  home. 

Rogers  set  out  for  Fort  Pitt  on  Decem- 
ber 23d,  and  was  just  one  month  on  the 
way.  His  route  was  from  Detroit  to  Mau- 
mee,  thence  across  the  present  State  of 
Ohio  directly  to  the  fort.  This  was  the 
common  trail  of  the  Indians  in  their  jour- 
neys from  Sandusky  to  the  Fork  of  the 
Ohio.  It  went  from  Fort  Sandusky,  where 
Sandusky  city  now  is,  crossed  the  Huron 
river,  then  called  Bald  Eagle  Creek,  to  "Mo- 
hickon  John's  Town"  Creek,  on  Mohikon 
Creek,  the  northern  branch  of  White 
Woman's  river,  and  then  crossed  to  Bea- 
ver's town,  a  Delaware  town  on  what  is 
now  Sandy  Creek.  At  Beaver's  town  were 
probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  warriors, 
and  not  less  than  three  thousand  acres  of 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


17 


cleared  land.  From  there  the  track  went 
up  Sandy  Creek  to  and  across  Big  Beaver, 
and  up  the  Ohio  toLogstown,  thence  on  to 
the  fork. 

The  Northwest  Territory  was  now  en- 
tirely under  the  English  rule.  New  settle- 
ments began  to  be  rapidly  made,  and  the 
promise  of  a  large  trade  was  speedily  mani- 
fested. Had  the  British  carried  out  their 
promises  with  the  natives,  none  of  those 
savage  butcheries  would  have  been  perpe- 
trated, and  the  country  would  have  been 
spared  their  recital. 

The  renowned  chief,  Pontiac,  was  one  of 
the  leading  spirits  in  these  atrocities.  We 
will  now  pause  in  our  narrative,  and  notice 
the  leading  events  in  his  life.  The  earliest 
authentic  information  regarding  this  noted 
Indian  chief,  is  learned  from  an  account  of 
an  Indian  trader  named  Alexander  Henry, 
who,  in  the  spring  of  1761,  penetrated  his 
domains  as  far  as  Missillimacnac.  Ponti- 
ac was  then  a  great  friend  of  the  French, 
but  a  bitter  foe  of  the  English,  whom  he 
considered  as  encroaching  on  his  hunting 
grounds.  Henry  was  obliged  to  disguise 
himself  as  a  Canadian  to  insure  safety,  but 
was  discovered  by  Pontiac,  who  bitterly 
reproached  him,  and  the  English  for  their 
attempted  subjugation  of  the  West.  He 
declared  that  no  treaty  had  been  made 
with  them;  no  presents  sent  them,  and 
that  he  would  resent  any  possession  of  the  , 
West  by  that  nation.  He  was  at  the  time 
about  fifty  years  of  age,  tall  and  dignified, 
and  was  civil  and  military  ruler  of  the  Ot- 
tawas,  Ojibwas  and  Pottawatomies. 

The  Indians,  from  Lake  Micliigan  to  the 
borders  of  North  Carolina,  were  united  in 
this  feeling,  and  at  the  time  of  the  treaty 
of  Paris,  ratified  February  10,  1763,  a  gen- 


eral conspiracy  was  formed  to  fall  suddenly 
upon  the  frontier  British  posts,  and  with 
one  blow  strike  every  man  dead.  Pontiac 
was  the  marked  leader  in  all  this,  and  was 
the  commander  of  the  Chippewas,  Otta- 
was,  Wyandots,  Miamis,  Shawanese,  Dela- 
wares  and  Mingoes,  who  had,  for  the  time, 
laid  aside  their  local  quarrels  to  unite  in 
this  enterprise. 

The  blow  came,  as  near  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, on  May  7,  1763.  Nine  British 
posts  fell,  and  the  Indians  drank,  "  scooped 
up  in  the  hollow  of  joined  hands,"  the 
blood  of  many  a  Briton. 

Pontiac's  immediate  field  of  action,  was 
the  garrison  at  Detroit.  Here,  however, 
the  plans  were  frustrated  by  an  Indian 
woman  disclosing  the  plot  the  evening  pre- 
vious to  his  arrival.  Everything  was  car- 
ried out,  however,  according  to  Pontiac's 
plans  until  the  moment  of  action,  wlien 
Major  Gladwyn,  the  commander  of  the 
post,  stepping  to  one  of  the  Indian  chiefs, 
suddenly  drew  aside  his  blanket  and  dis- 
closed the  concealed  musket.  Pontiac 
though  a  brave  man,  turned  pale  and 
trembled.  He  saw  his  plan  was  known 
and  that  the  garrison  were  prepared.  He 
endeavored  to  exculpate  himself  from  any 
such  intentions;  but  the  guilt  was  evident, 
and  he  and  his  followers  were  dismissed 
with  a  severe  re]3riniand,  and  warned  never 
to  again  enter  the  walls  of  the  post. 

Pontiac  at  once  laid  siege  to  the  fort, 
and  until  the  treaty  of  peace  between  the 
British  and  the  Western  Indians,  conclud- 
ed in  August,  1764,  continued  to  harass 
and  besiege  the  fortress.  He  organized  a 
regular  commissariat  department,  issued 
bills  of  credit  written  out  on  bark,  which  to 
his  credit,  it  may  be   stated,  were  punctu- 


18 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


ally  redeemed.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
treaty,  in  which  it  seems  he  took  no  part, 
he  went  farther  south,  living  many  years 
among  the  Illinois. 

He  had  given  up  all  hope  of  saving  his 
country  and  race.  After  a  time  he  endeav- 
ored to  unite  the  Illinois  tribe  and  those 
about  St.  Louis  in  a  war  with  the  whites. 
His  eftbrts  were  fruitless,  and  only  ended 
in  a  quarrel  between  himself  and  some 
Kaskaskialndians,  oneof  whom  soon  after- 
ward killed  him.  His  death  was,  however, 
avenged  by  the  northern  Indians,  who 
nearly  exterminated  the  Illinois  in  the 
wars  which  followed. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  treachery  of  a 
few  of  his  followers,  his  plan  for  the  ex- 
termination of  the  whites,  a  masterly 
one,  would  undoubtedly  have  been  carried 

out. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year  follow- 
in  o-  Rogers'  visit  that  Alexander  Henry 
went  to  Missillimacnac,  and  everywhere 
found  the  strongest  feelings  against  the 
English  who  had  not  carried  out  their 
promises,  and  were  doing  nothing  to  con- 
ciliate the  natives.  Here  he  met  the  chief, 
Pontiac,  who  after  conveying  to  him  in  a 
speech  the  idea  that  their  French  father 
would  awake  soon  and  utterly  destroy  his 
enemies,  said:  "Englishman,  although 
you  have  conquered  the  French,  you  have 
not  yet  conquered  us  !  "We  are  not  your 
slaves!  These  lakes,  these  woods,  these 
mountains,  were  left  us  by  our  ancestors. 
They  are  our  inheritance,  and  we  will  part 
with  them  to  none.  Your  nation  supposes 
that  we,  like  the  white  people,  can  not  live 
without  bread  and  pork  and  beef.  But  you 
ought  to  know  that  He,  the  Great  Spirit  and 
Master  of  Life,  has  provided  food  for  us 


upon  these  broad  lakes  and  in  these  moun- 
tains." 

He  then  spoke  of  the  fact  that  no 
treaty  had  been  made  with  them,  no 
presents  sent  then],  and  that  he  and  his 
people  were  yet  for  war.  Such  were 
the  feelings  of  the  Northwestern  Indians 
immediately  after  the  English  took  posses- 
sion of  their  country.  These  feelings  were 
no  doubt  encouraged  by  the  Canadians  and 
French,  who  hoped  that  yet  the  French 
arms  might  prevail.  The  treaty  of  Paris, 
however,  gave  to  the  English  the  right  to 
this  vast  domain,  aud  active  preparations 
were  going  on  to  occupy  it  and  enjoy  its 
trade  and  emoluments. 

In  1762,  France,  by  a  secret  treaty,  ceded 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  to  prevent  it  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  English,  who  were 
becoming  masters  of  the  entire  "West.  The 
next  year  the  treaty  of  Paris,  signed  at 
Fontainbleau,  gave  to  the  English  the  do- 
main of  the  country  in  q\;estion.  Twenty 
years  after,  by  the  treaty  of  peace  between 
the  United  States  and  England,  that  part 
of  Canada  lying  south  and  west  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  comprehending  a  large  terri- 
tory which  is  the  subject  of  these  sketches, 
was  acknowledged  to  be  a  portion  of  the 
United  States;  and  twenty  years  still  later, 
in  1803,  Louisiana  was  ceded  by  Spain 
back  to  France,  and  by  France  sold  to  the 
United  States. 

In  the  half  century,  from  the  building 
of  the  Fort  of  Crevecoeur  by  La  Salle,  in 
1680,  lip  to  the  erection  of  Fort  Chatres, 
many  French  settlements  had  been  made  in 
that  quarter.  These  have  already  been 
noticed,  being  those  at  St.  Vincent  (Vin- 
cennes).  Kohokia  or  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia 
and  Prairie  du   Rocher,  on    the  American 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


lU 


Bottom,  a  large  tract  of  rich  alluvial  soil 
in  Illinois,  on  the  Mississippi,  opposite  the 
site  of  St.  Louis. 

By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  the  i-egions  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  including  all  these  and 
other  towns  of  the  Northwest,  were  given 
over  to  England,  but  they  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  taken  possession  of  until  1765. 
when  Captain  Stirling,  in  the  name  of  the 
Majesty  of  England,  established  himself  at 
Fort  Chartres  bearing  with  him  the  procla- 
mation of  General  Gage,  dated  December 
30,  1764,  which  promised  religious  freedom 
to  all  Catholics  who  worshipped  here,  and 
a  right  to  leave  the  country  with  their 
effects  if  they  wished,  or  to  remain  with 
the  privileges  of  Englishmen.  It  was 
shortly  after  the  occupancy  of  the  West  by 
the  British  that  the  war  with  Pontiac 
opened.  It  is  already  noticed  in  the  sketch 
of  that  chieftain.  By  it  many  a  Briton  lost 
his  life,  and  many  a  frontier  settlement  in 
its  infancy  ceased  to  exist.  This  was  not 
ended  until  the  year  1764,  when,  failing  to 
capture  Detroit,  Niagara  and  Fort  Pitt, 
his  confederacy  became  disheartened,  and, 
receiving  no  aid  from  the  Frencli,  Pontiac 
abandoned  the  enterprise  and  departed  to 
the  Illinois,  among  whom  he  afterward 
lost  his  life. 

As  soon  as  these  difficulties  were  defi- 
niteh'  settled,  settlers  began  rapidly  to  sur- 
vey the  country,  and  prepare  for  occupa- 
tion. During  the  year  1770,  a  number  of 
persons  from  Yirginia  and  other  British 
provinces  explored  and  marked  out  nearly 
all  the  valuable  lands  on  the  Monongahela 
and  along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  as  far  as 
the  Little  Kanawha.  This  was  followed  by 
another  exploring  expedition,  in  which 
George    Washington    was  a   party.      The 


latter,  accompanied  b}'  Dr.  Craik,  Capt. 
Crawford  and  others,  on  the  20th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1770,  descended  the  Ohio  from  Pitts- 
burgh to  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha  ;  as- 
cended that  stream  about  fourteen  miles, 
marked  out  several  large  tracts  of  land, 
shot  several  buffalo,  which  were  then  abun- 
dant in  the  Ohio  valley,  and  returned  to 
the  fort. 

Pittsburgh  was  at  this  time  a  trading 
post,  about  which  was  clustered  a  village 
of  some  twenty  houses,  inhabited  by  In- 
dian traders.  This  same  year,  Capt.  Pitt- 
man  visited  Kaskaskia  and  its  neighbor- 
ing villages.  He  found  there  about  sixtj'- 
five  resident  families,  and  at  Cahokia  only 
forty-five  dwellings.  At  Fort  Chartres  was 
another  small  settlement,  and  at  Detroit 
the  garrison  were  quite  prosperous  and 
strong.  For  a  year  or  two  settlers  con- 
tinued to  locate  near  some  of  these  posts, 
generally  Fort  Pitt  or  Detroit,  owing  to 
the  fears  of  the  Indians,  who  still  main- 
tained some  feelings  of  hatred  to  the  Eng- 
lish. The  trade  from  the  posts  was  quite 
good,  and  from  those  in  Illinois  large  quan- 
tities of  pork  and  flour  found  their  way  to 
the  New  Orleans  market.  At  this  time 
the  policy  of  the  British  Government  was 
strongly  opposed  to  the  extension  of  the 
colonies  west.  In  1763,  the  King  of  Eng- 
land forbade,  by  royal  proclamation,  his 
colonial  subjects  from  making  a  settle- 
ment beyond  the  sources  of  the  rivers 
which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  At  the 
instance  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  measures 
were  taken  to  prevent  the  settlement  with- 
out the  limits  prescribed,  and  to  retain  the 
commerce  within  easy  reach  of  Great 
Britain. 

The   commander-in-chief  of  the  king's 


20 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


forces  wrote  in  1769  :  '"  In  the  course  of  a 
few  years  necessity  will  compel  the  colo- 
nists, should  they  extend  their  settlements 
west,  to  provide  manufactures  of  some  kind 
for  tlieniselves,  and  when  all  connection 
upheld  by  commerce  with  the  mother  coun- 
try ceases,  an  independency  in  their  gov- 
ernment will  soon  follow." 

In  accordance  with  this  policy,  Gov. 
Gaze  issued  a  proclamation  in  1772,  com- 
manding the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  to 
abandon  their  settlements  and  join  some 
of  the  Eastern  English  colonies.  To  this 
they  strenuously  objected,  giving  good 
reasons  therefor,  and  were  allowed  to  re- 
main. Tlie  strong  opposition  to  this  pol- 
icy of  Great  Britain  led  to  its  change,  and 
to  such  a  course  as  to  gain  the  attachment 
of  the  French  population.  In  December, 
1773,  influential  citizens  of  Quebec  peti- 
tioned the  king  for  an  extension  of  the 
boundary  lines  of  that  province,  which  was 
granted,  and  Parliament  passed  an  act  on 
June  2,  1774,  extending  tlie  boundary  so 
as  to  include  the  territory  lying  within  the 
present  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Micliigan. 

In  consequence  of  the  liberal  policy  pur- 
sued by  the  British  Government  toward 
the  French  settlers  in  the  West,  they  were 
disposed  to  favor  that  nation  in  the  war 
which  soon  followed  with  the  colonies;  but 
the  early  alliance  between  France  and 
America  soon  brought  them  to  the  side  of 
the  war  for  independence. 

In  1774,  Gov.  Dunmore,  of  Virginia, 
began  to  encourage  emigration  to  the 
"Western  lands.  He  appointed  magistrates 
at  Fort  Pitt,  under  the  pretense  that  the 
fort  was  under  tlie  government  of  that 
commonwealth.      One   of    these  justices, 


John  Connelly-,  who  possessed  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  gathered  a  force 
of  men  and  garrisoned  the  fort,  calling  it 
Fort  Dunmore.  This  and  other  parties 
were  formed  to  select  sites  for  settlements, 
and  often  came  in  conflict  with  the  Imlians, 
who  yet  claimed  portions  of  the  valley,  and 
several  battles  followed.  These  ended  in 
the  famous  battle  of  Kanawha,  in  July, 
where  the  Indians  were  defeated  and  driv- 
en across  the  Ohio. 

During  the  years  1775  and  1776,  by  the 
operations  of  land  companies  and  the  per- 
severance of  individuals,  several  settle- 
ments were  firmly  established  between  the 
Alleghenies  and  the  Ohio  Piver,  and  west- 
ern land  speculators  were  busy  in  Illinois 
and  on  the  Wabash.  At  a  council  held  in 
Krtskaskia,  on  July  5,  1773,  an  association 
of  English  traders,  calling  themselves  the 
"  Illinois  Land  Company,"  obtained  from 
ten  chiefs  of  the  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and 
Peoria  tribes  two  large  tracts  of  land  lying 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River 
south  of  the  Illinois.  In  1775,  a  merchant 
from  the  Illinois  country,  named  Viviat, 
came  to  Post  Vincennes  as  the  agent  of  the 
association  called  the  "  Wabash  Land  Com- 
pany." On  the  Stli  of  October  he  obtained 
from  eleven  Piankeshaw  chiefs,  a  deed  for 
37,497,600  acres  of  land.  This  deed  was 
signed  by  the  grantors,  attested  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes,  and 
afterward  recorded  in  the  oflice  of  a  notary 
public  at  Kaskaskia.  This  and  other  land 
companies  had  extensive  schemes  for  the 
colonization  of  the  West;  but  all  were  frus- 
trated by  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. On  the  20th  of  April,  1780,  the  two 
companies  named  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  the  "  United  Illinois  and  Wabash 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


21 


Land  Company."  They  afterward  made 
strenuous  efforts  to  have  these  grants  sanc- 
tioned by  Congress,  but  all  signally  failed. 

When  the  War  of  the  Eevolution  com- 
menced, Kentucky  was  an  unorganized 
countrj',  thougii  there  were  several  settle- 
ments within  her  borders. 

In  Hutchins'  Topography  of  Virginia, 
it  is  stated  that  at  that  time  "  Kaskaskia 
contained  80  houses,  and  nearly  1,000 
white  and  black  inhabitants — the  whites 
being  a  little  the  more  numerous.  Caho- 
kia  contains  50  houses  and  300  white  in- 
habitants and  SO  negroes.  There  were 
east  of  the  Mississijipi  River,  about  the 
year  1771  " — when  these  observations  were 
made — "  300  white  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  and  230  negroes." 

From  1775  until  the  expedition  of  Clark, 
nothing  is  recorded  and  nothing  known  of 
these  settlements,  save  what  is  contained 
in  a  report  made  by  a  committee  to  Con- 
gress in  June,  177S.  From  it  the  follow- 
ing extract  is  made: 

"Near  the  mouth  of  the  River  Kaskas- 
kia, there  is  a  village  which  appears  to 
have  contained  nearly  eighty  families  from 
the  beginning  of  the  late  revolution. 
There  are  twelve  families  in  a  small  village 
at  la  Prairie  du  Rochers,  and  near  fifty 
families  at  the  Kahokia  Village.  There 
are  also  four  or  five  families  at  Fort  Char- 
tres  and  St.  Phillips,  which  is  five  miles 
farther  up  the  river." 

St.  Louis  had  been  settled  in  February, 
176'1,  and  at  this  time  contained,  including 
its  neishborinn;  towns,  over  six  hundred 
whites  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  negroes. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  all  the  coun- 
try west  of  the  Mississijipi  was  now  under 
French  rule,  and  remained   so  until  ceded 


again  to  S]iaiu,  its  original  owner,  who 
afterwards  sold  it  and  the  country  inchub 
ing  New  Orleans  to  the  United  States. 
At  Detroit  there  were,  according  to  Capt. 
Carver,  who  was  in  the  northwest  from 
1766  to  1768,  more  than  one  hundred  houses 
and  the  river  was  settled  for  more  than 
twenty  miles,  although  poorly  cultivated — 
the  people  being  engaged  in  the  Indian 
trade.  This  old  town  has  a  history,  which 
we  will  here  relate. 

It  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  Northwest,^ 
having  been  founded  by  Antoine  Lade- 
motte  Cadillac,  in  1701.  It  was  laid  out 
in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square,  of  two 
acres  in  length  and  an  acre  and  a  half  in 
width.  As  described  by  A.  D.  Frazer,  who 
first  visited  it  and  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  the  place,  in  1778,  it  com]irised 
within  its  limits  that  space  between  Mr. 
Palmer's  store  (Conant  Block)  and  Capt. 
Perkins'  house  (near  the  Arsenal  building), 
and  extended  back  as  far  as  the  public 
barn,  and  was  bordered  in  front  by  the 
Detroit  River.  It  was  surrounded  by  oak 
and  cedar  pickets,  about  fifteen  feet  long,  set 
in  the  ground,  and  had  four  gates-east,  west, 
north  and  south.  Over  the  first  three  of 
these  gates  were  block  houses  provided  with 
four  guns  apiece,  each  a  six  pounder.  Two 
six-gun  batteries  were  planted  fronting  the 
river,  and  in  a  parallel  direction  with  the 
V)lock  houses.  There  were  four  streets 
running  east  and  west,  the  main  street  be- 
ing twenty  feet  wide  and  the  rest  fifteen 
feet,  while  the  four  streets  crossing  these  at 
right  angles  were  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  width. 

At  the  date  spoken  of  by  Mr.  Frazer, 
there  was  no  fort  within  the  enclosure,  but 
a  citadel  on  the  ground  corresponding  to 


22 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


the  present  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson 
Avenue  and  "Wayne  Street.  The  citadel 
was  inclosed  by  pickets,  and  within  it  were 
erected  barracks  of  wood,  two  stories  higli, 
sufficient  to  contain  ten  officers,  and  also 
barracks  sufficient  to  contain  four  hundred 
men,  and  a  provision  store  built  of  brick. 
The  citadel  also  contained  a  liospital  and 
a  guard-house.  The  old  town  of  Detroit, 
in  1778,  contained  about  sixty  houses, 
most  of  thera  one  story,  with  a  few  a  story 
and  a  half  in  height.  They  were  all  of 
logs,  some  hewn  and  some  round.  There 
was  one  building  of  splendid  appearance, 
called  the  "  King's  Palace,"  two  stories 
high,  which  stood  near  the  east  gate.  It 
was  built  for  Governor  Hamilton,  the  first 
governor  commissioned  by  the  British. 
There  were  two  guard-houses,  one  near  tlie 
west  gate  and  the  other  near  the  Govern- 
ment House.  Each  of  the  guards  con- 
sisted of  twenty-four  men  and  a  subaltern, 
who  mounted  regnlarl}'  every  morning  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  o'clock.  Each  fur- 
niilied  four  sentinels,  who  were  relieved 
every  two  hours.  There  was  also  an  offi- 
cer of  the  day,  who  performed  strict  duty. 
Each  of  the  gates  was  shut  rea-nlarlv  at 
sunset ;  even  wicket  gates  were  shut  at 
nine  o'clock,  and  all  the  keys  were  deliv- 
ered into  the  hands  of  the  commanding 
officer.  They  were  opened  in  the  morning 
at  sunrise.  No  Indian  or  squaw  was  per- 
mitted to  enter  town  with  any  weapon, 
such  as  a  tomahawk  or  a  knife.  It  was  a 
standing  order  that  the  Indians  should  de- 
liver their  arms  and  instruments  of  everv 
kind  before  they  were  permitted  to  pass 
the  sentinel,  and  they  were  restored  to 
thera  on  their  return.  No  more  than 
twenty-five  Indians  were  allowed  to  enter 


the  town  at  any  one  time,  and  they  were 
admitted  only  at  the  east  and  west  gates. 
At  sundown  the  drums  beat,  and  all  the 
Indians  were  required  to  leave  town  in- 
stantly..  There  was  a  council  house  near 
tlie  water  side  for  the  purpose  of  holding 
council  with  the  Indians.  The  population 
of  the  town  was  about  sixty  families,  in  all 
about  two  iiundred  males  and  one  hundred 
females.  This  town  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
all  except  one  dwelling,  in  1805.  After 
which  the  present  "  new "  town  was  laid 
out. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Kevolution. 
the  British  held  every  post  of  importance 
in  tlie  West.  Kentucky  was  formed  as  a 
component  part  of  Virginia,  and  the  sturdy 
pioneers  of  the  West,  alive  to  their  inter- 
ests, and  recognizing  the  great  benefits  of 
obtaining  the  control  of  the  trade  in  this 
part  of  the  Xew  World,  held  steadily  to 
their  purposes,  and  those  within  the  com- 
monwealth of  Kentucky  proceeded  to  ex- 
ercise their  civil  privileges,  by  electing 
John  Todd  and  Ricliard  Calloway,  burgess- 
es to  represent  them  in  the  Assembly  of 
the  parent  state.  Early  in  8eptember  of 
that  year  (1T77)  the  first  court  was  held  in 
Harrodsburg,  and  Col.  Bowman,  afterward 
major,  who  had  arrived  in  August,  was 
made  the  commander  of  a  militia  organiza- 
tion which  had  been  commenced  the  March 
previous.  Thus  the  tree  of  loyalty  was 
o-rowing.  Tiie  ciiief  spirit  in  this  far-out 
colony,  who  had  represented  her  the  year 
previous  east  of  the  mountains,  was  now 
meditating  a  move  unequaied  in  its  bold- 
ness. He  had  been  watciiing  the  move- 
ments of  the  British  throughout  the  North- 
west, and  understood  their  whole  plan. 
He  saw  it  was  through  their  possession  of 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


23 


tlie  posts  at  Detroit,  Vincennes,  Kaskaskia, 
and  other  places,  which  would  give  them 
constant  and  easy  access  to  the  various  In- 
dian tribes  in  the  Northwest,  that  the  Brit- 
ish intended  to  penetrate  the  country  from 
the  north  and  south,  and  annihilate  the 
frontier  fortresses.  This  moving,  energetic 
man  was  Colonel,  afterward  General, 
George  Rogers  Clark.  He  knew  the  In- 
dians were  not  unanimously  in  accord  with 
the  English,  and  he  was  convinced  that, 
could  the  British  be  defeated  and  expelled 
from  the  Northwest,  the  natives  might  be 
easily  awed  into  neutrality  ;  and  by  spies 
sent  for  the  purpose,  he  satisfied  himself 
that  the  enterprise  against  the  Illinois  set- 
tlements might  easily  succeed.  Having 
convinced  himself  of  the  certainty  of  the 
jiroject,  he  repaired  to  the  Capital  of  Vir- 
ginia, which  place  he  reached  on  November 
5tli.  AVhile  he  was  on  his  way,  fortunately, 
on  October  17th,  Bnrgoyiie  had  been  de- 
feated, and  the  spirits  of  the  colonists 
greatly  encouraged  thereby.  Patrick  Henry 
was  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  at  once 
entered  heartily  into  Clark's  plans.  The 
same  plan  had  before  been  agitated  in  the 
Colonial  Assemblies,  but  there  was  no  one 
until  Clark  came  who  was  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  the  condition  of  affairs  at 
the  scene  of  action  to  be  able  to  guide  them. 
Clark,  having  satisfied  the  Virginia  lead- 
ers of  the  feasibility  of  his  plan,  received, 
on  the  2d  of  January,  two  sets  of  instruc- 
tions— one  secret,  the  other  open — the  lat- 
ter authorized  him  to  proceed  to  enlist 
seven  companies  to  go  to  Kentuckj-,  sub- 
ject to  his  orders,  and  to  serve  three  months 
from  their  arrival  in  the  West.  The  secret 
order  authorized  him  to  arm  these  troops, 
to  procure  his  powder  and  lead  of  General 


Hand    at    Pittsburgh,  and    to    proceed    at 
once  to  subjugate  the  country. 

With  these  instructions  Clark  repaired 
to  Pittsburgh,  choosing  rather  to  raise  his 
men  west  of  the  mountains,  as  he  well 
knew  all  were  needed  in  the  colonies  in 
the  conflict  there.  He  sent  Col.  W.  B. 
Smith  to  Holston  for  the  same  purpose, 
but  neither  succeeded  in  raising  the  re- 
quired number  of  men.  The  settlers  in 
these  parts  were  afraid  to  leave  their  own 
firesides  exposed  to  a  vigilant  foe,  and  but 
few  coidd  be  induced  to  join  the  proposed 
expedition.  With  three  companies  and 
several  private  volunteers,  Clark  at  length 
commenced  his  descent  of  the  Ohio,  which 
he  navigated  as  far  as  the  Falls,  where  he 
took  possession  of  and  fortified  Corn  Isl- 
and, a  small  island  between  the  present 
cities  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  New 
Albany,  Indiana.  Remains  of  this  forti- 
fication may  yet  be  found.  At  this  place 
he  appointed  Col.  Bowman  to  meet  him 
with  such  recruits  as  had  reached  Ken- 
tucky by  the  southern  route,  and  as  many 
as  could  be  spared  from  the  station.  Here 
he  announced  to  the  men  their  real  desti- 
nation. Having  completed  his  arrange- 
ments, and  chosen  his  party,  he  left  a  small 
garrison  upon  the  island,  and  on  the  24111 
of  June,  during  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
which  to  them  augured  no  good,  and  which 
fixes  beyond  dispute  the  date  of  starting. 
he  with  his  chosen  band,  fell  down  the 
river.  His  plan  was  to  go  by  water  as  far 
as  Fort  Massac  or  Massacre,  and  thence 
march  direct  to  Kaskaskia.  Here  he  in- 
tended to  surprise  the  garrison,  and  after 
its  capture  go  to  Cahokia,  then  to  Vincen- 
nes, and  lastly  to  Detroit.  Should  he  fail, 
he  intended  to  march  directly  to  the  Miss- 


24 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


issippi  River  and  cross  it  into  the  Spanish 
country.  Before  his  start  lie  received  two 
good  items  of  information  ;  one  that  tlie 
alliance  had  been  formed  between  Fi-ance 
and  the  United  States  ;  and  the  other  that 
the  Indians  throughont  the  Illinois  conntry 
and  the  inhabitants,  at  the  various  frontier 
posts,  had  been  led  to  believe  by  the  Brit- 
ish that  the  "  Long  Knives"  or  Virginians, 
were  the  most  fierce,  bloodthirsty  and  cruel 
savages  that  ever  scalped  a  foe.  With  this 
impression  on  their  minds,  Clark  saw  that 
proper  management  would  cause  them  to 
submit  at  once  from  fear,  if  surprised,  and 
then  from  gratitude  would  become  friendly 
if  treated  with  unexpected  leniency. 

The  march  toKaskaskia  was  accomplish- 
ed through  a  hot  July  sun,  and  the  town 
reached  on  the  evening  of  July  4.  Recap- 
tured ■  the  fort  near  the  village,  and  soon 
after  the  village  itself  by  surprise,  and  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  single  man  or  by  killing 
any  of  the  enemy.  After  sufficiently  work- 
ing upon  the  fears  of  the  natives,  Clark 
told  them  they  were  at  perfect  liberty  to 
worship  as  they  pleased,  and  to  take  which- 
ever side  of  the  great  conflict  they  would, 
also,  he  would  protect  them  from  any  bar- 
barity from  British  or  Indian  foe.  This 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  inhabitants, 
so  unexpectedly  and  so  gratefully  surprised 
by  the  unlooked-for  turn  of  affairs,  at  once 
swore  allegiance  to  the  American  arms,  and 
when  Clark  desired  to  go  to  Cahokia  on 
the  6th  of  July,  they  accompanied  him, 
and  through  their  influence  the  inhabitants 
of  the  place  surrendered,  and  gladly  placed 
themselves  under  his  protection.  Thus 
the  two  important  posts  in  Illinois  passed 
from  the  hands  of  the  English  into  the  pos- 
session of  Virginia. 


In  the  person  of  the  priest  at  Kaskaskia, 
M.  Gibault,  Clark  found  a  powerful  ally 
and  generous-  friend.  Clark  saw  that,  to 
retain  possession  of  the  ^furthwest  and 
treat  successfully  with  the  Indians  within 
its  boundaries,  he  must  establish  a  govern- 
ment for  the  colonies  he  had  taken.  St. 
Yincent,  the  next  important  post  to  De- 
troit, remained  yet  to  be  taken  before  the 
Mississippi  Valle}-  was  conquered.  M.  Gib- 
ault told  him  that  he  would  alone,  by  per- 
suasion, lead  Vincennes  to  throw  off  its 
connection  with  England.  Clark  gladly 
accepted  his  offer,  and  on  the  14th  of  July, 
in  company  with  a  fellow-townsman,  M. 
Gibault  started  on  his  mission  of  peace 
and  on  the  1st  of  August  returned  with  the 
cheerful  intelligence  that  the  post  on  the 
"Oubache"  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  the  Old  Dominion.  During  this 
interval,  Clark  established  his  courts,  placed 
garrisons  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia,  suc- 
cessfully re-enlisted  his  men,  sent  word  to 
have  a  fort,  which  proved  the  germ  of  Louis- 
ville, erected  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  and 
dispatched  M.  Rocheblave,  who  had  been 
commander  at  Kaskaskia,  as  a  prisoner  of 
war  to  Richmond.  In  October  the  County 
of  Illinois  was  established  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  Yirginia,  John  Todd  appointed 
Lieutenant  Colonel  and  Civil  Governor, 
and  in  November  General  Clark  and  his 
men  received  the  thanks  of  the  Old  Do- 
minion through  their  Legislature. 

In  a  speech  a  few  days  afterward,  Clark 
made  known  fully  to  the  natives  his  plans, 
and  at  its  close  all  came  forward  and  swore 
allesiance  to  the  Long  Knives.  While  he 
was  doing  this  Governor  Hamilton,  having 
made  his  various  arrangements,  had  left 
Detroit  and  moved  down  the  Wabash  to 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


25 


Yincennes  intending  to  operate  from  tliat 
point  in  reducing  the  Illinois  posts,  and 
then  proceed  on  down  to  -Kentucky  and 
drive  the  rebels  from  the  West.  Gen. 
Clark  had,  on  the  return  of  M.  Gibault, 
dispatched  Captain  Helm,  of  Fauquier 
County,  Virginia,  with  an  attendant  named 
Henry,  across  the  Illinois  prairies  to  com- 
mand the  fort.  Hamilton  knew  nothing 
of  the  capitulation  of  the  post,  and  was 
greatly  surprised  on  his  arrival  to  be  con- 
fronted by  Capt.  Helm,  who,  standing  at 
the  entrance  of  the  fort  by  a  loaded  cannon 
ready  to  fire  upon  his  assailants,  demanded 
upon  what  terms  Hamilton  demanded  pos- 
session of  the  fort.  Being  granted  the 
rights  of  a  prisoner  of  war,  he  surrendered 
to  the  British  General,  who  could  scarcely 
believe  his  eyes  when  he  saw  the  force  in 
the  garrison. 

Hamilton,  not  realizing  the  character  of 
the  men  with  wliona  he  was  contending, 
gave  up  his  intended  campaign  for  tiie 
winter,  sent  his  four  hundred  Indian  war- 
riors to  prevent  troops  from  coming  down 
tiie  Ohio,  and  to  annoy  the  Americans  in 
all  ways,  and  sat  quietly  down  to  pass  the 
winter.  Information  of  all  these  proceed- 
ings having  reached  Clark,  he  saw  that 
immediate  and  decisive  action  was  neces- 
sary, and  that  unless  he  captured  Hamil- 
ton, Hamilton  would  capture  him.  Clark 
received  the  news  on  the  29th  of  January, 
1779,  and  on  February  4th,  having  suffi- 
ciently garrisoned  Kuskaskia  and  Cahokia, 
he  sent  down  the  Mississippi  a  "  battoe,'' 
as  Major  Bowman  writes  it,  in  order  to  as- 
cend the  Ohio  and  AVabash,  and  operate 
with  the  land  forces  gathering  for  the 
fray. 

On   the  next  day,  Clark,  with  his  little 


force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  set 
out  for  the  post,  and  after  incredible  hard 
marching  through  much  mud,  the  gi'ound 
being  thawed  by  the  incessant  spring  rains, 
on  the  23nd  reached  the  fort,  and  being 
joined  by  his  "  battoe,"  at  once  commenced 
the  attack  on  the  post.  The  aim  of  the 
American  backwoodsmen  was  unerring, 
and  on  the  24th  the  garrison  surrendered 
to  the  intrepid  boldness  of  Clark.  The 
French  were  treated  with  great  kindness, 
and  gladly  renewed  their  allegiance  to  Vir- 
ginia. Hamilton  was  sent  as  a  prisoner  to 
Virginia,  where  he  was  kept  in  close  con- 
finement. During  his  command  of  the 
British  frontier  posts,  he  had  offered  prizes 
to  the  Indians  for  all  the  scalps  of  Ameri- 
cans they  would  bring  to  liim,  and  had 
earned  in  consequence  thereof,  the  tttle 
"Hair-buyer  General,"  by  which  he  was 
ever  afterward  known. 

Detroit  was  now  without  doubt  within 
easy  reach  of  the  enterprising  Virginian, 
could  he  but  raise  the  necessary  force. 
Governor  Henry  being  apprised  of  this, 
promised  him  the  needed  reinforcement, 
and  Clark  concluded  to  wait  until  he  could 
capture  and  sufficiently  garrison  the  posts. 
Had  Clark  failed  in  this  bold  undertaking, 
and  Hamilton  succeeded  in  uniting  the 
western  Indians  for  the  next  spring's  cam- 
paign, the  "West  would  indeed  have  been 
swept  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Allegheny 
Mountains,  and  the  great  blow  struck, 
which  had  been  contemplated  from  the 
commencement,  by  the  British. 

"  But  for  this  small  army  of  dripping, 
but  fearless  Virginians,  the  union  of  all 
the  tribes  from  Georgia  to  Maine  against 
the  colonies  might  have  been  effected,  and 
the  whole  current  of  our  history  changed." 


20 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


At  this  time  some  fears  were  entertained 
by  the  Colonial  Governments  that  the  In- 
dians in  the  North  and  Northwest  were  in- 
clinino:  to  the  British,  and  under  the  in- 
structions of  Washington,  now  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Colonial  army,  and  so 
bravely  fighting  for  American  independ- 
ence, armed  forces  were  sent  against  the 
Six  Nations,  and  upon  the  Ohio  frontier, 
Col.  Bowman,  acting  under  the  same  gen- 
eral's orders,  marched  against  Indians 
within  the  present  limits  of  that  State. 
These  expeilitions  were  in  the  main  suc- 
cessful, and  the  Indians  were  compelled  to 
sue  for  peace. 

During  the  same  year  (1779)  the  famous 
'Land  Laws "  of  Virginia  were  passed. 
The  passage  of  these  laws  was  of  more  con- 
sequence to  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and 
the  Northwest  than  the  gaining  of  a  few 
Indian  conflicts.  These  laws  confirmed  in 
main  all  grants  made,  and  guaranteed  to  all 
actual  settlers  their  rights  and  privileges. 
After  providing  for  the  settlers,  the  laws 
provided  for  selling  the  balance  of  the  pub- 
lic lands  at  forty  cents  per  acre.  To  carry 
the  Land  Laws  into  effect,  the  Legislature 
sent  four  "Virginians  westward  to  attend  to 
the  various  claims,  over  many  of  which 
great  confusion  prevailed  concerning  their 
validity.  These  gentlemen  opened  their 
court  on  October  13,  1779,  at  St.  Asaphs, 
and  continued  until  April  26,  1780,  when 
they  adjourned,  having  decided  three  thou- 
sand claims.  They  were  succeeded  by  the 
surveyor,  who  came  in  the  person  of  Mr. 
George  May,  and  assumed  his  duties  on 
the  10th  day  of  the  month  whose  name  he 
bore.  With  the  opening  of  the  next  year 
(1780)  the  troubles  concerning  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  commenced.     The 


Spanish  Government  exacted  such  measures 
in  relation  to  its  trade  as  to  cause  the  over- 
tures made  to  the  United  States  to  be  re- 
jected. The  American  Government  con- 
sidered they  had  a  right  to  navigate  its 
channel.  To  enforce  their  claims,  a  foi't 
was  erected  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio 
on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river.  Tiie 
settlements  in  Kentucky  were  being  ra])idly 
filled  by  emigrants.  It  was  during  this 
year  that  the  first  seminary  of  learning  was 
established  in  the  West  in  this  young  and 
enterprising  Commonwealth. 

The  settlers  here  did  not  look  upon  the 
building  of  this  fort  in  a  friendly  manner, 
as  it  aroused  the  hostility  of  the  Indians. 
Spain  had  been  friendly  to  the  Colonies 
during  their  struggle  for  independence, 
and  though  for  a  while  this  friendship  ap- 
peared in  danger  trom  the  refusal  of  the 
free  navigation  of  the  river,  yet  it  was 
finally  settled  to  the  satisfaction  of  both 
nations. 

The  winter  of  1779-80  was  one  of  the 
most  unusually  severe  ones  ever  experienced 
in  the  West.  The  Indians  always  referred 
to  it'as  the  "  Great  Cold."  Numbers  of  wild 
animals  perished,  and  not  a  few  pioneers 
lost  their  lives.  The  following  summer  a 
party  of  Canadians  and  Indians  attacked 
St.  Louis,  and  attempted  to  take  possession 
of  it  in  consequence  of  the  friendly  dispo- 
sition of  Spain  to  the  revolting  Colonies. 
They  met  with  such  a  determined  resist- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants,  even 
the  women  taking  part  in  the  battle,  that 
they  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  con- 
test. They  also  made  an  attack  on  the 
settlements  in  Kentucky,  but,  becoming 
alarmed  in  some  unaccountable  manner, 
they  fled  the  country  in  great  haste. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


About  this  time  arose  the  question  in 
the  Colonial  Congress  concerning  the  west- 
ern lands  claimed  by  Virginia,  New  York, 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The  agi- 
tation concerning  this  subject  finally  led 
New  York,  on  the  19th  of  Februar}',  1780, 
to  pass  a  law  giving  to  the  delegates  of 
that  State  in  Congress  the  power  to  cede 
her  western  lands  for  the  benefit  of  the 
United  States.  This  law  was  laid  before 
Congress  during  the  next  month,  but  no 
steps  were  taken  concerning  it  until  Sep- 
tember <5th,  when  a  resolution  passed  that 
body  calling  upon  the  States  claiming  west- 
ern lands  to  release  their  claims  in  favor  of 
the  whole  body.  This  basis  formed  the 
union,  and  was  the  first  after  all  of  those 
legislative  measures  which  resulted  in  the 
creation  of  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Minne- 
sota. In  December  of  the  same  year,  the 
plan  of  conquering  Detroit  again  arose. 
The  conquest  might  have  easily  been 
effected  by  Clark  had  the  necessary  aid 
been  furnished  him.  Nothing  decisive  was 
done,  yet  the  heads  of  the  Government 
knew  that  the  safety  of  the  Northwest  from 
British  invasion  lay  in  the  capture  and 
retention  of  that  important  post,  the  only 
unconquered  one  in  the  territory. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year,  Kentucky 
was  divided  into  the  Counties  of  Lincoln, 
Faj'ctte  and  Jefferson,  and  the  act  estab- 
lishing the  Town  of  Louisville  was  passed. 
This  same  year  is  also  noted  in  the  annals 
of  American  history  as  the  year  in  which 
occurred  Arnold's  treason  to  the  United 
States. 

Virginia,  in  accordance  with  the  resolu- 
tion of  Congress,  on  the  2d  day  of  January, 
1781,  agreed  to  yield  her  western  lands  to 


the  United  States  upon  certain  conditions, 
which  Congress  would  not  accede  to,  and 
the  act  of  Cession,  on  the  part  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  failed,  nor  was  anything  fur- 
ther done  until  1783.  During  all  that 
time  the  Colonies  were  busily  engaged  in 
the  struggle  with  the  mother  country,  and 
in  consequence  thereof  but  little  heed  was 
given  to  the  western  settlements.  Upon 
the  16th  of  April,  1781,  the  first  birth 
north  of  the  Ohio  River  of  American  par- 
entage occurred,  being  that  of  Mary  Heck- 
ewelder,  daughter  of  the  widely  known 
Moravian  missionary,  whose  band  of  Chris- 
tian Indians  suffered  in  after  years  a  hor- 
rible massacre  by  the  hands  of  the  frontier 
settlers,  who  had  been  exasperated  by  the 
murder  of  several  of  their  neighbors,  and 
in  their  rage  committed,  without  regard  to 
luurianity,  a  deed  which  forever  afterward 
cast  a  shade  of  shame  upon  their  lives. 
For  this  and  kindred  outrages  on  the  part 
of  the  whites,  the  Indians  committed  many 
deeds  of  cruelty  which  darken  the  years  of 
1771  and  1772  in  the  history  of  the  North- 
west. 

During  the  year  1782  a  number  of  bat- 
tles among  the  Indians  and  frontiersmen 
occurred,  and  between  the  Moravian  Indi- 
ans and  the  Wyandots.  In  these,  horrible 
acts  of  cruelty  were  practiced  on  the  cap- 
tives, many  of  such  dark  deeds  transpiring 
under  the  leadership  of  the  notorious  front- 
ier outlaw,  Simon  Girty,  whose  name,  as 
well  as  those  of  his  brothers,  was  a  terror 
to  women  and  children.  These  occurred 
chiefly  in  the  Ohio  valleys.  Contempo- 
rary with  them  were  several  enefairemcnts 
in  Kentucky,  in  which  the  famous  Daniel 
Boone  engaged,  and  who  often,  by  his 
skill    and   knowledge   of   Indian    warfare, 


28 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


saved  the  outposts  from  cruel  destrnctiou. 
By  the  close  of  the  year  victory  had 
perched  upon  the  American  banner,  and 
on  the  30th  of  November,  provisional  arti- 
cles of  peace  had  been  arranged  between 
the  Commissioners  of  England,  and  her 
unconquerable  Colonies.  Coriiwallis  had 
been  defeated  on  the  19th  of  October  pre- 
ceding, and  the  liberty  of  America  was  as- 
sured. On  the  19th  of  April  following, 
the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
peace  was  proclaimed  to  the  army  of  the 
United  States,  and  on  the  3d  of  the  next 
September,  the  definite  treaty  which  ended 
our  revolutionary  struggle,  was  concluded. 
By  the  terms  of  that  treaty,  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  West  were  as  follows:  On  the 
north  the  line  was  to  extend  along  the  cen- 
ter of  the  Great  Lakes;  fi-om  the  western 
point  of  Lake  Superior  to  Long  Lake; 
thence  to  the  Lake  of  the  "Woods;  thence 
to  the  head  of  the  Mississippi  River,  down 
its  center  to  the  31st  parallel  of  latitude, 
then  on  that  line  east  to  the  head  of  the 
Appalachicola  River;  down  its  center  to 
its  junction  with  the  Flint;  thence  straight 
to  the  head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  and  thence 
down  along  its  center  to  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 

Following  the  cessation  of  hostilities 
with  England,  several  posts  were  still  occu- 
pied by  the  British  in  the  North  and  West. 
Among  these  was  Detroit,  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  Numerous  engagements 
with  the  Indians  throughout  Ohio  and  In- 
diana occurred,  upon  whose  lands  adventur- 
ous whites  would  settle  ere  the  title  had 
been  acquired  by  the  proper  treaty. 

To  remedy  this  latter  evil.  Congress  ap- 
pointed commissioners  to  treat  with  the 
natives  and  purchase  their  lands,  and  pro- 


hibited the  settlement  of  the  territory  until 
this  could  be  done.  Before  the  close  of  the 
year  another  attempt  was  made  to  capture 
Detroit,  which  was,  however,  not  pushed, 
and  Virginia,  no  longer  feeling  the  interest 
in  the  Northwest  she  had  formerly  done, 
withdrew  her  troops,  having  on  the  20th  of 
December  preceding  authorized  the  whole 
of  her  possessions  to  be  deeded  to  the 
United  States.  This  was  done  on  the  1st 
of  March  following,  and  the  Northwest 
Territory  passed  from  the  control  of  the 
Old  Dominion.  To  Gen.  Clark  and  his 
soldiers,  however,  she  gave  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land, 
to  be  situated  anywhere  north  of  the  Ohio 
wherever  they  chose  to  locate  them.  They 
selected  the  region  opposite  the  falls  of 
the  Ohio,  where  is  now  the  dilapidated 
village  of  Clarksville,  about  midway  be- 
tween the  Cities  of  New  Albany  and  JeflFer- 
sonville,  Indiana. 

While  the  frontier  remained  thus,  and 
Gen.  Haldimand  at  Detroit  refused  to 
evacuate,  alleging  that  he  had  no  orders 
from  his  King  to  do  so,  settlers  were  rap- 
idly irathering  about  the  inland  forts.  In 
the  spring  of  1784,  Pittsburgh  was  regu- 
larlv  laid  out,  and  from  the  journal  of  Ar- 
thur Lee,  who  passed  through  the  town 
soon  after  on  his  way  to  the  Indian  council 
at  Fort  Mcintosh,  we  suppose  it  was  not 
very    prepossessing    in   appearance.      He 

says: 

"  Pittsburgh  is  inhabited  almost  entirely 
by  Scots  and  Irish,  who  live  in  paltry  log 
houses,  and  are  as  dirty  as  if  in  the  north 
of  Ireland  or  even  Scotland.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  trade  carried  on,  the  goods 
being  brought  at  the  vast  expense  of  forty- 
five  shillings  per  pound  from  Philadelphia 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


iuid  Baltimore.  They  take  in  the  shops 
Hour,  wheat,  skins  and  money.  There  are 
in  tlie  town  four  attorneys,  two  doctors, 
and  not  a  priest  of  any  persuasion,  nor 
clnirch  nor  chapeh" 

Kentucky  at  this  time  contained  tliirt}- 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  was  beginning  to 
discuss  measures  for  a  separation  from 
Virginia.  A  land  office  was  opened  at 
Louisville,  and  measures  were  adopted  to 
take  defensive  precaution  against  the  In- 
dians who  were  yet,  in  some  instances,  in- 
cited to  deeds  of  violence  by  the  British. 
Before  the  close  of  this  year,  1784,  the 
military  claimants  of  land  began  to 
occupy  them,  although  no  entries  were 
recorded  until  ITS 7. 

The  Indian  title  to  the  Northwest  was 
not  yet  extinguished.  They  held  large 
tracts  of  lands,  and  in  order  to  prevent 
bloodshed  Congress  adopted  means  for 
treaties  with  the  original  owners  and  pro- 
vided for  the  surveys  of  the  lands  gained 
thereby,  as  well  as  for  those  north  of  the 
Ohio,  now  in  its  possession.  On  January 
31,  17S6,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  "Wa- 
bash Indians.  The  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix 
had  been  made  in  17Si.  That  at  Fort  Mc- 
intosh in  1785,  and  through  these  much 
land  was  gained.  The  Wabash  Indians, 
however,  afterward  refused  to  comply  with 
the  provisions  of  the  treaty  made  with 
them,  and  in  order  to  compel  their  adhe- 
rence to  its  provisions,  force  was  used. 
During  the  year  1786,  the  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  came  up  in  Congress, 
and  caused  various  discussions,  wliich  re- 
sulted in  no  definite  action,  only  serving  to 
excite  speculation  in  regard  to  the  western 
lands.  Congress  had  promised  bounties 
of  land  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 


but  owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of 
affairs  along  the  Mississip])i  respecting  its 
navigation,  and  the  trade  of  the  Northwest, 
that  body  had,  in  1783,  declared  its  inabil- 
ity to  fulfill  these  promises  until  a  treaty 
could  be  concluded  between  the  two  Gov- 
ernments. Before  the  close  of  the  year 
17S6,  however,  it  was  able,  through  the 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  to  allow  some 
grants  and  the  settlement  thereon,  and  on 
the  14th  of  September,  Connecticut  ceded 
to  the  General  Government  the  tract  of 
land  known  as  the  "  Connecticut  Reserve," 
and  before  the  close  of  the  following  year 
a  large  tract  of  land  north  of  the  Ohio  was 
sold  to  a  company,  who  at  once  took  meas- 
ures to  settle  it.  By  the  provisions  of  this 
grant,  the  company  were  to  pay  the  United 
States  one  dollar  per  acre,  subject  to  a  de- 
duction of  one-third  for  bad  lands  and  other 
coutingencies.  They  received  750,000  acres, 
bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Ohio,  on  the 
east  by  the  seventh  range  of  townships,  on 
the  west  by  the  sixteenth  range,  and  on  the 
north  by  a  line  so  drawn  as  to  make  the 
grant  complete  without  the  reservations. 
In  addition  to  this.  Congress  afterward 
granted  100,000  acres  to  actual  settlers,  and 
214,285  acres  as  army  bounties  under  the 
resolutions  of  1789  and  1790. 

While  Dr.  Cutler,  one  of  the  agents  of 
the  company,  was  pressing  its  claims  before 
Congress,  that  body  was  bringing  into  form 
an  ordinance  for  the  political  and  social  or- 
o^anization  of  this  Territory.  When  the 
cession  was  made  by  Virginia,  in  1784,  a 
plan  was  offered,  but  rejected.  A  motion 
had  been  made  to  strike  from  the  proposed 
plan  the  prohibition  of  slavery,  which  pre- 
vailed. The  plan  was  then  discussed  and 
altered,   and  finally   passed    unanimously, 


30 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


with  tlie  exception  of  South  Carolina.  By 
this  proposition,  the  Territory'  was  to  have 
been  divided  into  states  by  parallels  and 
meridian  lines.  This,  it  was  thought,  would 
make  ten  states,  which  were  to  have  been 
named  as  follows — beginning  at  the  north- 
west corner  and  going  southwardly :  Savly- 
nia,  Michigauia,  Chersonesus,  Assenisipia, 
Metropotamia,  Illenoia,  Saratoga,  Wash- 
ington, Polypotamia  and  Pelisipia. 

There  was  a  more  serious  objection  to 
this  plan  than  its  category  of  names, — the 
boundaries.  The  root  of  the  difficulty  was 
in  the  resolution  of  Congress  passed  in 
October,  1780,  which  fixed  the  boundaries 
of  the  ceded  lauds  to  be  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  fiftv  miles  square. 
These  resolutions  being  presented  to  the 
Legislatures  of  Virginia  and  Massachusetts, 
they  desired  a  change,  and  in  July,  1786, 
the  subject  was  taken  up  in  Congress,  and 
changed  to  favor  a  division  into  not  more 
than  five  states,  and  not  less  than  three. 
Tliis  was  approved  by  the  State  Legislature 
of  Virginia.  The  subject  of  the  Govern- 
ment was  again  taken  up  by  Congress  in 
1786,  and  discussed  tln-oughout  that  year 
and  until  July,  17S7,  when  the  famous 
"Compact  of  1787"  was  passed,  and  the 
foundation  of  the  government  of  the  North- 
west laid.  This  compact  is  fully  discussed 
and  explained  in  the  history  of  Illinois  in 
tills  book,  and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred. 

The  passage  of  tliis  act  and  the  grant  to 
the  New  England  Company  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  an  application  to  the  Government 
by  John  Cleves  Symmes,  of  New  Jersey, 
for  a  grant  of  the  laud  between  tlie  Miamis. 
This  gentleman  had  visited  these  lands 
soon  after  the  treaty  of  1786,  and,  being 
greatly  pleased  with  them  oflered   similar 


terms  to  those  given  to  the  New  England 
Company.  The  petition  was  referred  to  the 
Treasury  Board  with  power  to  act,  and  a 
contract  was  concluded  the  following  year. 
During  the  autumn  the  directors  of  the 
Xew  England  Company  were  preparing  to 
occupy  their  grant  the  following  spring, 
and  upon  the  23d  of  November  made  ar- 
rangements for  a  party  of  forty-seven  men, 
under  tlie  superintendency  of  Gen.  Rufus 
Putnam,  to  set  forward.  Six  boat-builders 
were  to  leave  at  once,  and  on  the  first  of 
January  the  surveyors  and  their  assistants, 
twenty-six  in  number,  were  to  meet  at  Hart- 
ford and  proceed  on  their  journey  westward; 
the  remainder  to  follow  as  soon  as  possible. 
Congress,  in  the  mean  time,  upon  the  3d  of 
October,  had  ordered  seven  hundred  troops 
for  defense  of  the  western  settlers,  and  to 
prevent  unauthorized  intrusions;  and  two 
days  later  appointed  Arthur  St.  Clair  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  of  the  Northwest. 

AilEEICAlJ    SETTLEMENTS. 

The  civil  organization  of  the  N"orthwest 
Territory  was  now  complete,  and  notwith- 
standing the  uncertainty  of  Indian  affairs, 
settlers  from  the  East  began  to  come  into 
the  country  rapidly.  The  New  England 
Company  sent  their  men  during  the  winter 
of  1787-8  pressing  on  over  the  AUeghenies 
by  the  old  Indian  path  whicli  had  been 
opened  into  Braddock's  road  and  which  has 
since  been  made  a  national  turnpike  from 
Cumberland  westward.  Through  the  weary 
winter  days  they  toiled  on,  and  by  April 
were  all  gathered  on  the  Yohiogany,  where 
boats  had  been  built,  and  at  once  started 
for  the  Muskingum.  Here  they  arrived  on 
the  7th  of  that  mouth,  and  unless  the  Mo- 
ravian missionaries  be  regarded  as  the  pio- 


THE  NORTHWEST  TEKRITOKY. 


31 


iieers  of  Oliio,  this    little  band  can    justly 
claim  that  lienor. 

General  St.  Clair,  the  appointed  Gover- 
nor of  tlie  N^ortliwest,  not  having  yet  ar- 
rived, a  set  of  laws  were  passed,  written  out, 
and  published  by  being  nailed  to  a  tree  in 
the  embryo  town,  and  Jonathan  Meigs 
appointed  to  administer  them. 

Washington  in  writing  of  this,  the  first 
American  settlement  in  the  Northwest, 
said:  "No  colony  in  America  was  ever 
settled  under  such  favorable  auspices  as 
that  which  has  just  commenced  at  Muskin- 
gum. Information,  property  and  strength 
will  be  its  characteristics.  I  know  many 
of  its  settlers  personally,  and  there  never 
were  men  better  calculated  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  such  a  conun  unity." 

On  the  2d  of  July  a  meeting  of  the  di- 
rectors and  agents  was  held  on  the  banks 
of  the  Muskingum,  "  for  the  purpose  ot 
naming  the  new-born  city  and  its  squares." 
As  yet  the  settlement  was  known  as  the 
"Muskingum,"  but  that  was  now  changed 
to  the  name  Marietta,  in  honor  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  The  square  upon  which  the 
block-houses  stood  was  called  "Camjyus 
Martina;^''  square  number  19,  ^^Capito- 
liutn;''''  square  number  61,  ^'•Ceciliaf  and 
the  great  rough  road  through  the  covert 
way,  "Sacra  Via."  Two  days  after,  an 
oration  was  delivered  by  James  M.  Var- 
num,  who  with  S.  H.  Parsons  and  John 
Armstrong  had  been  appointed  to  the 
judicial  bench  of  the  Territory  on  the  16th 
of  October,  1787.  On  July  9,  Gov.  St. 
Clair  arrived,  and  the  Colony  began  to  as- 
si-.me  form.  The  act  of  1787  provided  two 
distinct  grades  of  government  for  the 
Northwest,  under  the  first  of  which  the 
whole  power  was  invested  in  the  hands  of 


a  governor  and  three  district  judges.  This 
was  immediately'  formed  upon  the  gover- 
nor's arrival,  and  the  first  laws  of  the  Colony 
passed  on  the  25th  of  July.  These  provid- 
ed for  the  organization  of  the  militia,  and 
on  the  next  day  appeared  the  Governor's 
proclamation,  erecting  all  that  country  that 
had  been  ceded  by  the  Indians  east  of  the 
Scioto  River  into  the  County  of  Washing- 
ton. From  that  time  forward,  notwith- 
standing the  doubts  yet  existing  as  to  the 
Indians,  all  Marietta  pi-ospered,  and  on 
the  2d  of  September  the  first  court  of  the 
Territory  was  held  with  imposing  cere- 
monies. 

The  emigration  westward  at  this  time 
was  very  great.  The  commander  at  Fort 
Harmar,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum, 
reported  four  thousand  five  hundred  per- 
sons as  having  passed  that  post  between 
February  and  June,  1788 — many  of  whom 
would  have  purchased  of  the  "Associates," 
as  the  New  England  Company  was  called,  . 
had  they  been  ready  to  receive  them. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  1787,  Symmes 
issued  a  pamphlet  stating  the  terms  of  liis 
contract  and  the  plan  of  sale  he  intended  to 
adopt.  In  January,  1788,  Matthias  Den- 
man,  of  New  Jersey,  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  Symmes'  purciiase,  and  located 
among  other  tracts  the  sections  upon  which 
Cincinnati  has  been  built.  Retaining  one- 
third  of  this  locality,  he  sold  the  other 
two-thirds  to  Robert  Patterson  and  John 
Filson,  and  tlie  three,  about  August,  com- 
menced to  lay  out  a  town  on  the  spot, 
which  was  designated  as  being  opposite 
Licking  River,  to  the  mouth  of  which  they 
proposed  to  have  a  road  cut  from  Lexing- 
ton. The  naming  of  the  town  is  thus  nar- 
rated  in    the    "Western  Annals":     "Mr. 


3-2 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


Filson,  who  had  been  a  schoolmaster,  was 
appointed  to  name  the  town,  and  in  respect 
to  its  situation,  and  as  if  with  a  prophetic 
perception  of  the  mixed  races  that  were  to 
inhabit  it  in  after  da^-s,  he  named  it  Lo- 
santiville,  whicli  being  interpreted,  means: 
ville,  the  town;  anti,  against  or  opposite 
to;  OS,  the  mouth;  Z.  of  Licking." 

Meanwhile,  in  July,  Sjmmes  got  thirty 
persons  and  eight  four-horse  teams  under 
way  for  the  West.  These  reached  Lime- 
stone (now  Maysville)in  September,  where 
were  several  persons  from  Redstone.  Here 
Mr.  Symmes  tried  to  found  a  settlement, 
but  the  great  freshet  of  1789  caused  the 
"Point,"  as  it  was  and  is  yet  called,  to  be 
fifteen  feet  under  water,  and  the  settlement 
to  be  abandoned.  The  little  band  of  settlers 
removed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami. 
Before  Symmes  and  his  colony  left  the 
"Point,"  two  settlements  had  been  made 
on  his  purchase.  The  first  was  by  Mr. 
Stiltes,  the  original  projector  of  the  whole 
plan,  who,  with  a  colony  of  Redstone  peo- 
ple, had  located  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Miami,  whither  Symmes  went  with  his 
Maysville  colony.  Here  a  clearing  had 
been  made  by  the  Indians  owing  to  the 
great  fertility  of  the  soil.  Mr.  Stiltes  with 
his  colony  came  to  this  place  on  the  ISth 
of  November,  ITSS,  with  twenty-six  per- 
sons, and,  building  a  blockhouse,  prepared 
to  remain  through  the  winter.  They 
named  the  settlement  Columbia.  Here 
they  were  kindly  treated  by  the  Indians, 
but  suffered  greatly  from  the  flood  of  1789. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  17S9,  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  went  into  op- 
eration, and  on  April  30th,  George  Wash- 
ington was  inaugurated  President  of  the 
American    people,  and    during    the  next 


summer,  an  Indian  war  was  commenced 
by  the  tribes  north  of  the  Ohio.  The 
President  at  first  used  pacific  means;  but 
these  failing,  he  sent  General  Harmar 
against  the  hostile  tribes.  He  destroyed 
several  villages,  but  was  defeated  in  two 
battles,  near  the  present  City  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana.  From  this  time  till  the 
close  of  1795,  the  principal  events  were 
the  wars  with  the  various  Indian  tribes. 
In  1796,  General  St.  Clair  was  appointed 
in  command,  and  marched  against  the  In- 
dians; but  while  he  was  encamped  on  a 
stream,  the  St.  Mary,  a  branch  of  the 
Maumee,  he  was  attacked  and  defeated 
with  the  loss  of  six  hundred  men. 

General  Wayne  was  now  sent  against  the 
savages.  In  August,  1794,  he  met  them 
near  the  rapids  of  the  Maumee,  and  gained 
a  complete  victory.  This  success,  followed 
by  vigorous  measures,  compelled  the  Indi- 
ans to  sue  for  peace,  and  on  the  30th  of 
July,  the  following  year,  the  treaty  of 
Greenville  was  signed  by  the  principal 
chiefs,  by  which  a  large  tract  of  country 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

Before  proceeding  in  our  narrative,  we 
will  pause  to  notice  Fort  Washington, 
erected  in  the  early  part  of  this  war  on 
the  site  of  Cincinnati.  Nearly  all  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  Northwest,  and  indeed 
of  the  whole  country,  have  had  their  nuclei 
in  those  rude  pioneer  structures,  known  as 
forts  or  stockades.  Thus  Forts  Dearborn, 
Washington,  Ponchartrain,  mark  the  orig- 
inal sites  of  the  now  proud  cities  of  Chi- 
cago. Cincinnati  and  Detroit.  So  of  most 
of  the  flourishing  cities  east  and  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  Fort  Washington  erected 
by  Dough t}'  in  1790,  was  a  rude  but  highly 
interesting  structure.     It  was  composed  of 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


33 


a  number  of  strongly- built  hewed  log  cab- 


ins. 


Those  designed  for  soldiers'  barracks 


were  a  story  and  a  half  high,  wliile  those 
composing  the  officers'  quarters  were  more 
imposing  and  more  conveniently  arranged 
and  furnislied.  The  whole  were  so  placed 
as  to  form  a  hollow  square,  enclosing  about 
an  acre  of  ground,  with  a  block  house  at 
each  of  the  four  angles. 

The  logs  for  the  construction  of  this 
fort  were  cut  from  the  ground  upon  whicli 
it  was  erected.  It  stood  between  Tliird 
and  Fourth  Streets  of  the  present  city 
(Cincinnati)  extending  east  of  Eastern 
Row,  now  Broadway,  which  was  then  a 
narrow  alley,  and  the  eastern  boundary  of 
the  town  as  it  was  originally  laid  out.  On 
the  bank  of  the  river,  immediately  in  front 
of  the  fort,  was  an  appendage  of  the  fort, 
called  the  Artificer's  Yard.  It  contained 
about  two  acres  of  ground,  enclosed  by 
small  contiguous  buildings,  occupied  by 
workshops  and  quarters  of  laborers. 
Within  this  enclosure  there  was  a  large 
two-story  frame  house,  familiarly  called 
the  "  Fellow  House,"  built  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Quartermaster  General. 
For  many  years  this  was  the  best  finished 
and  most  commodious  edifice  in  the  Queen 
City.  Fort  Washington  was  for  some  time 
the  headquarters  of  both  the  civil  and  mil- 
itary governments  of  the  Northwestern 
Territory. 

Following  the  consummation  of  the 
treaty,  various  gigantic  land  speculations 
were  entered  into  by  different  persons,  who 
hoped  to  obtain  from  the  Indians  in  Mich- 
igan and  northern  Indiana,  large  tracts  of 
lands.  These  were  generally  discovered 
in  time  to  prevent  the  outrageous  schemes 
from  being  carried  out,  and  from  involving 


the  settlers  in  war.  On  October  27,  1795, 
the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain  was  signed,  whereby  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  jyiississippi  was  secured. 

No  sooner  had  the  treaty  of  1795  beau 
ratified,  than  settlements  began  to  pour 
rapidly  into  the  West.  The  great  event 
of  the  year  1796  was  the  occupation  of 
tluit  part  of  the  Northwest  including 
Michigan,  which  was  this  year,  under  the 
provisions  of  the  treaty,  evacuated  by  the 
British  forces.  The  United  States,  owing 
to  certain  conditions,  did  not  feel  justified 
in  addressing  the  authorities  in  Canada 
in  relation  to  Detroit  and  other  frontier 
posts.  When  at  last  the  British  author- 
ities were  called  to  give  them  up,  they 
at  once  complied,  and  General  Wayne, 
who  had  done  so  much  to  preserve  the 
frontier  settlements,  and  who,  before 
the  year's  close,  sickened  and  died  near 
Erie,  transferred  his  headquarters  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  lakes,  where  a  coun- 
ty named  after  him  was  formed,  which 
included  the  northwest  of  Ohio,  all  of 
Michigan,  and  the  northeast  of  Indiana. 
During  this  same  year  settlements  were 
formed  at  the  present  City  of  Chillicothe, 
along  the  Miami  from  MiddJetown  to  Piqua, 
wliile  in  the  more  distant  West,  settlers 
and  speculators  began  to  appear  in  great 
numbers.  In  Sc])tember,  the  City  of 
Cleveland  was  laid  out,  and  during  the 
summer  and  autumn,  Samuel  Jackson 
and  Jonathan  Sharpless  erected  the  first 
manufactory  of  paper — the  "  Redstone 
Paper  Mill " — in  the  West.  St.  Louis  con- 
tained some  seventy  houses,  and  Detroit 
over  three  hundred,  and  along  the  river, 
contiguous  to  it,  were  more  than  three 
thousand  inhabitants,  mostly  French  Can- 


34 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


adifins,  lndi;iiis  and  lialf-breeds,  scarcely 
any  Americans  venturing  yet  into  that 
part  of  tlie  Nortiivvest. 

Tiie  election  of  representatives  for  the 
Territory  had  taken  place,  and  on  the  4th 
of  February,  1799,  they  convened  at  Lo- 
santiville — now  known  as  Cincinnati,  hav- 
ing been  named  so  by  Gov.  St.  Clair,  and 
considered  the  capital  of  the  Territory — to 
nominate  pei'sons  from  whom  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  were  to  be  chosen 
in  accordance  with  a  previous  ordinance. 
These  nominations  being  made,  the  Assem- 
bly adjourned  until  the  16th  of  the  follow- 
ing September.  From  those  named,  the 
President  selected  as  members  of  the 
council,  Henry  Vandenburg,  of  Vincennes, 
Robert  Oliver,  of  Marietta,  James  Findlay 
and  Jacob  Burnett,  of  Cincinnati,  and 
David  Vance,  of  Vanceville.  On  the  16th 
of  September  the  Territorial  Legislature 
met,  and  on  the  24th  the  two  houses  were 
duly  organized,  Henry  Vandenburg  being 
elected  President  of  the  Council. 

The  message  of  Gov.  St.  Clair  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  Legislature  September  20h, 
and  on  October  13th  that  body  elected  as 
a  delegate  to  Congress,  Gen.  "Wm.  Henry 
Harrison,  who  received  eleven  of  the  votes 
cast,  being  a  majority  of  one  over  his  op- 
])onent,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  son  of  Gen.  St. 
Clair. 

The  whole  number  of  acts  passed  at  this 
session,  and  approved  by  the  Governor, 
were  thirty-seven — eleven  others  were 
passed,  but  received  his  veto.  The  most 
important  of  those  passed,  related  to  the 
militia,  to  the  administration,  and  to  taxa- 
tion. On  the  19th  of  December,  this  pro- 
tracted session  of  the  first  Legislature  in 
the  AVest  was  closed,    and    on    the    30th 


of  December,  the  President  nominated 
Charles  "Willing  Bryd  to  the  office  of  Sec- 
retary of  the  Territory  vice  Wm.  Henry 
Harrison,  elected  to  Congress.  The  Sen- 
ate confirmed  his  nomination  the  next  day. 

DIVISION  OF  THE  NORTHWEST  TEEKITORT. 

The  increased  emigration  to  the  jS^orth- 
west,  the  extent  of  the  domain,  and  the  lu- 
convenient  modes  of  travel,  made  it  very 
difficult  to  conduct  the  ordinary  operations 
of  government,  and  rendered  the  efficient 
action  of  courts  almost  impossible.  To 
remedy  this,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
divide  the  territory  for  civil  purposes. 
Congress,  in  1800,  appointed  a  committee 
to  examine  the  question  and  report  some 
means  for  its  solution.  This  committee, 
on  the  3d  of  March,  reported  that: 

"  In  the  three  western  countries,  there 
has  been  but  one  court  having  cognizance 
of  crimes,  in  five  years,  and  the  immunity 
which  offenders  experience  attracts,  as  to 
an  asylum,  the  most  vile  and  abandoned 
criminals,  and  at  the  same  time  deters 
useful  citizens  from  making  settlements  in 
such  society.  The  extreme  necessity  of 
judiciary  attention  and  assistance  is  ex- 
perienced in  civil  as  well  as  in  criminal 
cases.  *  *  *  *  To  minister  a  remedy 
to  these  and  other  evils,  it  occurs  to  this 
committee  that  it  is  expedient  that  a  divis- 
ion of  said  territory  into  two  distinct  and 
separate  governments  should  be  made:  and 
that  such  division  be  made  by  a  line  be- 
ginnino'  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami 
River,  running  directly  north  until  it  in- 
tersects tlie  boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada." 

The  report  was  accepted  by  Congress, 
and,  in  accordance  with  its  suggestions, 
that  body  passed  an  act  extinguishing  the 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


Northwest  Territory,  which  act  was  ap- 
proved May  7tli.  Among  its  provisions 
were  these: 

"That  from  and  after  Jnly  -itli  next,  all 
that  part  of  the  territory  of  tiie  United 
States,  northwest  of  the  Ohio  River,  which 
lies  to  the  westward  of  a  line  beginning  at 
a  foiiit  on  the  Ohio,  opposite  to  the  month 
of  the  Kentncky  River,  and  running  thence 
to  Fort  Recovery,  and  tlience  north  until 
it  shall  intersect  the  territorial  line  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Canada,  shall, 
for  the  purpose  of  temporary  government, 
constituteaseparate  territory,  and  be  called 
the  Indiana  Territory." 

After  providing  for  the  exercise' of  the 
civil  and  criminal  powers  of  the  Territories, 
and  other  provisions,  the  act  further  pro- 
vides: 

"  That  until  it  shall  otherwise  be  ordered 
by  the  Legislatures  of  the  said  Territories, 
respectively,  Chillicothe  on  the  Scioto 
River  shall  be  the  seat  of  government  of 
the  Territory  of  the  United  States  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  River;  and  that  St.  Vin- 
cennes  on  the  "Wabash  River  shall  be  the 
seat  of  government  for  the  Indiana  Terri- 
tory." 

Gen.  Wm.  Henry  Harrison  was  appoint- 
ed Governor  of  the  Indiana  Territory,  and 
entered  upon  his  duties  about  a  year  later. 
Connecticut  also  about  this  time  released 
her  claims  to  the  reserve,  and  in  March  a 
law  was  passed  accepting  this  cession. 
Settlements  had  been  made  upon  thirty- 
five  of  the  townships  in  the  reserve,  mills 
had  been  built,  and  seven  hundred  miles  of 
road  cut  in  various  directions.  On  the  3d 
of  November,  the  General  Assembly  met 
at  Chillicothe.  Near  the  close  of  the  year, 
the  first   missionary   of    the    Connecticut 


Reserve  came,  who  found  no  township  con- 
taining more  than  eleven  families.  It  was 
upon  the  first  of  October  that  the  secret 
treaty  had  been  made  between  Napoleon 
and  the  King  of  S))ain,  whereby  the  latter 
agreed  to  cede  to  France  the  province  of 
Louisiana. 

In  January,  1802,  the  assembly  of  the 
Northwestern      Territory     chartered     the 
college   at    Athens.       From    the    earliest 
dawn    of  the  western   colonies,    education 
was  promptly  provided  for,  and  as  early  as 
17S7,  newspapers  were  issued  from   Pitts- 
burgh   and    Kentucky,  and   largely    read 
throughout  the  frontier    settlements.     Be- 
fore the  close  of  this  year,  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  granted  to  the  citizens 
of  the  Northwestern  Territory,    the  forma- 
tion of  a  State  government.       One    of  the 
provisions  of  the  "compact  of  1787  "  pro- 
vided that  whenever  the  number  of  inhab- 
itants within    prescribed    limits    exceeded 
45,0(10,  they  should  be  entitled   to  a  sepa- 
rate governuiont.     The    prescribed   limits 
of  Ohio  contained,  from  a  census  taken  to 
ascertain  the  legality  of  the  act,  more  than 
that  number,  and  on    the   30th    of  April, 
1S02,  Congress  passed  the  act  defining  its 
limits,  and  on  the  2()th    of   November  the 
Constitution  of  the  new  State  of  Ohio,  so 
named  from  the    beautiful    river   formins 
its  southern  boundary,  came  into  existence. 
The  exact  limits  of   Lake    Michigan  were 
not   then   known,    but    the    territory    now 
included  within  the  State  of  Michigan  was 
wholly  within  the  territory  of  Indiana. 

General  Harrison,  while  residing  at 
Vincennes,  made  several  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  thereby  gaining  large  tracts  of 
lands.  The  next  year  is  memorable  in  the 
history  of  the  West   for    the   purchase   of 


36 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


Louisiana  from  France  by  the  United 
States  I'or  $15,000,000.  Thus  by  a  peace- 
ful mode,  the  domaiu  of  the  United  States 
was  extended  over  a  large  tract  of  country 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  was  for  a  time 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Northwest 
government,  and  as  has  been  mentioned 
in  tlie  early  part  of  this  narrative,  was 
called  the  "New  Northwest."  The  limits 
of  this  history  will  not  allow  a  description 
of  its  territory.  The  same  year  large 
grants  of  land  were  obtained  from  the 
Indians,  and  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  new  State  of  Ohio  signed  a  bill 
respecting  the  college  township  in  the 
district  of  Cincinnati. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year,  General 
Harrison  obtained  additional  grants  of 
lands  from  the  various  Indian  nations  in 
Indiana  and  the  present  limits  of  Illinois, 
and  on  the  18th  of  August,  ISOi,  a  treaty 
at  St.  Louis,  whereby  over  51,000,000  acres 
of  lands  were  obtained  from  the  aborigines. 
Measures  were  also  taken  to  learn  the  con- 
dition qf  affairs  in  and  about  Detroit. 

C.  Joiiette,  the  Indian  agent  in  Miclii- 
gan,  still  a  part  of  Indiana  Territory,  re- 
ported as  follows  upon  the  condition  of 
matters  at  tliat  post: 

"The  Town  of  Detroit.— The  charter, 
which  is  for  fifteen  miles  square,  was 
granted  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV  of 
France,  and  is  now,  from  the  best  infor- 
mation I  have  been  able  to  get,  at  Quebec. 
Of  those  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres,  only  four  are  occupied  by  the  town 
and  Fort  Lenault.  The  remainder  is  a 
common,  except  twenty-four  acres,  which 
were  added  twenty  years  ago  to  a  farm 
belonsinsr  to  Wm.  Macomb.  *  *  *  * 
A  stockade  encloses  the  town,  fort  and  cit- 


adel. The  pickets,  as  well  as  the  public 
houses,  are  in  a  state  of  gradual  decay. 
The  streets  are  narrow,  straight  and  regu- 
lar, and  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles. 
The  houses  are  for  the  most  part  low  and 
inelegant." 

During  this  year  Congress  granted  a 
township  of  land  for  the  sup])ort  of  a  col- 
lege, and  began  to  ofl'er  inducements  for 
settlers  in  these  wilds,  and  the  country 
now  comprising  the  State  of  Michig;in 
began  to  fill  rapidly  with  settlers  along  its 
southern  borders.  This  same  year,  also,  a 
law  was  passed  organizing  the  Southwest 
Territory,  dividing  it  into  two  portions, 
the  Territory  of  New  Orleans,  which  city 
was  made  the  seat  of  government,  and  the 
District  of  Louisiana,  whidh  was  annexed 
to  the  domain  of  Gen.  Harrison. 

On  the  nth  of  January,  1805,  tlie  Terri- 
tory of  Michigan  was  formed.  Wm.  Hull 
was  appointed  governor  with  headquarters 
at  Detroit,  the  change  to  take  effect  on 
June  30th.  On  the  11th  of  that  month,  a 
fire  occurred  at  Detroit,  which  destroyed 
almost  every  building  in  the  place.  When 
the  officers  of  the  new  Territory  reached  the 
post,  they  found  it  in  ruins,  and  the  inhab- 
itants scattered  throughout  the  country. 
Rebuilding,  however,  soon  commenced,  and 
ere  long  the  town  contained  more  houses 
than  before  the  fire,  and  many  of  them 
much  better  built. 

While  this  was  being  done,  Indiana  had 
passed  to  the  second  grade  of  governrnent, 
and  through  her  General  Assembly  had 
obtained  large  tracts  of  land  from  the 
Indian  tribes.  To  all  this  the  celebrated 
Indian,  Tecumthe  or  Tecumseh,  vigorously 
protested,  and  it  was  the  main  cause  of  his 
attempts  to  unite  the  various  Indian  tribes 


THE  iXOKTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


37 


in  a  conflict  with  the  settlers.  To  obtain  a 
full  account  of  tiiese  attempts,  the  workings 
of  the  British,  and  the  signal  failure,  culmi- 
nating in  the  death  of  Tecumseh  at  the 
battle  of  the  Thames,  and  tlie  close  of  the 
war  of  1812  in  the  Xortlnvest,  we  will  step 
aside  in  our  story,  and  relate  the  principal 
events  of  his  life,  and  his  connection  with 
this  Conflict. 

TECDMSEH,  AND  THE  WAR  (iF  1812. 

This  famous  Indian  chief  was  born  about 
the  year  1768,  not  far  from  the  site  of  the 
present  City  of  Piqun.  Ohio.  His  father, 
Puckeshinwa,  was  a  member  of  the  Kisopok 
tribe  of  the  Shawanoese  nation,  and  his  moth- 
er, Methontaske,  was  a  member  of  the  Tur- 
tle tribe  of  the  same  people.  They  removed 
from  Florida  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century  to  the  birthplace  of  Tecumseh.  In 
1 774,  his  father,  who  had  risen  to  be  chief, 
was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant, 
and  not  long  after,  Tecumseh,  by  his  brav- 
ery, became  the  leader  of  his  tribe.  In 
1795  he  was  declared  chief,  and  then  lived 
at  Deer  Creek,  near  the  site  of  the  present 
City  of  Urbana.  He  remained  here  about 
one  year,  when  he  returned  to  Piqua,  and 
in  1798,  he  went  to  White  River,  Indiana. 
In  1805,  he  and  his  brother,  Laulewasikan 
(Open  Door),  who  had  announced  himself 
as  a  prophet,  went  to  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
Wabash  River,  given  them  by  the  Potta- 
watomies  and  Kickapoos.  From  this  date 
the  chief  comes  into  prominence.  He  was 
now  about  thirty-seven  vears  of  age,  was 
five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  height,  was  stout- 
ly built,  and  possessed  of  enormous  powers 
of  endurance.  His  countenance  was  natu- 
rally pleasing,  and  he  was,  in  general,  de- 
void of  those   savage   attributes  possessed 


by  most  Indians.  It  is  stated  he  could 
read  and  write,  and  had  a  conlidential  sec- 
retary and  adviser,  named  Billy  Caldwell, 
a  half-breed,  who  afterward  became  chief 
of  the  Pottawatomies.  He  occupied  the 
first  house  built  on  the  site  of  Cliicago.  At 
this  time,  Tecumseh  entered  upon  the  great 
work  of  his  life.  He  had  long  objected  to 
the  grants  of  land  made  by  the  Indians  to 
the  whites,  and  determined  to  unite  all  the 
Indian  tribes  into  a  league,  in  order  that  nO' 
treaties  or  grants  of  land  could  be  made 
save  by  the  consent   of  this  confederation. 

He  traveled  constantly,  going  from  north 
to  south;  from  the  south  to  tlie  north, 
everywhere  urging  the  Indians  to  this  step. 
He  was  a  matchless  orator,  and  his  burning 
words  had  their  effect. 

Gen.  Harrison,  then  Governor  of  Indiana, 
by  watching  the  movement  of  the  Indians, 
became  convinced  that  a  grand  conspiracy 
was  forming,  and  made  preparations  to  de- 
fend the  settlements.  Tecumseii's  plan  was 
similar  to  Pontiac's,  elsewliere  described, 
and  to  the  cunning  artifice  of  that  chieftain 
was  added  his  own  sagacity. 

During  the  vear  1809,  Tecumseh  and  the 
prophet  were  actively  preparing  for  the 
work.  In  that  year.  Gen.  Harrison  entered 
into  a  treaty  with  the  Delawares,  Kickapoos, 
Pottawatomies,  Miamis,  Eel  River  Indians 
and  Weas,  in  which  these  tribes  ceded  to 
the  whites  certain  lands  upon  the  Wabash, 
to  all  of  which  Tecumseh  entered  a  bitter 
protest,  averring  as  one  principal  reason  that 
he  did  not  want  the  Indians  to  give  up  any 
lands  north  and  west  of  the  Ohio  River. 

Tecumseh,  in  August,  1810.  visited  the 
General  at  Vineennes  and  held  a  council 
relating  to  the  grievances  of  the  Indians. 
Becoming  unduly  angry  at  this  conference 


38 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


he  was  dismissed  from  the  village,  aad 
soon  after  departed  to  incite  the  Southern 
Indian  tribes  to  the  conflict. 

Gen.  Harrison  determined  to  move  upon 
the  chief's  headquarters  at  Tippecanoe,  and 
for  tliis  purpose  went  about  sixtv-five  miles 
up  the  Wabasii,  where  he  built  Fort  Harri- 
son. From  tliis  place  he  went  to  the 
prophet's  town,  wliere  he  informed  the 
Indians  he  had  no  hostile  intentions, 
provided  they  were  true  to  the  existing 
treaties.  He  encamped  near  the  village 
early  in  October,  and  on  the  morning  of 
November  7th,  he  was  attacked  by  a  large 
force  of  the  Indians,  and  the  famous  battle 
of  Tippecanoe  occurred.  The  Indians  were 
routed  and  their  town  broken  up.  Tecum- 
seh  returning  not  long  after,  was  erreatly 
exasperated  at  his  brother,  the  prophet, 
even  threatening  to  kill  him  for  rashly 
precipitating  the  war,  and  foiling  his 
(Tecumseh's)  plans. 

Tecumseh  sent  word  to  General  Harri- 
son that  he  was  now  returned  from  the 
South,  and  was  ready  to  visit  the  President, 
as  had  at  one  time  previously  been  proposed. 
Gen.  Harrison  informed  him  he  could  not 
go  as  a  chief,  which  method  Tecumseh 
desired,  and  the  visit  was  never  made. 

In  June  of  the  following  year,  he  visited 
the  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Wayne.  Here  he 
disavowed  any  intention  to  'make  a  war 
against  the  United  States,  and  reproached 
Gen.  Harrison  for  marching  against  his 
people.  The  agent  replied  to  this  ;  Tecum- 
seh listened  with  a  cold  indifference,  and 
after  making  a  few  general  remarks,  with 
a  haughty  air  drew  his  blanket  about  him, 
left  the  council  house,  and  departed  for 
Fort  Maiden,  in  up])er  Canada,  where  he 
joined  the  British  standard. 


He  remained  tinder  this  Government, 
doing  effective  work  for  the  Grown  while 
engaged  in  the  war  of  1812  which  now 
opened.  He  was,  however,  always  humane 
in  his  treatment  of  the  prisoners,  never 
allowing  his  warriors  to  ruthlessly  mutilate 
the  bodies  of  those  slain,  or  wantonly 
murder  the  captive. 

In  the  summer  of  1813,  Perry's  victory 
on  Lake  Erie  occurred,  and  shortly  after 
active  preparations  were  made  to  capture 
Maiden.  On  the  27th  of  September,  the 
American  army,  under  Gen.  Harrison,  set 
sail  for  the  shores  of  Canada,  and  in  a  few 
hours  stood  around  the  ruins  of  Maiden, 
from  which  the  British  army,  under  Proc- 
tor, had  retreated  to  Sandwich,  intending 
to  make  its  way  to  the  heart  of  Canada  by 
the  Valley  of  the  Thames.  On  the  29th 
Gen.  Harrison  was  at  Sandwich,  and  Gen. 
McArthur  took  possession  of  Detroit  and 
the  Teri-itory  of  Michigan. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  the  Americans 
began  their  pursuit  of  Proctor,  whom  they 
overtook  on  the  5th,  and  the  battle  of  the 
Thames  followed.  Early  in  the  engage- 
ment, Tecumseh  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
column  of  Indians  was  slain,  and  they,  no 
longer  hearing  the  voice  of  their  chieftain, 
fled.  The  victory  was  decisive,  and  prac- 
tically closed  the  war  in  the  Northwest. 

Just  who  killed  the  great  chief  has  been 
a  matter  of  much  dispute  ;  but  the  weight 
of  o])inion  awards  the  act  to  Col.  Ricliard 
M.  Johnson,  who  fired  at  him  with  a  pistol, 
the  shot  proving  fatal. 

In  1805  occurred  Burr's  Insurrection. 
He  took  possession  of  a  l)eautiful  ishind  in 
the  Ohio,  after  the  killing  of  Hamilton, 
and  is  charged  bj-  many  with  attempting 
to  set  up  an  independent  government.    His 


THE   KORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


39 


plans  were  frustrated  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment, his  property  confiscated  and  he 
was  compelled  to  flee  the  country  for  safety. 
In  January,  1807,  Governor  Hull,  of 
Michigan  Territory,  made  a  treaty  with 
the  Indians,  whereby  all  that  peninsula 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States.  Before 
the  close  of  the  year,  a  stockade  was  built 
about  Detroit.  It  was  also  during  this  year 
that  Indiana  and  Illinois  endeavored  to 
obtain  the  repeal  of  that  section  of  the 
compact  of  ITS",  whereby  slavery  was  ex- 
cluded from  the  Northwest  Territory. 
These  attempts,  however,  all  signally  failed. 
In  1809  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  di- 
vide the  Indiana  Territory.  This  was  done, 
and  the  Territory  of  Illinois  was  formed 
from  the  western  part,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment being  fixed  at  Kaskasia.  The  next 
year,  the  intentions  of  Tecumseh  mani- 
fested themselves  in  open  hostilities,  and 
then  began  tlie  events  already  narrated. 

While  this  war  was  in  progress,  emigra- 
tion to  the  West  went  on  with  surprising 
rapidity.  In  1811,  under  Mr.  Eooseveltof 
New  York,  the  first  steamboat  trip  jwas 
made  on  the  Ohio,  much  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  natives,  many  of  whom  fled  in 
terror  at  the  appearance  of  the  "  monster." 
It  arrived  at  Louisville  on  the  tenth  day  of 
October.  At  the  close  of  the  first  week  of 
January,  1812,  it  arrived  at  Natchez,  after 
being  nearly  overwhelmed  in  the  great 
earthquake  which  occurred,  while  on  its 
downward  trip. 

The  battle  of  the  Thames  was  foujjht  on 
October  6th,  1813.  It  eS'ectually  closed  hos- 
tilities in  the  Northwest,  although  peace 
was  not  fully  restored  until  July  22d,  1814, 
when  a  treaty  was  formed  at  Greenville, 
under   the  direction   of  General  Harrison, 


between  the  United  States  and  the  Indian 
tribes,  in  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the 
Indians  shouM  cease  hostilities  against  the 
Americans  if  the  war  were  continued. 
Such,  happily,  was  not  the  case,  and  on  the 
24:th  of  December,  the  treaty  of  Ghent  was 
signed  by  the  representatives  of  England, 
and  the  United  States.  This  treaty  was 
followed  the  next  year  by  treaties  with  va- 
rious Indian  tribes  throughout  the  West 
and  Northwest,  and  quiet  was  again  re- 
stored in  this  part  of  the  new  world. 

On  the  iSth  of  March,  1810,  Pittsburgh 
was  incorporated  as  a  cit}'.  It  then  had  a 
population  of  S,Ot)0  peoi)le,  and  was  already 
noted  for  its  manufacturing  interests.  On 
April  19th,  Indiana  Territory  was  allowed  to 
form  a  State  government.  At  that  time 
there  were  thirteen  counties  organized,  con- 
taining about  sixty-three  thousand  inhabi- 
'tants.  The  first  election  of  State  officer? 
was  held  in  August,  when  Jonathan  Jenn- 
insrs  was  chosen  Governor.  The  officers  were 
sworn  in  on  November  7th,  and  on  Decem- 
ber 11th,  the  State  was  formally  admitted 
into  the  Union.  For  some  time  the  seat  of 
government  was  at  Corydon,  but  a  more 
central  location  being  desirable,  the  present 
capital,  Indianapolis  (City  of  Indiana),  wa» 
laid  out  January  1,  1825. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  the  Bank  of 
Illinois,  at  Shawneetown,  was  chartered, 
with  a  capital  of  $300,000.  At  this  period 
all  banks  were  under  the  control  of  the 
States,  and  were  allowed  to  establish 
branches  at  diflerent  convenient  ])oints. 

Until  this  time  Chillicothe  and  Cincin- 
nati had  in  turn  enjoyed  the  privileges  of 
being  the  ca]iital  of  Ohio.  But  the  rapid 
settlement  of  the  northern  and  eastern  por- 
tions of  the  State  demanded,  as  in  Indiana, 


40 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


a  more  central  location,  and  before  the  close 
of  the  year,  the  site  of  Columbus  was  se- 
lected and  surveyed  as  the  future  capital  of 
the  State.  Banking  had  begun  in  Ohio  as 
early  as  1S08,  when  the  first  bank  was 
chartered  at  Marietta,  but  here  as  elsewhere 
it  did  not  bring  to  the  State  the  ho|ied-for 
assistance.  It  and  other  banks  were  subse- 
qently  unable  to  redeem  their  currency, 
and  were  obliged  to  suspend. 

In  1818,  Illinois  was  made  a  State,  and  all 
the  territory  north  of  her  northern  limits 
was  erected  into  a  separate  territory  and 
joined  to  Michigan  for  judicial  purposes. 
By  the  following  year,  navigation  of  the 
lakes  was  increasing  with  great  rapidity 
and  affording  an  immense  source  of  revenue 
to  the  dwellers  in  the  Northwest,  but  it  was 
not  until  1826,  that  the  trade  was  extended 
to  Lake  Michigan,  or  that  steamships  began 
to  navigate  the  bosom  of  that  inland  sea. 

Until  the  year  1832,  the  commencement 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  but  few  liostilities 
were  experienced  with  the  Indians.  Roads 
were  opened,  canals  were  dug,  cities  were 
built,  common  schools  were  established, 
universities  were  founded,  many  of  which, 
especially  the  Michigan  University,  have 
achieved  a  world-wide  reputation.  The 
l)eople  were  becoming  wealthy.  The  do- 
mains of  the  United  States  had  been  ex- 
tended, and  had  the  sons  of  the  forest  been 
treated  with  honesty  and  justice,  the  record 
of  many  years  would  have  been  that  of 
peace  and  continuous  prosperity. 

BLACK    HAWK    AND    THE    BLACK     HAWK    'WAR. 

This  conflict,  though  confined  to  Illinois, 
is  an  important  epoch  in  the  Northwestern 
history,  being  the  last  war  with  the 
Indians  in  this  part  of  the  United  States. 


Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah,  or  Black 
Hawk,  was  born  in  the  principal  Sac  vil- 
lage, about  three  miles  from  the  junction 
of  Rock  River  with  the  Mississippi,  in  the 
year  1767.  His  father's  name  was  Py-e-sa 
or  Pahaes;  his  gi-andfather's,  Na-na-ma- 
kee,  or  tiie  Thunderer.  Blac'c  Hawk  early 
distinguished  himself  as  a  wari-ior,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  was  permitted  to  paint, 
and  was  ranked  among  the  braves.  About 
the  year  17S3,  he  went  on  an  expedition 
against  the  enemies  of  his  nation,  the 
Osages,  one  of  whom  he  killed  and  scalped, 
and  for  this  deed  of  Indian  bravery  he  was 
permitted  to  join  in  the  scalp  dance. 
Three  or  four  years  after,  he,  at  the  head  of 
two  hundred  braves,  went  on  another  expe- 
dition against  the  Osages,  to  avenge  the 
murder  of  some  women  and  cliildren 
belonging  to  his  own  tribe.  Meeting  an 
equal  number  of  Osage  warriors,  a  fierce 
battle  ensued,  in  which  the  latter  tribe  lost 
one-half  their  number.  The  Sacs  lost  only 
about  nineteen  warriors.  He  next  attacked 
the  Cherokees  for  a  similar  cause.  In  a 
severe  battle  with  them,  near  the  present 
City  of  St.  Louis,  his  father  was  slain,  and 
Black  Hawk,  taking  possession  of  the 
"  Medicine  Bag,"  at  once  announced  him- 
self chief  of  the  Sac  nation.  He  had  now 
conquered  the  Cherokees,  and  about  the 
year  1800,  at  the  liead  of  five  Inindred  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  and  a  hundred  lowas,  he  waged 
war  against  the  Osage  nation  and  subdued 
it.  For  two  years  he  battled  successfully 
with  other  Indian  tribes,  all  of  wliom  he 
conquered. 

Black  Hawk  does  not  at  any  time  seem 
to  have  been  friendly  to  the  Americans. 
When  on  a  visit  to  St.  Louis  to  see  his 
"  Spanish  Father,"  he  declined   to  see  any 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


41 


of  the  Americans,  alleging  as  a  reason,  lie 
did  not  want  two  fathers. 

The  treaty  at  St.  Louis  was  consummated 
in  1804.  The  next  year  the  United  States 
Government  erected  a  fort  near  the  head  of 
the  Des  Moines  Rapids,  called  Fort  Ed- 
wards. This  seemed  to  enrage  Black  Hawk, 
who  at  once  determined  to  capture  Fort 
Madison,  standing  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of  the  Des 
JMoines  Eiver.  The  fort  was  garrisoned  by 
ahout  fifty  men.  Here  lie  was  defeated. 
The  difficulties  with  the  British  Govern- 
ment arose  about  this  time,  and  the  War 
of  1812  followed.  That  government,  ex- 
tending aid  to  the  AVestern  Indians,  by 
giving  them  arms  and  ammunition,  in- 
duced them  to  remain  hostile  to  the  Amer- 
icans. In  August,  1S12,  Black  Hawk,  at 
the  head  of  about  five  hundred  braves, 
started  to  join  the  British  forces  at  Detroit, 
passing  on  his  way  the  site  of  Chicago, 
where  the  famous  Fort  Dearborn  Massacre 
liad  a  few  days  before  occurred.  Of  his  con- 
nection with  the  British  Government  but 
little  is  known.  In  1813,  he  with  his  little 
band  descended  the  Mississippi,  and  attack- 
ing some  United  States  troops  at  Fort 
Howard,  was  defeated. 

In  the  early  part  of  1815,  the  Indian 
tribes  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  notified 
that  peace  had  been  declared  between  the 
United  States  and  England,  and  nearly  all 
hostilities  had  ceased.  Black  Hawk  did 
not  sign  any  treaty,  however,  until  May  of 
the  following  year.  He  then  recognized 
the  validity  of  the  treaty  at  St.  Louis  in 
1804.  From  the  time  of  signing  this  treaty 
in  1816,  until  the  1  reaking  out  of  the  war 
in  1832,  he  and  his  band  passed  their  time 
in  the  common  pursuits  of  Indian  life. 


Ten  years  before  the  commencement  of 
this  war,  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  were 
urged  to  join  the  lowas  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Father  of  Waters.  All  were  agreed, 
save  the  band  known  as  the  British  Band, 
of  which  Black  Hawk  was  leader.  He 
strenuously  objected  to  the  removal,  and 
was  induced  to  comply  only  after  being 
threatened  with  the  power  of  the  Govern- 
ment. This  and  various  actions  on  the 
part  of  the  white  settlers  provoked  Black 
Hawk  and  his  band  to  attempt  the  cap- 
ture of  his  native  village  now  occupied  by 
the  whites.  The  war  followed.  He  and 
his  actions  were  undoubtedly  misunder- 
stood, and  had  his  wishes  been  acquiesced 
in  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle,  much 
bloodshed  would  have  been  prevented. 

Black  Hawk  was  chief  now  of  the  Sac 
and  Fox  nations,  and  a  noted  warrior.  He 
and  his  tribe  inhabited  a  village  on  Rock 
River,  nearly  three  miles  above  its  conflu- 
ence with  the  Mississippi,  where  the  tribe 
had  lived  many  generations.  When  that 
portion  of  Illinois  was  reserved  to  them, 
they  remained  in  peaceable  possession  of 
their  reservation,  spending  their  time  in  the 
eni'oyment  of  Indian  life.  Tlie  tine  situa- 
tion of  their  village  and  the  quality  of  their 
lands  incited  the  more  lawless  white  set- 
tlers, who  from  time  to  time  began  to 
encroach  upon  the  red  men's  domain. 
From  one  pretext  to  another,  and  from  one 
step  to  another,  the  crafty  white  men 
gained  a  foothold,  until  through  whisky 
and  artifice  they  obtained  deeds  from  many 
of  the  Indians  for  their  possessions.  The 
Indians  were  finally  induced  to  cross  over 
the  Father  of  Waters  and  locate  among 
the  lowas.  Black  Hawk  was  strenuously 
opposed  to  all  this,  but  as  the  authorities 


42 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


of  Illinois  and  the  United  States  tlionght 
this  the  best  move,  he  was  forced  to  comply. 
Moreover  other  tribes  joined  the  whites 
and  ui'ged  the  removal.  Black  Hawk 
would  not  agree  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
made  with  his  nation  for  their  lands,  and 
as  soon  as  the  military,  called  to  enforce 
his  removal,  had  retired,  he  returned  to 
the  Illinois  side  of  the  river.  A  large  force 
was  at  once  raised  and  marched  against 
him.  On  the  evening  of  May  14,  1832, 
the  first  engagement  occurred  between  a 
band  from  this  army  and  Black  Hawk's 
biuid,  in  which  the  former  were  defeated. 

This  attack  and  its  result  aroused  the 
whites.  A  large  force  of  men  was  raised, 
and  Gen.  Scott  hastened  from  the  seaboard, 
by  way  of  the  lakes,  with  United  States 
troops  and  artillery  to  aid  in  the  subjuga- 
tion of  the  Indians.  On  the  24th  of  June, 
Black  Hawk,  with  200  warriors,  was  re- 
pulsed by  Major  Dcniont  between  Kock 
River  and  Galena.  The  American  army 
continued  to  move  up  Rock  River  toward 
tlie  main  body  of  the  Indians,  and  on  the 
21st  of  July  came  upon  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band,  and  defeated  them  near  the  Blue 
Mounds. 

Before  this  action.  Gen,  Henry,  in  com- 
mand, sent  word  to  the  main  army  by 
whom  he  was  immediately  rejoined,  and 
the  whole  crossed  the  Wisconsin  in  pursuit 
of  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  who  were 
fleeing  to  the  Mississippi.  They  were 
overtaken  on  the  2d  of  August,  and  in  the 
battle  which  followed  the  power  of  the 
Indian  chief  was  completeh'  broken.  He 
fled,  but  was  seized  by  the  Winnebagoes 
and  delivered  to  the  whites. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1832,  Gen. 
Scott  and  Gov.  Reynolds  concluded  a  treaty 


with  the  Winnebagoes,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  by 
which  they  ceded  to  the  United  States  a 
vast  tract  of  country,  and  agreed  to  remain 
peaceable  with  the  whites.  For  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  the  provisions  of  this 
treaty  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  it  was 
stipulated  that  Black  Hawk,  his  two  sons, 
the  prophet  Wabokieshiek,  and  six  other 
chiefs  of  the  hostile  bands  should  be  re- 
tained as  hostages  during  the  pleasure  of 
the  President.  They  were  confined  at  Fort 
Barracks  and  put  in  irons. 

The  next  spring,  by  order  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  they  were  taken  to  Washing- 
ton. From  there  they  were  removed  to 
Fortress  Monroe,  "  there  to  remain  until 
the  conduct  of  their  nation  was  such  as  to 
justify  their  being  set  at  liberty."  They 
were  retained  here  until  the  4th  of  June, 
when  the  authorities  directed  them  to  be 
taken  to  the  principal  cities  so  that  they 
might  see  the  folly  of  contending  against 
the  white  people.  Everywhere  they  were 
observed  by  thousands,  the  name  of  the 
old  chief  being  extensively  known.  By  the 
middle  of  August  they  reached  Fort  Arm- 
strong on  Rock  Island,  where  Black  Hawk 
was  soon  after  released  to  go  to  his  country- 
men. As  he  passed  the  site  of  his  birth- 
place, now  the  home  of  the  white  man,  he 
was  deeply  moved.  His  village  where  he 
M-as  born,  where  he  had  so  happily  lived, 
and  where  he  had  hoped  to  die,  was  now 
another's  dwelling  place,  and  he  was  a 
wanderer. 

On  the  next  day  after  his  release,  he 
went  at  once  to  his  tribe  and  his  lodge. 
His  wife  was  yet  living,  and  with  her  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  To  his 
credit  it  may  be  said  that  Black  Hawk 
always    remained    true    to   his    wife,    and 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


43 


served  her  with  a  devotion  uncommon 
among  the  Indians,  living  with  her  upward 
of  forty  years. 

Black  Hawk  now  passed  his  time  hunt- 
ing and  fishing.  A  deep  melancholy  hail 
settled  over  him  from  which  he  could  not 
be  freed.  At  all  times  when  he  visited  the 
whites  he  was  received  with  marked  atten- 
tion. He  was  an  honored  guest  at  the  old 
settlers'  reunion  in  Lee  County,  Illinois,  at 
some  of  their  meetings,  and  received  many 
tokens  of  esteem.  In  September,  18 3S, 
while  on  iiis  way  to  Rock  Island  to  receive 
his  annuity  from  the  Government,  he  con- 
tracted a  severe  cold  which  resulted  in  a 
fatal  attack  of  bilious  fever  which  termina- 
ted his  life  on  October  3d.  His  faithful 
wife,  who  was  devotedly  attached  to  him, 
mourned  deeply  during  his  sickness. 
After  his  death  he  was  dressed  in  the  uni- 
form presented  to  him  by  the  President 
while  in  Washington.  He  was  buried  in 
a  grave  six  feet  in  depth,  situated  upon  a 
beautiful  eminence.  "  The  body  was  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  grave,  in  a  sitting 
posture,  upon  a  seat  constructed  for  the 
purpose.  On  his  left  side,  the  cane,  given 
him  by  Henry  Clay,  was  placed  upright, 
with  his  right  hand  resting  upon  it.  Many 
of  the  old  warrior's  trophies  were  placed  in 
the  grave,  and  some  Indian  garments,  to- 
gether with  his  favorite  weapons. 

No  sooner  was  the  Black  Hawk  war  con- 
cluded than  settlers  began  rapidly  to 
pour  into  the  northern  parts  of  Illinois,  and 
into  Wisconsin,  now  free  from  Indian 
depredations.  Chicago,  from  a  trading 
post,  had  grown  to  a  commercial  center, 
and  was  rapidly  coming  into  prominence. 
In  1835,  the  formation  of  a  State  Govern- 
ment in   Michigan  was  discussed,  but  did 


not  take  acti ve  form  until  two  years  later, 
when  the  State  became  a  part  of  the  Federal 
Union. 

The  main  attraction  to  that  portion  of 
the  Northwest  lying  west  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, now  included  in  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin, was  its  alluvial  wealth.  Copper  ore 
was  found  about  Lake  Superior.  For  some 
time  this  region  was  attached  to  Michigan 
for  judiciary  purposes,  but  in  1836  was 
made  a  Territory,  then  including  Minnesota 
and  Iowa.  The  latter  State  was  detaihed 
two  years  later.  In  1848,  Wisconsin  was 
admitted  as  a  State,  Madison  being  made 
the  capital.  We  have  now  traced  the  vari- 
ous divisions  of  the  Northwest  Territory 
(save  a  little  in  Minnesota)  from  the  time 
it  was  a  unit  comprising  this  vast  territory, 
until  circumstances  compelled  its  present 
division. 

OTHEE    INDIAN   TROUBLES. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  narrative, 
we  will  narrate  briefly  the  Indian  troubles 
in  Minnesota  and  elsewhere  by  the  Sioux 
Indians. 

In  August,  1862,  the  Sioux  Indians  liv- 
ing on  the  western  borders  of  Minnesota 
fell  upon  the  unsuspecting  settlers,  and  in 
a  few  hours  massacred  ten  or  twelve  hun- 
dred persons.  A  distressful  panic  was 
the  immediate  result,  full}'  thirty  thou- 
sand persons  fleeing  from  their  homes  to 
districts  supposed  to  be  better  protected. 
The  military  authorities  at  once  took  active 
measures  to  punisli  the  savages,  and  a  large 
number  were  killed  and  captured.  About 
a  year  after.  Little  Crow,  the  chief,  was 
killed  by  a  Mr.  Lampson  near  Scattered 
Lake.  Of  those  captured  thirty  were  hung 
at  Mankato,  and  the   remainder,  through 


44 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


fears  of  inob  violence,  were  removed  to 
Camp  McClellan,  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
City  of  Davenport.  It  was  here  that  Big 
Eaijle  came  into  prominence  and  secured 
his  release  by  the  following  order: 

" Special  Order,  No.  430.      "War Department, 
"Adjutant  Gener.^l's  Office, 

"  WAsniNGTON,  Deo.  3,  1864. 
"  Big-  Eagle,   an  Indian  now  in   confinement   at 
Davenport,  Iowa,  will,  upon  the  receipt  of  this  order, 
be  immediately  released  from  confinement  and  set  at 
liberty. 

"  By  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
"  Official:  "  E.  D.  Townsend, 

Ass't  Adj't  Gen. 
"  Capt.  James  Vanderventer, 

Coin'i/  Sub.  Vols. 
"Through  Com'g  Gen'l,  Washington,  D.  C." 

Another  Indian  who  figures  more  promi- 
nently than  Big  Eagle,  and  wiio  was  more 
cowardly  in  his  nature,  with  his  band  of 
Modoc  Indians,  is  noted  in  the  annals  of 
the  New  T^orthwest:  we  refer  to  Captain 
Jack.  This  distinguished  Indian,  noted  for 
his  cowardly  murder  of  Gen.  Canby,  was  a 
cliief  of  a  Modoc  tribe  of  Indians  inhabiting 
the  border  lands  between  California  and 
Oregon.  This  region  of  country  comprises 
what  is  known  as  the  "  Lava  Beds,"  a  tract 
of  land  described  as  utterly  impenetrable, 
save  by  those  savages  who  had  made  it 
their  home. 

The  Modocs  are  known  as  an  exceedingly 
f  erce  and  treacherous  race.  Tliey  had,  ac- 
cording to  their  own  traditions,  resided 
here  for  many  generations,  and  at  one  time 
were  exceedingly  numerous  and  powerful. 
A  famine  carried  off  nearly  half  their  num- 
bers, and  disease,  indolence  and  the  vices 
of  the  white  man  have  reduced  them  to  a 
poor,  weak  and  insignificant  tribe. 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  California 
and  Oregon,  complaints  began  to  be  heard 


of  massacres  of  emigrant  trains  passing 
through  the  Modoc  country'.  In  ISiT,  an 
emigrant  train,  comprising  eighteen  souls, 
was  entirely  destroyed  at  a  place  since 
known  as  "  Bloody  Point."  These  occur- 
rences caused  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment to  appoint  a  peace  commission,  who, 
after  repeated  attempts,  in  1864,  made  a 
treaty  with  the  Modocs,  Snakes  and  Kla- 
maths,  in  which  it  was  agreed  on  their  part 
to  remove  to  a  reservation  set  apart  for 
them  in  the  southern  part  of  Oregon. 

With  the  exception  of  Captain  Jack  and 
a  band  of  his  followers,  who  remained  at 
Clear  Lake,  about  six  miles  from  Klamath, 
all  the  Indians  complied.  The  Modocs 
who  went  to  the  reservation  were  under 
chief  Schonchin.  Captain  Jack  remained 
at  the  lake  without  disturbance  until  1S69, 
when  he  was  also  induced  to  remove  to  the 
reservation.  The  Modocs  and  the  Klamaths 
soon  became  involved  in  a  quarrel,  and 
Captain  Jack  and  his  band  returned  to  the 
Lava  Beds. 

Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  In- 
dian Commissioners  to  induce  them  to  re- 
turn to  the  reservation,  and  finally  becom- 
ing involved  in  a  difiicultj'  with  the  com- 
missioner and  his  tnilitary  escort,  a  fight 
ensued,  in  which  the  chief  and  his  band 
were  routed.  They  were  greatly  enraged 
and  on  their  retreat,  before  the  day  closed, 
killed  eleven  inofiTensive  whites. 

The  nation  was  aroused  and  immediate 
action  demanded.  A  commission  was  at 
once  appointed  by  the  Government  to  see 
what  could  be  done.  It  comprised  the  fol- 
lowing persons:  Gen.  E.  K.  S.  Canby, 
Rev.  Dr.  E.  Thomas,  a  leading  Methodist 
divine  of  California;  Mr.  A.  B.  Meachain, 
Judge  Rosborough,  of  California,  and  a  Mr. 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


45 


Dyer,  of  Oregon.  After  several  interviews, 
in  which  the  savages  were  always  aggres- 
sive, often  appearing  with  scalps  in  their 
belts,  Bogus  Charley  came  to  the  commis- 
sion on  the  evening  of  April  10,  1873,  and 
informed  them  that  Capt.  Jack  and  his 
band  would  have  a  "  talk  "  to-morrow  at  a 
place  near  Clear  Lake,  about  three  miles 
distant.  Here  the  Commissioners,  accom- 
panied by  Charley,  Riddle,  the  interpreter, 
and  Boston  Charley,  repaired.  After  the 
usual  greeting  the  council  proceedings  com- 
menced. On  behalf  of  the  Indians  there 
were  present:  Capt.  Jack,  Black  Jim,  Schac 
Nasty  Jim,  Ellen's  Man,  and  Hooker  Jim. 
They  had  no  guns,  but  carried  pistols. 
After  short  speeches  by  Mr.  Meacham,  Gen. 
Canby  and  Dr.  Thomas,  Chief  Schonchin 
arose  to  speak.  He  had  scarcely  proceeded 
when,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  arrangement, 
Capt.  Jack  drew  his  pistol  and  shot  Gen. 
Canby  dead.  In  less  than  a  minute  a  dozen 
shots  were  fired  by  the  savages,  and  the 
massacre  completed.  Mr.  Meacham  was 
shot  by  Schonchin,  and  Dr.  Thomas  by 
Boston  Charley.  Mr.  Dyer  barely  escaped, 
being  fired  at  twice.  Riddle,  the  interpre- 
ter, and  his  squaw  escaped.  The  troops 
rushed  to  the  spot  where  they  found  Gen. 
Canby  and  Dr.  Thomas  dead,  and  Mr. 
Meacham  badly  wounded.  The  savages 
had  escaped  to  their  impenetrable  fastnesses 
and  could  not  be  pursued. 

The  whole  country  was  aroused  by  this 
brutal  massacre;  but  it  was  not  until  the 
following  May  that  the  murderers  were 
brought  to  justice.  At  that  time  Boston 
Charley  gave  himself  up,  and  oft'ered  to 
guide  the  troops  to  Capt.  Jack's  stronghold. 
This  led  to  the  capture  of  his  entire  gang, 
a  number  of  whom  were  murdered  by  Ore- 


gon volunteers  while  on  their  way  to  trial. 
The  remaining  Indians  were  held  as  pris- 
oners until  July,  when  their  trial  occurred, 
which  led  to  the  conviction  of  Capt.  Jack, 
Schonchin,  Boston  Charley,  Hooker  Jim, 
Broncho,  alias  One- Eyed  Jim,  and  Slotuck, 
who  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  These 
sentences  were  approved  by  the  President, 
save  in  the  case  of  Slotuck  and  Broncho 
whose  sentences  were  commuted  to  impris- 
onment for  life.  The  others  were  executed 
at  Fort  Klamath,  October  3,  1873. 

These  closed  the  Indian  troubles  for  a 
time  in  the  Northwest,  and  for  several  years 
the  borders  of  civilization  remained  in  peace. 
Thej'  were  again  involved  in  a  conflict  with 
the  savages  about  the  country  of  the  Black 
Hills,  in  which  war  the  gallant  Gen.  Custer 
lost  his  life.  Just  now  the  borders  of  Ore- 
gon and  California  are  again  in  fear  of  hos- 
tilities; but  as  the  Government  has  learned 
how  to  deal  with  the  Indians,  they  will  be 
of  short  duration.  The  red  man  is  fast 
passing  away  before  the  march  of  the  white 
man,  and  a  few  more  generations  will  read 
of  the  Indians  as  one  of  the  nations  of  the 
past. 

The  Northwest  abounds  in  memorable 
places.  We  have  generally  noticed  them 
in  the  narrative,  but  our  space  forbids 
their  description  in  detail,  save  of  the  most 
important  places.  Detroit,  Cincinnati, 
Vincennes,  Kaskaskia  and  their  kindred 
towns  have  all  been  described.  But  ere 
we  leave  the  narrative  we  will  present  our 
readers  with  an  account  of  the  Kinzie 
house,  the  old  landmark  of  Chicago,  and 
the  discovery  of  the  source  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  each  of  which  may  well  find  a 
place  in  the  annals   of  the   Northwest. 

Mr.  John  Kinzie,  of  the    Kinzie  house, 


4(' 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


established  a  trading  house  at  Fort  Dear- 
born in  1804.  Tiie  stockade  had  been 
erected  the  year  previous,  and  named  Fort 
Dearborn  in  honor  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 
It  had  a  block  house  at  each  of  the  two 
angles,  on  the  southern  side  a  sallyport,  a 
covered  way  on  the  north  side,  that  led 
down  to  the  river,  for  the  double  purpose 
of  providing  means  of  escape,  and  of  pro- 
curing water  in  the  event  of  a  siege. 

Fort  Dearborn  stood  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Chicago  Eiver,  about  half  a  mile 
from  its  mouth.  Wiien  Major  Whistler 
built  it,  his  soldiers  hauled  all  the  timber, 
for  he  had  no  oxen,  and  so  economically 
did  he  work  that  tiie  fort  cost  the  Govern- 
ment only  fifty  dollars.  For  a  while  the 
garrison  could  get  no  grain,  and  Whistler 
and  his  men  subsisted  on  acorns.  Now 
Chicago  is  the  greatest  grain  center  in  the 
world. 

Mr.  Kinzie  bought  the  hut  of  the  first 
settler,  Jean  Baptiste  Point  au  Sable,  on 
the  site  of  whicli  he  erected  his  mansion. 
Within  an  inclosure  in  front  he  planted 
some  Lombardy  poplars,  and  in  the  rear  he 
soon  had  a  fine  garden  and  growing  orchard. 

In  1812  the  Kinzie  house  and  its  sur- 
roundings became  the  theater  of  stirring 
events.  The  garrison  of  Fort  Dearborn 
consisted  of  fifty-four  men,  under  the 
charge  of  Capt.  Nathan  Heald,  assisted  by 
Lieutenant  Lenai  T.  Helm  (son-in-law  to 
Mrs.  Kinzie),  and  ensign  Ronan.  The  sur- 
geon was  Dr.  Voorhees.  Tlie  only  resi- 
dents at  the  post  at  that  time  were  the 
wives  of  Capt.  Heald  and  Lieutenant  Helm 
and  a  few  of  the  soldiers,  Mr.  Kinzie  and 
his  family,  and  a  few  Canadian  voyageurs 
with  their  wives  and  children.  The  sol- 
diers and   Mr.  Kinzie   were  on    the    most 


friendly  terms  with  the  Pottawatoraies  and 
the  Winnebagoes,  the  principal  tribes 
around  them,  but  they  could  not  win  them 
from  their  attachment  to  the  British. 

After  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  it  was 
observed  that  some  of  the  leading  cliiefs 
became  sullen,  for  some  of  their  people 
had  perished  in  that  conflict  with  Ameri- 
can troops. 

One  evening  in  April  1812,  Mr.  Kinzie 
sat  playing  his  violin  and  his  children 
were  dancing  to  the  music,  when  Mrs. 
Kinzie  came  rushing  into  the  house  pale 
with  terror,  exclaiming,  "The  Indians!  the 
Indians!"  "What?'  Where?"  eagerly 
inquired  Mr.  Kinzie.  "Up  at  Lee's,  kill- 
ing and  scalping,"  answered  the  frightened 
mother,  who,  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
was  attending  Mrs.  Burns,  a  newly-made 
mother,  living  not  far  ofl".  Mr.  Kinzie 
and  his  family  crossed  the  river  in  boats, 
and  took  refuge  in  the  fort,  to  which  place 
Mrs.  Burns  and  her  infant,  not  a  day  old, 
were  conveyed  in  safety  to  the  shelter  of 
the  guns  of  Fort  Dearborn,  and  tiie  rest  of 
the  white  inhabitants  fled.  The  Indians  were 
a  scalping  party  of  Winnebagoes,  who  hov- 
ered around  the  fort  some  days,  when  they 
disappeared,  and  for  several  weeks  the  in- 
habitants were  not  disturbed  by  alarms. 

Chicago  was  then  so  deep  in  the  wilder- 
ness, that  the  news  of  the  declaration  of 
war  against  Great  Britain,  made  on  the 
19th  of  June,  1812,  did  not  reach  the  com- 
mander of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Dearborn 
till  the  7th  of  August.  Now  the  last  mail 
train  will  carry  a  man  from  New  York  to 
Chicago  in  twenty-seven  hours,  and  huch  a 
declaration  might  be  sent,  every  word,  by 
the  telegraph  in  less  than  the  same  number 
of  minutes. 


THE  XOKXHWEST  TEURITORY. 


47 


PEESENT  CONDITION   OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 

Preceding  chapters  have  brought  us  to 
the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  we 
now  turn  to  the  contemplation  of  the  growth 
and  prosperity'  of  the  northwest  under  the 
smile  of  peace  and  the  blessings  of  our 
civilization.  The  pioneers  of  this  region 
date  events  back  to  the  deep  snow  of  1831, 
no  one  arriving  here  since  that  date  taking 
first  honors.  Tiie  inciting  cause  of  the 
immigration  which  overflowed  the  prairies 
early  in  the  '30s  was  the  reports  of  the 
marvelous  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  re- 
gion distributed  through  the  East  by  those 
who  had  participated  in  the  Black  Hawk 
campaign  with  Gen.  Scott.  Chicago  and 
Milwaukee  then  had  a  few  hundred  inhab- 
itants, and  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard's  trail  from 
the  former  city  to  Kaskaskia  led  almost 
through  a  wilderness.  Vegetables  and 
clothing  were  largely  distributed  through 
the  regions  adjoining  the  lakes  by  steam- 
ers from  the  Ohio  towns.  There  are  men 
now  living  in  Illinois  who  came  to  the 
State  when  barely  an  acre  was  in  cultiva- 
tion, and  a  man  now  prominent  in  tlie  bus- 
iness circles  of  Chicago  looked  over  the 
swampy,  cheerless  site  of  that  metropolis  in 
1818  and  went  southward  into  civilization. 
Emigrants  from  Pennsylvania  in  1830 
left  behind  them  but  one  small  railway  in 
the  coal  regions  thirty  miles  in  length, 
and  made  their  way  to  the  Northwest 
mostly  with  ox  teams,  finding  in  Northern 
Illinois  petty  settlements  scores  of  miles 
apart,  although  the  southern  portion  of 
the  state  was  fairly  dotted  with  farms.  The 
water  courses  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  fur- 
nished transportation  to  the  second  great 
army  of  immigrants,  and  about  1850  rail- 
roads   were   pushed  to  that  extent  that  the 


crisis  of  1837  was  precipitated  upon  us,  from 
the  efiects  of  which  the  Western  country 
had  not  fully  recovered  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war.  Hostilities  found  the  colonists 
of  the  prairies  fully  alive  to  the  demands 
of  tlie  occasion,  and  the  honor  of  recruit- 
ing the  vast  armies  of  the  Union  fell  largely 
to  Gov.  Yates,  of  Illinois,  and  Gov.  i\Ior- 
ton,  of  Indiana.  To  recount  the  share  of 
the  glories  of  the  campaign  won  by  our 
Western  troops  is  a  needless  task,  e.xcept 
to  mention  the  fact  that  Illinois  gave  to 
the  nation  the  President  who  saved  it,  and 
sent  out  at  the  head  of  one  of  its  resfimeuts 
the  general  who  led  its  armies  to  the  final 
victory  at  Appomattox.  Tiie  struggle,  on 
the  whole,  had  a  marked  effect  for  the  bet- 
ter on  the  new  Northwest,  jjivino;  it  an  im- 
petns  which  twenty  years  of  peace  would 
not  have  produced.  In  a  large  degree  this 
prosperity  was  an  inflated  one,  aud  with 
the  rest  of  the  Union  we  have  since  been 
compelled  to  atone  therefor.  Agriculture, 
still  the  leading  feature  in  our  industries, 
has  been  quite  prosperous  through  all  these 
years,  and  the  farmers  have  cleared  away 
many  incumbrances  resting  over  them  from 
the  period  of  fictitious  values.  The  pop- 
ulation has  steadily  increased,  the  arts  and 
sciences  are  gaining  a  stronger  foothold, 
tiie  trade  area  of  the  rej^iou  is  becoming 
daily  more  extended,  and  we  have  been 
largely  e.xerapt  from  the  financial  calam- 
ities. 

At  the  present  period  there  are  no  great 
schemes  broached  for  the  Northwest,  no 
propositions  for  government  subsidies  or 
national  works  of  improvement,  but  the 
capital  of  the  world  is  attracted  hither  for 
the  purchase  of  our  products  or  the  expan- 
sion of  our  capacity  for  serving  the  nation 


48 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


at  large.  A  new  era  i8  dawning  as  to 
transportation,  and  we  bid  fair  to  deal  al- 
most exclusively  with  the  increasing  and 
expanding  lines  of  steel  rail  running 
through  every  few  miles  of  territory  on  the 
prairies.  The  lake  marine  will  no  doubt 
continue  to  be  useful  in  the  warmer  season, 
and  to  serve  as  a  regulator  of  freight  rates; 
but  experienced  navigators  forecast  tlie 
decay  of  the  system  in  moving  to  the  sea- 
board the  enormous  crops  of  the  "West. 
Within  the  past  few  years  it  has  become 
quite  common  to  see  direct  shipments  to 
Europe  and  the, "West  Indies  going  through 
from  the  second-class  towns  along  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri. 

As  to  popular  education,  the  standard 
has  of  late  risen  very  greatly,  and  our 
schools  would  be  creditable  to  any  section 
of  the  Union. 

More  and  more  as  the  events  of  the  war 
pass  into  obscuritj'  will  the  fate  of  the 
Northwest  be  linked  with  that  of  the 
Southwest. 

Our  public  men  continue  to  wield  the 
full  share  of  influence  pertaining  to  their 
rank  in  the  national  autonomy,  and  seem 
not  to  forget  that  for  the  past  sixteen  years 
they  and  tlieir  constituents  have  dictated 
the  principles  which  should  govern  tlie 
country. 

In  a  work  like  this,  destined  to  lie  on 
the  shelves  of  the  library  for  generations, 
and  not  doomed  to  daily  destruction  like  a 
newspaper,  one  can  not  indulge  in  the 
same  glowing  predictions,  the  sanguine 
statements  of  actualities  that  till  the  col- 
vimns  of  ephemeral  publications.  Time 
may  bring  grief  to  the  pet  projects  of  a 
writer,  and  explode  castles  erected  on  a 
pedestal  of  facts.     Yet  there  are  unmistaka- 


ble indications  before  us  of  the  same  radical 
change  in  our  great  Northwest  which  char- 
acterizes its  history  for  the  past  thirty 
years.  Our  domain  has  a  sort  of  natural 
geographical  border,  save  where  it  melts 
away  to  the  soutiiward  in  the  cattle  raising 
districts  of  the  Southwest. 

Our  prime  interest  will  for  some  years 
doubtless  be  the  growth  of  the  food  of  the 
world,  in  which  branch  it  has  already  out- 
stripped all  competitors,  and  our  great  rival 
in  tliis  duty  will  naturally  be  tlie  fertile 
plains  of  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Colorado, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  new  enipire  so  rapid- 
ly growing  up  in  Texas.  Over  these  regions 
there  is  a  continued  progress  in  agriculture 
and  in  railway  building,  and  we  must  look 
to  our  laurels.  Intelligent  observers  of 
events  are  fully  aware  of  the  strides 
made  in  the  way  of  shipments  of  fresh 
meats  to  Europe,  many  of  these  ocean  car- 
o-oes  being  actually  slaughtered  in  the  West 
and  transported  on  ice  to  the  wharves  of  the 
seaboard  cities.  That  this  new  enterprise 
will  continue  tliere  is  no  reason  to  doubt. 
There  are  in  Chicago  several  factories  for 
the  canning  of  prepared  meats  for  European 
consumption,  and  the  orders  for  this  class 
of  goods  are  already  immense.  English 
capital  is  becoming  daily  more  and  more 
and  more  dissatisfied  with  railway  loans 
and  investments,  and  is  gradually  seeking 
mammoth  outlays  in  lands  and  live  stock. 
The  stock  yards  in  Chicago,  Indianapolis 
and  East  St.  Louis  are  yearly  increasing 
their  facilities,  and  their  plant  steadily 
o-rows  more  valuable.  Importations  of 
blooded  animals  from  the  progressive  coun- 
tries of  Europe  are  destined  to  greatly  im- 
prove the  quality  of  our  beef  and  mutton. 
Nowhere  is  there  to  be  seen  a  more  enticing 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


49 


display  in  this  line  than  at  our  state  and 
county  fairs,  and  the  interest  in  the  matter 
is  on  the  increase. 

To  attempt  to  give  statistics  of  our  grain 
production  would  be  useless,  so  far  have  we 
surpassed  ourselves  in  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  our  product.  We  are  too  liable 
to  forget  that  we  are  giving  tlie  world  its 
first  article  of  necessity — its  food  supply. 
An  opportunity  to  learn  this  fact  so  it  nev- 
er can  be  forgotten  was  afforded  at  Chicago 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  great  panic  of  1873, 
when  Canadian  purchasers,  fearing  the  pros- 
tration of  business  miijht  bring:  about  an 
anarchical  condition  of  affairs,  went  to  that 
city  with  coin  in  bulk  and  foreign  drafts  to 
secure  their  supplies  in  their  own  currency 
at  first  hands.  It  may  be  justly  claimed  by 
the  agricultural  community  that  their  com- 
bined etforts  gave  the  nation  its  first  impe- 
tus toward  a  restoration  of  its  crippled 
industries,  and  their  labor  brought  the  gold 
premium  to  a  lower  depth  than  the  govern- 
ment was  able  to  reacii  by  its  most  intense 
etforts  of  legislation  and  compulsion.  The 
hundreds  of  millions  about  to  be  disbursed 
for  farm  products  have  already,  by  the  an- 
ticipation common  to  all  commercial  nations, 
set  the  wheels  in  motion,  and  will  relieve 
us  from  the  perils  so  long  shadowing  our 
cfi'orts  to  return  to  a  health}'  tone. 

Manufacturing  has  attained  in  the  chief 
cities  a  foothold  which  bids  fair  to  render 
tliu  Northwest  independent  of  the  outside 
world.  Nearly  our  whole  region  has  a  dis- 
tribution of  coal  measures  which  will  in 
time  support  the  manufactures  necessary  to 
our  comfort  and  prosperity.  As  to  trans- 
portation, the  chief  factor  in  the  production 
of  all  articles  except  food,  no  section  is  so 
magnificently  endowed,  and.  our  facilities 


are  yearly  increasing  beyond  tiiosc  ot  any 
other  region. 

The  ]ieriod  from  a  central  point  of  the 
war  to  the  outbreak  of  the  panic  was 
marked  by  a  tremendous  growth  in  oui- 
railway  lines,  but  the  depression  of  the 
times  caused  almost  a  total  suspension  of 
ojierations.  Now  that  prosperity  is  return- 
ing to  our  stricken  country  we  witness  its 
anticipation  by  the  railroad  interest  in  a 
series  of  projects,  extensions,  and  leases 
which  bid  fair  to  largely  increase  our 
transportation  facilities.  The  ])rocess  of 
foreclosure  and  sale  of  incumbered  lines  is 
another  matter  to  be  considered.  In  the 
case  of  the  Illinois  Central  road,  which 
formerly  transferred  to  other  lines  at  Cairo 
the  vast  burden  of  freight  destined  for  the 
Gulf  region,  we  now  see  the  incorjioration 
of  the  tracts  connecting  through  to  New 
Orleans,  every  mile  co-ojaerating  in  turninn- 
toward  the  northwestern  metropolis  the 
weight  of  the  interstate  commerce  of  a 
thousand  miles  or  more  of  fertile  planta- 
tions. Three  competing  routes  to  Texas 
have  established  in  Chicago  their  genera! 
freight  and  passenger  agencies.  Four  or 
five  lines  compete  for  all  Pacific  freights 
to  a  point  as  iar  as  the  interior  of  Nebraska. 
Half  a  dozen  or  more  splendid  bridge 
structures  have  been  thrown  across  the 
Missouri  and  Mississippi  Rivers  by  the 
railways.  The  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
line  has  become  an  aggregation  of  over 
two  thousand  miles  of  rail,  and  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  is  its  close  rival  in 
extent  and  importance.  The  three  lines 
running  to  Cairo  via  Vincennes  form  a 
through  route  for  all  traffic  with  the  States 
to  the  southward.  The  trunk  lines  being 
nuiinly  in  operation,  the  progress  made  in 


50 


THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY. 


the  way  of  shortening  tracks,  making  air- 
line branches,  and  running  extensions  does 
not  show  to  the  advantage  it  deserves,  as 
this  process  is  constantly  adding  new  facili- 
ties to  the  established  order  of  things.  The 
panic  reduced  the  price  of  steel  to  a  point 
where  the  railways  could  hardly  afford  to 
use  iron  rails,  and  all  our  northwestern 
lines  report  large  relays  of  Bessemer  track. 
The  immense  crops  now  being  moved  have 
given  a  great  rise  to  the  value  of  railway 
stocks,  and  their  transportation  must  result 
in  heavy  pecuniary  advantages. 

Few  are  aware  of  the  importance  of  the 
wholesale  and  jobbing  trade  of  Chicago. 
In  boots  and  shoes  and  in  clothing,  twenty 
or  more  great  firms  from  the  East  have 
placed  here  their  distributing  agents  or 
their  factories  ;  and  in  groceries  Chicago 
supplies    the    entire   Northwest   at    rates 


presenting    advantages    over    New    York. 

Chicago  has  stepped  in  between  New 
York  and  the  rural  brinks  as  a  financial 
center,  and  scarcely  a  banking  institution 
in  the  grain  or  cattle  regions  but  keeps  its 
reserve  funds  in  the  vaults  of  our  com- 
mercial institutions.  Accumulating  here 
throughout  the  spring  and  summer  months, 
they  are  summoned  home  at  pleasure  to 
move  the  products  of  the  prairies.  This 
process  greatly  strengthens  the  northwest 
in  its  financial  operations,  leaving  home 
capital  to  supplement  local  operations  on 
behalf  of  home  interests. 

It  is  impossible  to  forecast  the  destiny 
of  this  grand  and  growing  section  of  the 
Union.  Figures  and  predictions  made  at 
this  date  might  seem  ten  years  hence  so 
ludicrously  small  as  to  excite  only  derision. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


The  name  of  this  beantiful  Prairie  State 
is  derived  Iruni  Illini,  a  Delaware  word 
signilyiiig  Superior  Men.  It  has  a  French 
termination,  and  is  a  symbol  of  how  the 
two  races — the  French  and  the  Indians — 
were  intermixed  during  tlie  early  history 
of  the  country. 

The  appellation  was  no  doubt  well  ap- 
jilied  to  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the 
t-oil  whose  prowess  in  savage  warfare  long 
withstood  the  combined  attacks  of  the 
fierce  Iroquois  on  the  one  side,  and  the  no 
less  savage  and  relentless  Sacs  and  Foxes 
on  the  other.  The  Illinois  were  once  a 
powerful  confederacy,  occupying  the  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  region  in  the  trreat 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  which  their  en- 
emies coveted,  and  struggled  long  and 
hard  to  wrest  from  them.  Ey  the  fortunes 
of  war,  they  were  diminished  in  numbers, 
and  finally  destroyed.  "  Starved  Eock," 
on  the  Illinois  Hiver,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, commemorates  their  last  tragedy, 
where,  it  is  said,  the  entire  tribe  starved 
rather  than  surrennei-. 

EARLT  DISCOVEKIES. 

The  first  European  discoveries  in  Illi- 
nois date  back  over  two  hundred  years. 
They  are  a  part  of  that  movement  which, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  brought  the  French 


Canadian  missionaries  and  fur  traders  into 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  whicli 
at  a  later  period  establislied  the  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  authority  of  France,  from  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexi- 
co, and  from  the  foot-hills  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  great  river  of  the  West  liad  been 
discovered  by  i)e  Soto,  the  Spanish  con- 
queror of  Florida,  three  quarters  of  a  cent- 
ury before  the  French  founded  Quebec  in 
16(18,  but  the  Spanish  left  the  country  a 
wilderness,  without  further  exploration  or 
settlement  within  its  borders,  in  which  con- 
dition it  remained  until  the  Mississip])i 
was  discovered  by  the  agents  of  the  French 
Canadian  government,  Joliet  and  Mar- 
quette, in  1(J73.  These  renowned  explor- 
ers were  not  the  first  white  visitors  to  Illi- 
nois In  1(371 — two  years  in  advance  of 
them — came  Nicholas  Perrot  to  Chicago. 
lie  had  been  sent  by  Talon  as  an  agent  of 
tiie  Canadian  government  to  call  a  great 
peace  convention  of  Western  Indians  at 
Green  Pay,  ])reparatory  to  the  movement 
for  the  discover}'  of  the  Mississippi.  It 
was  deemed  a  good  stroke  of  policy  to  se- 
cure, as  far  as  possible,  the  friendship  and 
co-operation  of  the  Indians,  far  and  near, 
before  venturing  ujjon  an  enterprise  which 
their  hostility  might  render  disastrous,  and 
which  their  friendship  and  assistance  would 


52 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


do  so  much  to  make  successful;  and  to  this 
end  Perrot  was  sent  to  call  together  in 
council,  the  tribes  throughout  the  North- 
west, and  to  promise  them  the -commerce 
and  protection  of  the  French  government. 
He  accordingly  arrived  at  Green  Bay  in 
1671,  and  procuring  an  escort  of  Pottawat- 
omies,  proceeded  in  a  bark  canoe  upon  a 
visit  to  the  Miamis,  at  Chicago.  Perrot 
was  therefore  the  first  European  to  set  foot 
upon  the  soil  of  Illinois. 

Still  there  were  others  before  Marquette. 
In  1672,  the  Jesuit  missionaries.  Fathers 
Claude  Allouez  and  Claude  Dablon,  bore 
the  standard  of  the  Cross  from  their  mis- 
sion at  Green  Bay  through  western  Wis- 
consin and  northern  Illinois,  visiting  the 
Foxes  on  Fox  River,  and  the  Masqiiotines 
and  Kickapoos  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mil- 
waukee. These  missionaries  penetrated  on 
the  route  afterwards  followed  by  Marquette 
as  far  as  the  Ivickapoo  village  at  the  head 
of  Lake  Winnebago,  where  Marquette,  in 
his  journey,  secured  guides  aorcss  the 
portage  to  the  Wisconsin. 

The  oft  repeated  story  of  Marquette  and 
Joliet  is  well  known.  They  were  the 
agents  employed  by  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment to  discover  the  Mississippi.  Mar- 
quette was  a  native  of  France,  born  in 
1637,  a  Jesuit  priest  by  education,  and  a 
man  of  simple  faith  and  of  great  zeal  and 
devotion  in  extending  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion  among  the  Indians.  Arrivino-  in 
Canada  in  1666,  he  was  sent  as  a  mission- 
ary to  the  far  Northwest,  and,  in  1668, 
founded  a  mission  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  The 
following  year  he  moved  to  La  Pointe,  in 
Lake  Superior,  where  he  instructed  a  branch 
of  the  Hurons  till  1670,  when  he  removed 
south  and  founded  the  mission  at  St.  Ignace, 


on  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw.  Here  he  re- 
mained, devoting  a  portion  of  his  time  to 
the  study  of  the  Illinois  laiijjuau;e  under  a 
native  teacher  who  had  accompanied  him 
to  the  mission  from  La  Pointe,  till  he  was 
joined  by  Joliet  in  the  spring  of  1673. 
By  the  way  of  Green  Bay  and  the  Fox  and 
Wisconsin  Rivers,  they  entered  the  Mis- 
sissippi, which  they  explored  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Arkansas,  and  returned  by  the  way 
of  the  Illinois  and  Chicago  Rivers  to  Lake 
Michigan. 

On  his  way  up  the  Illinois,  Marquette 
visited  the  great  village  of  the  Kaskaskias, 
near  what  is  now  Utica,  in  the  county  of 
La  Salle.  The  following  year  he  returned 
and  established  among  them  the  mission 
of  the  Immaculate  Virgin  Mary,  which 
was  the  first  Jesuit  mission  founded  in 
Illinois  and  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The 
intervening  winter  he  had  spent  in  a  hut 
which  his  companions  erected  on  the  Chi- 
cago River,  a  few  leagues  from  its  mouth. 
The  founding  of  this  mission  was  the  last 
act  of  Marquette's  life.  He  died  in  Mich- 
igan, on  his  way  back  to  Green  Bay,  May 
IS,  1675. 

FIRST  FRENCH  OCCUPATIOX. 

The  first  French  occupation  of  the  terri- 
tory now  embraced  in  Illinois  was  effected 
by  La  Salle  in  16S0,  seven  years  after,  the 
time  of  Marquette  and  Joliet.  La  Salle, 
having  constructed  a  vessel,  the  "  Griftin," 
above  the  falls  of  Niagara,  which  he  sailed 
to  Green  Bay,  and  having  passed  thence  in 
canoes  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph 
River,  by  which  and  the  Kankakee  he 
reached  the  Illinois,  in  January,  16S0, 
erected  Fort  Crivecmur,  at  the  lower  end 
of  Peoria  Lake,  where   tlie    citj-  of  Peoria 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


53 


is  now  situated.  The  place  where  this  an- 
cient fort  stood  may  still  be  seen  just  below 
the  outlet  of  Peoria  Lake.  It  was  destined, 
however,  to  a  temporary  existence.  From 
this  point.  La  Salle  determined  to  descend 
t!ie  Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  but  did  not 
accomplish  this  purpose  till  two  years  later 
— in  1GS2.  Hetuniing  to  Fort  Frontenac 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  materials  with 
which  to  rig  his  vessel,  he  left  the  fort  in 
charge  of  Toiiti,  his  lieutenant,  who  during 
his  absence  was  driven  off  by  the  Iro(jUois 
Lidians.  These  savages  had  made  a  raid  up- 
on the  settlement  of  the  Illinois,  and  had  left 
nothing  in  tlieir  track  but  ruin  and  desola- 
tion. Mr.  Davidson,  in  his  History  of 
Illinois,  gives  the  following  graphic  account 
of  the  picture  that  met  the  eyes  of  La  Salle 
and  his  companions  on  their  return: 

"  At  the  great  town  of  the  Illinois  they 
were  appalled  at  the  scene  which  ojjencd  to 
their  view.  No  hunter  appeared  to  break 
its  death-like  silence  with  a  salutatory 
whoop  of  welcome.  The  plain  on  which 
the  town  had  stood  was  now  strewed  with 
charred  fragments  of  lodges,  which  had  so 
recently  swarmed  with  savage  life  and  hi- 
larity. To  render  more  hideous  the  ]>icture 
of  desolation,  large  numbers  of  skulls  had 
been  placed  on  the  upper  extremities  of 
lodge- poles  which  had  escaped  the  devour- 
ing flames.  In  the  midst  of  these  horrors 
was  the  rude  fort  of  tlie  spoilers,  rendered 
friglitfnl  bv  the  same  ghastlv  relics.  A 
near  approach  showed  that  the  graves  had 
been  robbed  of  their  bodies,  and  swarms  of 
buzzards  were  discovered  glutting  tiieir 
loathsome  stomachs  on  the  reeking  corrup- 
tion. To  complete  the  work  of  destruction, 
the  growing  corn  of  the  villa^'e  liad  been 
2Ut  down  and   burned,  while  the    pits  con- 


taining the  products  of  previous  years,  had 
been  rifled  and  their  contents  scattered  with 
wanton  waste.  It  was  evident  the  suspected 
blow  of  the  Iroquois  had  fallen  with  relent- 
less fury." 

Tonti  had  escaped.  La  Salle  knew  not 
whither.  Passing  down  the  lake  in  searcli 
of  him  and  his  men.  La  Salle  discovered 
that  the  fort  had  been  destroyed,  but  the 
vessel  which  he  had  partly  constructed  was 
still  on  the  stocks,  and  but  slightly  in- 
jured. After  further  fruitless  search,  failing 
to  find  Tonti,  he  fastened  to  a  tree  a  painting 
representing  himself  and  part}'  sitting  in  a 
canoe  and  bearing  a  pipe  of  peace,  and  to 
the  painting  attached  a  letter  addressed  to 
Tonti, 

Tonti  had  escaped,  and  after  untold  pri- 
vations, taken  shelter  among  the  Potta- 
wattomies  near  Green  Bay.  These  were 
friendly  to  the  French.  One  of  their  old 
chiefs  used  to  say,  "There  were  but  three 
great  captains  in  the  world,  himself,  Tonti 
and  La  Salle." 

GENIUS  OF  LA  SALLE. 

"We  must  now  return  to  La  Salle,  wliose 
exploits  stand  out  in  such  bold  relief.  He 
was  born  in  Houen,  France,  in  1643.  His 
father  was  wealthy  but  he  renounced  his 
patrimony  on  entering  a  college  of  the 
Jesuits,  from  which  he  separated  and  came 
to  Canada  a  poor  man  in  1666.  The  priests 
of  St.  Sulpice,  among  whom  he  had  a 
brother,  were  then  the  proprietors  of  Mon- 
treal, the  nucleus  of  which  was  a  seminary 
or  convent  founded  by  that  order.  The 
Superior  granted  to  La  Salle  a  large  tract 
of  land  at  La  Chine,  where  he  established 
himself  in  the  fur  trade.  He  was  a  man 
of  daring  genius,   and  outstripped   all  his 


54 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


competitors  in  exploits  of  travel  and  com- 
merce with  the  Indians.  In  1669,  he  vis- 
ited the  headt[iiarters  of  the  great  Iroquois 
confederacy,  at  Onondaga,  in  the  heart  of 
New  York,  and  obtaining  guides,  explored 
the  Ohio  River  to  the  falls  at  Louisville. 

In  order  to  understand  the  genius  of 
La  Salle,  it  must  be  remembered  that  for 
many  years  prior  to  his  time  the  mission- 
aries and  traders  were  obliged  to  make 
their  way  to  the  Northwest  by  the  Ottawa 
Eiver  (of  Canada)  on  account  of  the  fierce 
hostility  of  the  Iroquois  along  the  lower 
lakes  and  Niagara  Eiver,  which  entirely 
closed  this  latter  route  to  the  UpperLakes. 
They  carried  on  their  commerce  chiefly  by 
canoes,  paddling  them  through  the  Ottawa 
to  Lake  Ni]>issing,  carrying  them  across 
the  portage  to  French  River,  and  descend- 
ing that  to  Lake  Huron.  This  being  the 
route  by  which  they  reached  the  Northwest 
accounts  for  the  fact  that  all  the  earliest 
Jesuit  missions  were  established  in  the 
neio-hborhood  of  the  Upper  Lakes.  La  Salle 
conceived  the  grand  idea  of  opening  the 
route  by  Niagara  River  and  the  Lower 
Lakes  to  Canadian  commerce  by  sail  vessels 
connecting  it  with  the  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  thus  opening  a  magnificent 
water  communication  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  This 
trulv  grand  and  comprehensive  purpose 
seems  to  have  animated  him  in  all  his 
wonderful  achievements  and  the  matchless 
difficulties  and  hardships  he  surmounted. 
As  the  first  step  in  the  accomjilisliment  of 
this  object  he  established  himself  on  Lake 
Ontario,  and  built  and  garrisoned  Fort 
Frontenac,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Kingston,  Canada.  Here  he  obtained  a 
o-rant  of  land  from  the  French  crown,  and 


a  body  of  troops  by  Mjhich  he  beat  back  the 
invading  Iroquois  and  cleared   the  passage 
to  Niagara  Falls.     Having  by  this  m;isterly 
stroke  made  it  safe  to  attempt  a  hitherto 
untried    expedition,  his    next    step,  as    we 
have  seen,  was  to  advance  to  the  Falls  with 
all  his  outfit  for  building  a  ship  with  which 
to  sail   the  lakes.     He  was   successful  in 
this  undertaking,  though  his  ultimate  pur- 
pose was  defeated  by  a  strange  combination 
of  untoward   circumstances.     The  Jesuits 
evidently  hated  La  Salle  and  plotted  against 
him,  because  he  had  abandoned  them  and 
co-operated  with   a   rival  order.     The  fur 
traders  were  also  jealous  of  his  superior 
success  in  opening    new  channels  of  com- 
merce.   At  La  Chine  he  had  taken  the  trade 
of  Lake  Ontario,  which  but  for  his  presence 
there  would  have  gone  to  Quebec.     While 
they  were  plodding  with  their  bark  canoes 
through    the    Ottawa  he  was  constructing 
sailing  vessels  to  command  the  trade  of  the 
lakes   and   the    Mississippi.     These    great 
plans  excited  the  jealousy  and  envy  of  the 
small  traders,  introduced  treason  and  revolt 
into  the  ranks  of  his  own  companions,  and 
finally  led  to  the  foul  assassination  by  which 
his  great  achievements  were   prematurely 
ended. 

In  16S2,  La  Salle,  having  completed  his 
vessel  at  Peoria,  descended  the  Mississippi 
to  its  confluence  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Erecting  a  standard  on  which  he  inscribed 
the  arms  of  France,  he  took  formal  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  valley  of  the  mighty 
river,  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV,  then 
reigning,  in  honor  of  whom  he  named  the 
country'  Lotjisi.^NA. 

La  Salle  then  went  to  France,  was  ap- 
pointed Governor,  and  returned  with  a 
fleet  and  immigrants,  for    the  purpose  of 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


planting  a  colony  in  Illinois.  Thej'  arrived 
in  due  time  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but 
failing  to  find  the  month  of  the  Mississippi, 
up  which  La  Salle  intended  to  sail,  his 
supply  ship,  with  the  immigrants,  was 
driven  ashore  and  wrecked  on  Matagorda 
Bay.  With  the  fragments  of  the  vessel  he 
constructed  a  stockade  and  rude  huts  on 
the  shore  for  the  jirotection  of  the  immi- 
grants, calling  the  post  Fort  St.  Louis. 
He  then  made  a  trip  into  New  Mexico,  in 
search  of  silver  mines,  but,  meeting  with 
disappointment,  returned  to  find  his  little 
colony  reduced  to  forty  souls.  He  then 
resolved  to  travel  on  foot  to  Illinois,  and, 
starting  with  his  companions,  had  reached 
the  valley  of  the  Colorado,  near  the  month 
of  Trinity  river,  when  he  was  shot  by  one 
of  his  men.  This  occurred  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1687. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Foster  remarks  of  him  : 
"  Thus  fell,  not  far  from  the  banks  of  the 
Trinity,  Robert  Cavalier  de  la  Salle,  one 
of  the  grandest  characters  that  ever  figured 
in  American  history — a  man  capable  of 
originating  the  vastest  schemes,  and  en- 
dowed with  a  will  and  a"  judgment  capable 
of  carrying  them  to  successful  results.  Had 
ample  facilities  been  placed  by  the  King 
of  France  at  his  disposal,  the  result  of  the 
colonization  of  this  continent  might  have 
been  far  different  from  what  we  now 
behold." 

JIARLY   SETTLEMENTS. 

A  temjiorary  settlement  was  made  at 
Fort  St.  Louis,  or  the  old  Kaskaskia  village, 
on  the  Illinois  River,  in  what  is  now  La 
Salle  County,  in  1682.  In  1690,  this  was 
removed,  with  the  mission  connected  with 
it,  to  Kaskaskia,  on  the  river  of  that  name. 


emptying  into  the  lower  Mississippi  in  St. 
Clair  County.  Cahokia  was  settled  about 
the  same  time,  or  at  least,  both  of  these 
settlements  began  in  the  year  1690,  though 
it  is  now  pretty  well  settled  that  Cahokia 
is  the  older  place,  and  ranks  as  the  oldest 
permanent  settlement  in  Illinois,  as  well  as 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The  reason  for 
the  removal  of  the  old  Kaskaskia  settle- 
ment and  mission,  was  probably  because 
the  dangerous  and  difficult  route  by  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  Chicago  portage  had  been 
almost  abandoned,  and  travelers  and  traders 
passed  down  and  up  the  Mississippi  by  the 
Fox  and  Wisconsin  River  route.  The}'  re- 
moved to  the  vicinity  of  the  Mississippi  in 
order  to  be  in  the  line  of  travel  from  Can- 
ada to  Louisiana,  that  is,  the  lower  part  of 
it,  for  it  was  all  Louisiana  then  south  of 
the  lakes. 

During  the  period  of  French  rule  in 
Louisiana,  the  population  probably  never 
exceeded  ten  thousand,  including  whites 
and  blacks.  Within  that  portion  of  it  now 
included  in  Indiana,  trading  posts  were  es- 
tablished at  the  principal  Miami  villages 
which  stood  on  the  head  waters  of  the 
Maumee,  the  Wea  villages  situated  at 
Ouiatenon,  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  Pian- 
keshaw  villages  at  Post  Vincennes;  all  of 
which  were  probably  visited  by  French 
traders  and  missionaries  before  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  century. 

In  the  vast  territory  claimed  by  the 
French,  many  settlements  of  considerable 
importance  had  sprung  up.  Biloxi,  on 
Mobile  Bay,  had  been  founded  by  D'lber- 
ville,  in  1699;  Antoine  de  Lamotte  Cadillac 
had  founded  Detroit  in  1701;  and  New 
Orleans  had  been  founded  by  Bienville, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Mississippi  Com- 


56 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


pany,  in  1718.  In  Illinois  also,  considera- 
ble settlements  had  been  made,  so  that  in 
1730  they  embraced  one  hundred  and  forty 
French  families,  about  six  hundred  "con- 
verted Indians,"  and  many  traders  and 
voyageiirs.  In  that  portion  of  the  country, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  there 
were  five  distinct  settlements,  with  their 
respective  villages,  viz.:  Cahokia,  near  the 
mouth  of  Cahokia  Creek  and  about  five 
miles  below  the  present  city  of  St.  Louis; 
St.  Philip,  about  forty-five  miles  below  Ca- 
hokia, and  four  miles  above  Fort  Chartres; 
Fort  Chartres,  twelve  miles  above  Kaskas- 
kia;  Kaskaskia,  situated  on  the  Kaskaskia 
River,  five  miles  above  its  confluence  with 
the  Mississippi-,  and  Prairie  du  Rocher, 
near  Fort  Chartres.  To  these  must  be  add- 
ed St.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  These  with  the 
exception  of  St.  Louis,  are  among  the  oldest 
French  towns  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
Kaskaskia,  in  its  best  days,  was  a  town  of 
some  two  or  three  thousand  inliabitants. 
After  it  passed  from  the  crown  of  France 
its  population  for  many  years  did  not  ex- 
ceed fifteen  hundred.  Under  British  rule, 
in  1773,  the  population  had  decreased  to 
four  hundred  and  fifty.  As  earl}'  as  1721 
the  Jesuits  had  established  a  college  and  a 
monastery  in  Kaskaskia. 

Fort  Chartres  was  first  built  under  the 
direction  of  the  Mississippi  Company,  in 
1718,  by  M.  deBoisbraint,  a  military  officer, 
under  command  of  Bienville.  It  stood  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about 
eighteen  miles  below  Kaskaskia,  and  was 
for  some  time  the  headquarters  of  the  mil- 
itary commandants  of  the  district  of  Illinois. 

In  the  Centennial  Oration  of  Dr.  Fowler, 
delivered  at  Philadelphia,  by  appointment 


of  Gov.  Beveridge,  we  find  some  interesting 
facts  with  regard  to  the  State  of  Illinois, 
which  we  appropriate  in  this  history: 

In  1682  Illinois  became  a  possession  of 
the  French  crown,  a  dependency  of  Canada, 
and  a  part  of  Louisiana.  In  1765  the  Eng- 
lish flag  was  run  up  on  old  Fort  Chartres, 
and  Illinois  was  counted  among  the  treas- 
ures of  Great  Britain. 

In  1779  it  was  taken  from  the  English 
by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark.  This  man 
was  resolute  in  nature,  wise  in  council, 
prudent  in  policy,  bold  in  action,  and  heroic 
in  danger.  Few  men  who  have  figured  in 
the  history  of  America  are  more  deserving 
than  this  colonel.  Kothing  short  of  first- 
class  ability  could  have  rescued  Vincennes 
and  all  Illinois  from  the  English.  And  it 
is  not  possible  to  over-estimate  the  influence 
of  this  achievement  upon  the  republic.  In 
1779  Illinois  became  a  part  of  Virginia.  It 
was  soon  known  as  Illinois  County.  In 
1784  Virginia  ceded  all  this  territory  to  the 
general  government,  to  be  cut  into  States, 
to  be  republican  in  form,  with  "  the  same 
right  of  sovereignty,  freedom,  and  inde- 
pendence as  the  other  States." 

In  1787  it  was  the  object  of  the  wisest 
and  ablest  legislation  found  in  any  merely 
human  records.  No  man  can  study  the 
secret  history  of 

THE  "compact  of  1787," 

and  not  feel  that  Providence  was  guiding 
with  sleepless  eye  these  unborn  States.  The 
ordinance  that  on  July  13, 1787,  finally  be- 
came the  incorporating  act,  has  a  most 
marvelous  history.  Jefferson  had  vainly 
tried  to  secure  a  system  of  government  for 
the  northwestern  territory.  He  was  an 
emancipationist  of  that  day,  and  favored  the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


exclusion  of  slavery  frmn  the  territory  Vir- 
ginia bad  ceded  to  the  general  government; 
but  tlie  South  voted  him  down  as  often  as 
it  came  np.  lu  1787,  as  late  as  July  10 tb, 
an  organizing  act  without  the  anti-slavery 
clause  was  pending.  This  concession  to  the 
South  was  expected  to  carry  it.  Congress 
was  in  session  in  Xew  York  City.  On  July 
5th,  Rev.  Dr.  Mannasseh  Cutler,  oi  Massa- 
chusetts, came  into  Xew  York  to  lobby  on 
the  northwestern  territory.  Everything 
seemed  to  fall  into  his  hands.  Events  were 
ripe. 

The  state  of  the  public  credit,  the  growing 
of  Southern  prejudice,  the  basis  of  his  mis- 
sion, his  personal  character,  all  combined  to 
complete  one  of  those  sudden  and  marvelous 
revolutions  of  public  sentiment  that  once  in 
five  or  ten  centuries  are  seen  to  sweep  over 
a  country  like  the  breath  of  the  Almighty. 
Cutler  was  a  graduate  of  Yale — received  his 
A.  M.  from  Harvard,  and  his  D.  D.  from 
Yale.  He  had  studied  and  taken  degrees 
in  the  three  learned  professions,  medicine, 
law,  and  divinity.  He  had  thus  America's 
best  indorsement.  He  had  published  a 
scientific  examination  of  the  plants  of  JSTew 
England.  His  name  stood  second  only  to 
tliat  of  Franklin  as  a  scientist  in  America. 
He  was  aci:>urtly  gentleman  of  the  old  style, 
a  man  of  commanding  presence,  and  of 
inviting  face.  The  Southern  members  said 
they  had  never  seen  such  a  gentleman  in  the 
North.  He  came  representing  a  company 
that  desired  to  purchase  a  tract  of  land  now 
included  in  Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  plant- 
ing a  colony.  It  was  a  S]iecnlation.  Gov- 
ernment mone}'  was  worth  eighteen  cents 
on  the  dollar.  This  Massachusetts  companv 
had  collected  enough  to  purchase  1,-500,000 
acres  of  land.     Other  speculators  in  Xew 


York  made  Dr.  Cutler  their  agent  (lobbyist). 
On  the  12th  he  represented  a  demand  for 
5,500,000  acres.  Thi?  would  reduce  the 
national  debt.  Jeiferson  and  Virginia  were 
regarded  as  authority  concerning  the  land 
Virginia  had  just  ceded.  Jefferson's  policy 
wanted  to  provide  for  the  public  credit,  and 
this  was  a  good  opportunity  to  do  some- 
thing. 

Massachusetts  then  owned  the  Territory 
of  Maine,  which  she  was  crort'ding  on  the 
market.  She  was  opposed  to  opening  the 
northwestern  region.  This  fired  the  zeal  of 
Virginia.  The  South  caught  the  inspiration, 
and  all  exalted  Dr.  Cutler.  The  English 
minister  invited  him  to  dine  with  some  of 
the  Southern  gentlemen.  He  was  the  cen- 
ter of  interest. 

The  entire  South  rallied  round  him, 
Massachusetts  could  not  vote  against  him, 
because  many  of  the  constituents  of  her 
members  were  interested  personally  in  the 
western  speculation.  Thus  Cutler,  making 
friends  with  the  South,  and,  doubtless,  using 
all  the  arts  of  the  lobby,  was  enabled  to 
command  the  situation.  True  to  deeper 
convictions,  he  dictated  one  of  tlie  most 
compact  and  finished  documents  of  wise 
statesmanship  that  has  ever  adorned  any 
human  law  book.  He  borrowetl  from  Jef- 
ferson the  term  "Articles  of  Compact," 
which,  preceding  the  Federal  constitution, 
rose  into  the  most  sacred  character.  He 
then  followed  very  closely  the  constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  adopted  three  years  be- 
fore.    Its  most  marked  points  were: 

1.  The  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the  ter- 
ritory forever. 

2.  Provision  for  public  schools,  giving 
one  township  for  a  seminary,  and  every  sec- 
tion numbered  16  in  each   township;  that 


58 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


is,  one  thirty-sixth  of  all  the  land,  for  public 
schools. 

3.  A  provision  prohibiting  the  adop- 
tion of  any  constitution  or  the  enactment 
of  any  law  that  should  nullify  pre-existing 
contracts. 

Be  it  forever  remembered  that  this  com- 
pact declared  that  "  Religion,  morality  and 
knowledge  bein2  necessary  to  good  govern- 
ment and  the  happiness  of  mankind, 
schools  and  the  means  of  education  shall 
always  be  encouraged." 

Dr.  Cutler  planted  himself  on  this  plat- 
form and  would  not  yield.  Giving  his 
unqualified  declaration  that  it  was  that  or 
nothing — that  unless  they  could  make  the 
land  desirable  they  did  not  want  it — he 
took  his  horse  and  buggy,  and  started  for 
the  constitutional  convention  in  Phila- 
delphia. On  July  13,  1787,  the  bill  was 
put  upon  its  passage,  and  was  unanimousl}' 
adopted,  every  Southern  member  voting 
for  it,  and  only  one  man,  Mr.  Yates,  of 
New  York,  voting  against  it.  But  as  the 
States  voted  as  States,  Yates  lost  his  vote, 
and  the  compact  was  put  beyond  repeal. 

Thus  the  great  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
[llinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin — -a  vast 
empire,  the  heart  of  the  great  valley — -were 
consecrated  to  freedom,  intelligence  and 
honesty.  Thus  the  great  heart  of  the  na- 
tion was  prepared  for  a  year  and  a  da}'  and 
an  hour.  In  the  light  of  these  eighty-nine 
years  I  affirm  that  this  act  was  the  salva- 
tion of  the  republic  and  the  destruction  of 
slavery.  Soon  the  South  saw  their  great 
blunder,  and  tried  to  repeal  the  compact. 
In  1S03,  Congress  referred  it  to  a  commit- 
tee of  which  John  Randolph  was  chairman. 
He  reported  that  this  ordinance  was  a  com- 
pact, and  opposed  repeal.     Thus  it  stood  a 


rock,  in  the  way  of  the  on-rushing  sea  of 
slavery. 

With  all  this  timely  aid,  it  was,  after 
all,  a  most  desperate  and  protracted  strug- 
gle to  keep  the  soil  of  Illinois  sacred  to 
freedom.  It  was  the  natural  battle-field 
for  the  irrepressible  conflict.  In  the 
southern  end  of  the  State,  slavery  preceded 
the  compact.  It  existed  among  the  old 
French  settlers,  and  was  hard  to  eradicate. 
The  southern  part  of  the  State  was  settled 
from  the  slave  States,  and  this  population 
brought  their  laws,  customs  and  institu- 
tions with  them.  A  stream  of  population 
from  the  North  poured  into  the  northern 
part  of  the  State.  These  sections  misun- 
derstood and  hated  each  other  perfectly. 
The  Southerners  regarded  the  Yankees  as 
a  skinning,  tricky,  penurious  race  of  ped- 
dlers, filling  the  country  with  tinware, 
brass  clocks  and  wooden  nutmegs.  The 
Northerner  thought  of  the  Southerner  as  a 
lean,  lank,  lazy  creature,  burrowing  in  a 
hut,  and  rioting  in  whisky,  dirt  and  igno- 
rance. These  causes  aided  in  making  the 
struggle  long  and  bitter.  So  strong  was 
the  sympathy  with  slavery,  that  in  spite 
of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  in  spite  of 
the  deed  of  cession,  it  was  determined  to 
allow  the  old  French  settlers  to  retain  their 
slaves.  Planters  from  the  slave  States 
mio'ht  bring  their  slaves,  if  they  would 
o-ive  them  a  chance  to  choose  freedom  or 
years  of  service  and  bondage  for  their  chil- 
dren till  they  should  become  thirty  years 
of  age.  If  they  chose  freedom  they  must 
leave  the  State  in  sixty  days  or  be  sold  as 
fuffitives.  Servants  were  whipped  for  of- 
fenses for  which  white  men  are  fined. 
Each  lash  paid  forty  cents  of  the  fine.  A 
negro  ten  miles  from  home  without  a  pass 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


59 


was  whipped.  These  famous  hiws  were 
imported  t'roin  the  shive  States  just  as  thcj- 
imported  laws  for  tiie  inspection  of  flax 
and  wool  when  there  was  neither  in  the 
State. 

These  Black  Laws  are  now  wiped  out. 
A  vigorous  effort  was  made  to  protect 
slavery  in  the  State  Constitution  of  1817. 
It  barely  failed.  It  was  renewed  in  1825, 
when  a  convention  was  asked  to  make  a 
new  constitution.  After  a  hard  fight  the 
convention  was  defeated.  But  slaves  did 
not  disappear  from  the  census  of  the  State 
until  1850.  There  were  mobs  and  mur- 
ders in  the  interest  of  slavery.  Lovejoy 
was  added  to  the  list  of  martj'rs — a  sort  of 
first  fruits  of  that  long  life  of  immortal 
heroes  who  saw  freedom  as  the  one  supreme 
desire  of  their  souls,  and  were  so  enam- 
ored of  her,  that  they  preferred  to  die 
rather  than  survive  her. 

The  population  of  12,282  that  occupied 
the  Territory  in  A.  D.  1800,  increased  to 
45.000  in  A.  D.  1818,  when  the  State  Con- 
stitution was  adopted,  and  Illinois  took 
her  place  in  the  Union,  with  a  star  on  the 
flag  and  two  votes  in  the  Senate. 

Shadrach  Bond  was  the  first  Governor, 
and  in  his  first  message  he  recommended 
the  construction  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal. 

The  simple  economy  in  those  days  is 
seen  in  the  fact  the  entire  liill  for  station- 
ery for  tlie  first  Legislature  was  only 
$13.50.  Yet  this  simple  body  actually 
enacted  a  very  superior  code. 

There  was  no  money  in  the  Territory 
before  the  war  of  1812.  Deer  skins  and 
coon  skins  were  the  circulating  medium. 
In  1821,  the  Legislature  ordained  a  State 
Bank  on  the  credit  of  the  State.     It  issued 


notes  in  the  likeness  of  bank  bills.  These 
notes  were  made  a  legal  tender  for  every 
thing,  and  the  bank  was  ordered  to  loan  to 
the  people  $100  on  personal  security,  and 
more  on  mortgages.  They  actually  passed 
a  resolution  requesting  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  to  re- 
ceive these  notes  for  land.  The  old  French 
Lieutenant  Governor,  Col.  Menard,  put  the 
resolution  as  follows:  "Gentlemen  of  the 
Senate:  It  is  moved  and  seconded  dat  de 
notes  of  dis  hank  be  made  land  office 
money.  All  in  favor  of  dat  motion  say  aye; 
all  against  it  say  no.  It  is  decided  in  de  af- 
firmative. Now,  gentlemen,  I  bet  you  one 
hundred  dollar  he  never  be  land-office 
money!"  Hard  sense,  like  hard  money, 
is  always  above  par. 

This  old  Frenchman  presents  a  fine  fig- 
ure up  against  the  dark  background  of 
most  of  his  nation.  They  made  no  prog- 
ress. They  clung  to  their  earliest  and 
simplest  implements.  They  never  wore 
hats  or  caps.  They  pulled  their  blankets 
over  their  heads  in  the  winter  like  the  In- 
dians, with  whom  they  freely  intermin- 
gled. 

Demagogism  had  an  early  development. 
One  John  Grammar  (only  in  name),  elected 
to  the  Territorial  and  State  Legislatures  of 
1816  and  1836,  invented  the  policy  of  op- 
l)osing  every  new  thing,  saying,  "  If  it 
succeeds,  no  one  will  ask  who  voted  against 
it.  If  it  proves  a  failure,  he  could  quote 
its  record."  In  sharp  contrast  with  Gram- 
mar was  the  character  of  D.  P.  Cook,  after 
whom  the  county  containing  Chicago  was 
named.  Sucli  was  his  transparent  integri- 
ty and  remarkable  ability  that  his  vvill  was 
almost  the  law  of  the  State.  In  Congress, 
a  young  man,  and  from  a  poor  State,  he  was 


60 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


made  Chairman  of  the  Ways  and  Means 
Committee.  He  was  pre-eminent  for 
standing  by  his  committee,  regardless  of 
consequences.  It  was  liis  integrity  that 
elected  John  Qiiinc}'  Adams  to  the  Presi- 
dency. There  were  four  candidates  in 
1824,  Jackson,  Clay,  Crawford,  and  John 
Quincy  Adams.  There  being  no  choice  by 
tliepeiple,  the  election  was  thrown  into  the 
House.  It  was  so  balanced  that  it  turned 
on  his  vote,  and  that  he  cast  for  Adams, 
electing  him  ;  then  went  home  to  face  the 
wrath  of  the  Jackson  party  in  Illinois.  It 
cost  him  all  but  character  and  greatness. 
It  is  a  sufff^estive  comment  on  the  times, 
that  there  was  no  legal  interest  till  1830. 
It  often  reached  150  per  cent.,  usually  50 
percent.  Then  it  was  reduced  to  12,  and 
now  to  10  per  cent. 

PHYSICAL    FEATURES    OF    THE    PEAIEIE    STATE. 

In  area  the  State  has  55,410  square  miles 
of  territory.  It  is  about  150  miles  wide 
and  400  miles  long,  stretcliing  in  latitude 
from  Maine  to  Xorth  Carolina.  It  embraces 
wide  variety  of  climate.  It  is  tempered  on 
the  north  b}-  the  great  inland,  saltless,  tide- 
less  sea,  which  keeps  the  thermometer  from 
either  extreme.  Being  a  table  land,  from 
600  to  1,200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
one  is  prepared  to  find  on  the  health  maps, 
prepared  by  the  general  government,  an  al- 
most clean  and  perfect  record.  In  freedom 
from  fever  and  malarial  diseases  and  con- 
sumptions, the  three  deadly  enemies  of  the 
American  Saxon,  Illinois,  as  a  State,  stands 
without  a  superior.  She  furnishes  one  of 
the  essential  conditions  of  a  great  people — 
sound  bodies.  I  suspect  that  this  fact  lies 
back  of  that  old  Delaware  word,  Illini,  su- 
perior men. 


The  great  battles  of  history  that  have 
been  determinative  of  dynasties  and  desti- 
nies have  been  strategical  battles,  chiefly 
the  question  of  position.  Thermopylae  has 
been  the  war-cry  of  freemen  for  twenty-four 
centuries.  It  only  tells  how  much  there 
may  be  in  position.  All  this  advantage 
belongs  to  Illinois.  It  is  in  the  heart  of 
the  greatest  valley  in  the  world,  the  vast 
region  between  the  mountains — a  valley 
that  could  feed  mankind  for  one  thousand 
years.  It  is  well  on  toward  the  center  of 
the  continent.  It  is  in  the  great  temperate 
belt,  in  which  have  been  found  nearly  all 
the  aggressive  civilizations  of  history.  It 
has  sixty-five  miles  of  frontage  on  the  head 
of  the  lake.  With  the  Mississippi  forming 
the  western  and  southern  boundarv,  with 
the  Ohio  running  along  the  southeastern 
line,  with  the  Illinois  river  and  canal  divid- 
ing the  State  diagonally  from  the  lake  to 
'the  lower  Mississippi,  and  with  the  Rock 
and  Wabash  rivers,  furnishing  altogether 
2,000  miles  of  water  front,  connecting  with, 
and  running  through,  in  all  about  12,000 
miles  of  navigable  water. 

But  this  is  not  all.  These  waters  are 
made  most  available  by  the  fact  that  the 
lake  and  the  State  lie  on  the  ridge  running 
into  the  great  valley  from  the  east.  Within 
cannon-shot  of  the  lake,  the  water  runs 
awav  from  the  lake  to  the  gulf.  The  lake 
now  empties  at  both  ends,  one  into  the  At- 
lantic and  one  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  lake  thus  seems  to  hang  over  the  land. 
This  makes  the  dockage  most  serviceable; 
there  are  no  steep  banks  to  damage  it. 
Both  lake  and  river  are  made  for  use. 

The  climate  varies  from  Portland  to 
Pichmond;  it  favors  every  product  of  the 
continent,   including  the  tropics,   with  less 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


r^i 


tliaii  lialf  a  dozen  exceptions.  It  produces 
every  great  nutriment  of  the  world  except 
bananas  and  rice.  It  is  liardly  too  much 
to  say  that  it  is  the  most  productive  spot 
known  to  civilization.  With  the  soil  full 
of  bread  and  the  earth  lull  of  minerals; 
with  an  upper  surface  of  food  and  an  un- 
der layer  of  fuel;  with  perfect  natural  drain- 
age, and  abundant  springs  and  streanis  and 
navigable  rivers;  halfway  between  the  for- 
ests of  the  north  and  the  fruits  of  the  south ; 
witliin  a  day's  ride  of  the  great  deposits  of 
iron,  coal,  copper,  lead  and  zinc;  eontain- 
ing  and  controlling  the  great  grain,  cattle, 
pork  and  lumber  markets  of  the  world,  it 
is  not  strange  that  Illinois  has  the  advan- 
tage of  jjosition. 

This  advantage  has  been  supplemented 
by  the  character  of  the  population.  In  the 
early  days  when  Illinois  was  first  admitted 
to  the  union,  her  population  were  chietly 
from  Kentucky  and  Virginia.  But,  in  the 
conflict  of  ideas  concerning  slavery,  a 
strong  tide  of  emigration  came  in  from  the 
East,  and  soon  changed  this  composition. 
In  1870  her  non-native  population  were 
from  colder  soils.  Xew  York  furnished 
133,290;  Ohio  gave  102,623;  Pennsylvania 
sent  on  98,352;  the  en ti^-e  South  gave  us 
only  20f!,T34.  In  all  her  cities,  and  in  all 
her  German  and  Scandinavian  and  other 
foreign  colonies,  Illinois  has  only  about 
one-fifth  of  her  people  of  foreign  birth. 

PROGRESS  OF   DEVELOPMENT. 

One  of  the  greatest  elements  in  the 
early  development  of  Illinois  is  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  Canal,  connectinar  the 
Illinois  and  Mississip])i  Rivers  with  the 
lakes.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  Suite.     It  was  i.  con  mended  by  Gov. 


Bond,  the  first  governor,  in  his  first  mes- 
sage. In  1821,  the  Legislature  appropri- 
ated $10,000  for  surveying  the  route.  Two 
bright  young  engineers  surveyed  it,  and 
estimated  the  cost  at  §600,000  or  STOU.OOO. 
It  finally  cost  §8,000,000.  In  1825,  a4aw 
was  passed  to  incorporate  the  Canal  Com- 
pany, but  no  stock  was  sold.  In  1826, 
upon  the  solicitation  of  Cook,  Congress 
gave  800,000  acres  of  land  on  the  line  of 
the  work.  In  1828,  another  law — commis- 
sioners appointed,  and  work  commenced 
with  new  survey  and  new  estimates.  lu 
1834-35,  George  Farquhar  made  an  able 
report  on  the  whole  matter.  This  was, 
doubtless,  the  ablest  report  ever  made  to  a 
western  legislature,  and  it  became  the 
model  for  subsequent  reports  and  action. 
From  this,  the  work  went  on  till  it  was 
finished  in  1848.  It  cost  the  State  a  large 
amount  of  money;  but  it  gave  to  the  in- 
dustries of  the  State  an  impetus  that 
pushed  it  up  into  the  first  rank  of  great- 
ness. It  was  not  built  as  a  speculation  any 
more  than  a  doctor  is  emploj'ed  on  a  specu- 
lation. But  it  has  paid  into  the  treasury 
of  the  State  an  average  annual  not  sum  of 
over  $111,000. 

Pending  the  construction  of  the  canal, 
the  land  and  town-lot  fever  broke  out  in 
the  State,  in  1834-35.  It  took  on  the 
malignant  type  in  Chicago,  lifting  the 
town  up  into  a  city.  The  disease  spread 
over  the  entire  State  and  adjoining  States. 
It  was  epidemic.  It  cut  up  men's  farms 
without  regard  to  locality,  and  cut  up  the 
purses  of  the  purchasers  without  regard  to 
consequences.  It  is  estimated  that  build- 
ins  lots  enough  were  sold  in  Indiana  alone 
to  accommodate  every  citizen  then  in  the 
United  States. 


C'i 


EAIJLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


Towns  and  cities  were  exported  to  the 
Eastern  market  by  the  ship-load.  There 
was  no  hick  of  bnvers.  Every  np-siiip 
came  freif^iiteil  with  speculators  and  their 
nione}'. 

This  distempter  seized  upon  the  Legis- 
lature in  1836-37,  and  left  not  one  to  teil 
the  tale.  They  enacted  a  system  of  inter- 
nal improvement  without  a  parallel  in  the 
gi-andeur  of  its  conception.  They  ordered 
the  construction  of  1,300  miles  of  railroad, 
crossing  the  State  in  all  directions.  This 
was  surpassed  by  the  river  and  canal  im- 
provements. There  were  a  few  counties 
not  touched  by  either  railroad  or  river  or 
canal,  and  those  were  to  be  comforted  and 
compensated  by  the  free  distribution  of 
$200,000  among  them.  To  inflate  this 
balloon  beyond  credence,  it  was  ordered 
that  work  should  be  commenced  on  both 
ends  of  each  of  these  railroads  and  rivers, 
and  at  each  river  crossing,  all  at  the  same 
time.  The  appropriations  for  these  vast 
improvements  were  over  $12,000,000,  and 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  borrow 
the  money  on  the  credit  of  the  State.  Re- 
member that  all  this  was  in  the  early  days 
of  railroading,  when  railroads  were  luxu- 
ries; that  the  State  had  whole  counties 
with  scarcely  a  cabin;  and  that  the  popu- 
lation of  the  State  was  less  than  400,000, 
and  yon  can  form  some  idea  of  the  vigor 
with  which  these  brave  men  undertook  tha 
work  of  making  a  great  State.  In  the 
light  of  history  I  am  compelled  to  say  that 
this  was  only  a  premature  throb  of  the 
power  that  actually  slumbered  in  the  soil 
of  the  State.  It  was  Hercules  in  the  cra- 
dle. 

At  this  juncture  the  State  Bank  loaned 
its  funds  largely  to  Godfrey  Gilman  &  Co. 


and  to  other  leading  houses,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drawing  trade  from  St.  Louis  to 
Alton.  Soon  they  failed  and  took  down 
the  bank  with  them. 

In  1840,  all  hope  seemed  gone.  A  pop- 
ulation of  480,000  were  loaded  with  a  debt 
of  $14,000,000.  It  had  only  six  small 
cities,  really  only  towns,  namely:  Chicago, 
Alton,  Springfield,  Quincy,  Galena,  Nau- 
voo.  This  debt  was  to  be  cared  for  when 
there  was  not  a  dollar  in  the  treasury,  and 
when  the  State  had  borrowed  itself  out  of 
all  credit,  and  when  there  was  not  good 
money  enough  in  the  hands  of  all  the  peo- 
ple to  pay  the  interest  of  the  debt  for  a 
single  year.  Yet,  in  the  presence  of  all 
these  difficulties,  the  young  State  steadily 
refused  to  repudiate.  Gov.  Ford  took  hold 
of  the  problem  and  solved  it,  bringing  the 
State  througli  in  triumph. 

Having  touched  lightly  upon  some  of  the 
more  distinctive  points  in  the  history  of 
the  development  of  Illinois,  let  us  next 
briefly  consider  the 

MATERIAL  RESOURCES  OF  THE  STATE. 

It  is  a  garden  four  hundred  miles  long 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  wide.  Its 
soil  is  chiefly  a  bla^ck  sandy  loam,  from  six 
inches  to  sixty  feet  thick.  On  the  Ameri- 
can bottoms  it  has  been  cultivated  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  without  renewal. 

About  the  old  French  towns  it  has  yield- 
ed corn  for  a  century  and  a  half  without 
rest  or  help.  It  produces  nearly  every- 
thing green  in  the  temjierate  and  tropical 
zones.  She  leads  all  other  States  in  the 
number  of  acres  actually  under  plow.  Her 
products  from  25,000,000  of  acres  are  in- 
calculable. Her  mineral  wealth  is  scarce- 
ly second  to  hev  agricultural  power.     She 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


63 


has  coal,  iron,  lead,  copper,  zinc,  many  va- 
rieties of  bnikliTiw  stone,  fire  clay,  cnma 
clay,  common  brick  clay,  sand  of  all  kinds, 
gravel,  mineral  paint — everything  needed 
for  a  high  civilization.  Left  to  herself, 
she  has  the  elements  of  all  greatness.  The 
single  item  of  coal  is  too  vast  for  an  appre- 
ciative handling  in  figures.  We  can  han- 
dle it  in  oreneral  terms  like  alsjebraical 
signs,  but  long  before  we  get  up  into  the 
millions  and  billions  the  human  mind 
drops  down  from  comprehension  to  mere 
symbolic  apprehension. 

When  I  tell  you  that  nearly  four-fifths 
of  the  entire  State  is  underlaid  with  a  de- 
posit of  coal  more  than  forty  feet  thick  on 
the  average  (now  estimated  by  recent  sur- 
veys, at  seventy  feet  thick),  you  can  get 
some  idea  of  its  amount,  as  you  do  of  the 
amount  of  the  national  debt.  There  it  is! 
41,000  square  miles — one  vast  mine  into 
which  you  could  put  any  of  the  States;  in 
which  yon  could  bury  scores  of  European 
and  ancient  empires,  and  have  room  all 
round  to  work  without  knowing  that  they 
had  been  sepulchered  there. 

Put  this  vast  coal-bed  down  by  the  other 
great  coal  deposits  of  the  world,  and  its 
importance  becomes  manifest.  Great  Brit- 
ain has  12,000  square  miles  of  coal ;  Spain, 
3,000;  France,  1719;  Belgium,  578;  Illinois 
about  twice  as  many  square  miles  as  all 
combined.  Virginia  has  20,000  square 
miles;  Pennsylvania.  ir),O00;  Oliio,  12.000. 
Illinois  has  41,000  square  miles.  One- 
seventh  of  all  the  known  coal  on  this  con- 
tinent is  in  Illinois. 

Could  we  sell  the  coal  in  this  single  State 
for  one-seventh  of  one  cent  a  ton,  it  would 
pay  the  national  debt.  Converted  into 
power,  even  with  the   wastage  in  our  com- 


mon engines,  it  would  do  more  work  than 
could  be  done  by  the  entire  race,  beginning 
at  Adam's  wedding  and  working  ten  hours 
a  day  through  all  the  centuries  till  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  right  on  into  the  ftiture  at 
the  same  rate  for  the  next  000,000  years. 

Great  Britain  uses  enough  mechanical 
power  to-day  to  give  to  each  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  the  kingdom,  the  help  and  ser- 
vice of  nineteen  untiring  servants.  No 
wonder  she  has  leisure  and  luxuries.  No 
wonder  the  home  of  the  common  artisan 
has  in  it  more  luxuries  than  could  be  found 
in  the  palace  of  good  old  King  Arthur. 
Think  if  you  can  conceive  of  it,  of  the  vast 
army  of  servants  that  slumber  in  the  soil  of 
Illinois,  impatientlj'  awaiting  the  call  of 
Genius  to  come  forth  to  minister  to  our 
comfort. 

At  the  present  rate  of  consumption  Eng- 
land's coal  supply  will  be  exhausted  in 
250  years.  When  this  is  gone  she  must 
transfer  her  dominion  either  to  the  Indies, 
or  to  British  America,  which  I  would  not 
resist;  or  to  some  other  people,  which  I 
would  regret  as  a  loss  to  civilization. 

COAL  IS  KING. 

At  the  same  rate  of  consumption  (which 
far  exceeds  our  own),  the  deposit  of  coal  in 
Illinois  will  last  120,000  years.  And  her 
kingdom  shall  be  an  everlasting  kingdom. 

Let  us  turn  now  from  this  reserve  power 
to  the  annual  lyrodncAs  of  the  State.  We 
shall  not  be  humiliated  in  this  field.  Here 
we  strike  the  secret  of  our  national  credit. 
Nature  provides  a  market  in  the  constant 
appetite  of  the  race.  Men  must  eat,- and  if 
we  can  furnish  the  provisions  we  can  com- 
mand the  treasure.  All  that  a  man  hath 
will  he  ifive  for  iiis  life. 


64 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


According  to  the  last  census  Illinois  pro- 
duced 30,000.000  of  bushels  of  wheat.  That 
is  more  wheat  than  was  raised  hy  any 
other  State  in  tlie  union.  She  raised  in 
1875,  130,000.000  of  bushels  of  corn— twice 
as  much  as  any  other  State,  and  one- sixth 
of  all  tlie  corn  raised  in  the  United  States. 
She  harvested  2,747,000  tons  of  hay,  nearly 
one-tenth  of  all  the  haj'  in  the  republic. 
It  is  not  generally  appreciated,  but  it  is 
true  that  the  hay  crop  of  the  country  is 
wortli  more  than  the  cotton  crop.  Tlie  liay 
of  Illinois  equals  the  cotton  of  Louisiana. 
Go  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  see  them  ped- 
dling handfuls  of  hay  or  grass,  almost  as  a 
curiosity,  as  we  regard  Chinese  gods  or  the 
cryolite  of  Greenland;  drink  your  coffee  and 
coiid'Cnsed  7nilk;  and  walk  back  from  the 
coast  for  many  a  league  through  the  sand 
and  burs  till  you  get  up  into  the  better  at- 
mosphere of  the  mountains,  without  seeing 
a  waving  meadow  or  a  grazing  herd;  then 
you  will  begin  to  appreciate  the  meadows 
of  the  Prairie  State,  where  the  grass  often 
grows  sixteen  feet  high. 

The  value  of  her  farm  implements  is 
$211,000,000,  and  the  value  of  her  live 
stock  is  only  second  to  the  great  State  of 
New  York.  In  1875  she  had  25,000,000 
hogs,  and  packed  2,113,8-45,  about  one-half 
of  all  that  were  packed  in  the  United  States. 
This  is  no  insignificant  item.  Pork  is  a 
growing  demand  of  the  old  world.  Since 
the  laborers  of  Europe  have  gotten  a  taste 
of  our  bacon,  and  we  have  learned  how  to 
pack  it  dry  in  boxes,  like  dry  goods,  the 
world  has  become  the  market. 

The  hog  is  on  the  march  into  the  future. 
His  nose  is  ordained  to  uncover  the  secrets 
of  dominion,  and  his  feet  shall  be  guided 
by  the  star  of  empire. 


Illinois  marketed  $57,000,000  worth  of 
slaughtered  animals — more  than  any  other 
State,  and  a  seventh  of  all  the  States. 

Be  patient  with  me,  and  pardon  my 
pride,  and  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  some  of 
the  things  in  wliich  Illinois  excels  all  other 
States. 

Depth  and  richness  of  soil ;  per  cent,  of 
good  ground;  acres  of  improved  land;  large 
farms — some  farms  contain  from  40,000  to 
60,000  acres  of  cultivated  land.  40,000  acres 
of  corn  on  a  single  farm;  number  of  farm- 
ers; amount  of  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  honey 
produced;  value  of  animals  for  slaughter; 
number  of  hogs;  amount  of  pork;  number 
of  horses — three  times  as  many  as  Ken- 
tucky, the  horse  State. 

Illinois  excels  all  other  States  in  miles 
of  railroads  and  in  miles  of  postal  service, 
and  in  money  orders  sold  per  annum,  and 
in  the  amount  of  lumber  sold  in  her  mar- 
kets. 

Illinois  is  only  second  in  many  important 
matters.  This  sample  list  comprises  a  few 
of  the  moreimjiortant:  Permanent  school 
fund  (good  for  a  young  State);  total  in- 
come for  educational  purposes;  number  of 
publishers  of  books,  maps,  papers,  etc.; 
value  of  farm  products  and  implements, 
and  of  live  stock;  in  tons  of  coal  mined. 

The  shipping  of  Illinois  is  only  second 
to  New  York.  Out  of  one  port  during  the 
business  hours  of  the  season  of  navigation 
she  sends  forth  a  vessel  every  ten  minutes. 
This  does  not  include  canal  boats,  which 
go  one  every  five  minutes.  No  wonder  she 
is  only  second  in  number  of  bankers  and 
brokers  or  in  physicians  and  surgeons. 

She  is  third  in  coUeixes,  teachers  and 
schools;  C'lttle,  lead,  hay, flax,  sorghum  and 
beeswax. 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


65 


She  is  fourth  in  population,  in  children 
enrolled  in  public  schools,  in  law  schools, 
in  butter,  potatoes  and  carriages. 

She  is  fifth  in  value  of  real  and  personal 
property,  in  theological  seminaries  and 
colleges  exclusively  for  women,  in  milk 
sold,  and  in  boots  and  shoes  manufactured, 
and  in  book-binding. 

She  is  only  seventh  in  the  production 
of  wood,  while  she  is  the  twelfth  in  area. 
Surely  that  is  well  done  for  the  Prairie 
State.  She  now  has  much  more  wood  and 
growing  timber  than  she  had  thirty  years 
ago. 

A  few  leading  industries  will  justify 
emphasis.  She  manufactures  $205,000,000 
worth  of  goods,  which  places  her  well  up 
toward  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  The 
number  of  her  manufacturing  establish- 
ments increased  from  1860  to  1870,  300 
percent;  capital  employed  increased  350 
per  cent,  and  tiie  amount  of  product  in- 
creased 400  percent  She  issued  5,500,000 
copies  of  commercial  and  financial  news- 
papers— only  second  to  New  York.  She 
has  6,759  miles  of  railroad,  thus  leading  all 
other  States,  worth  $636,458,000,  using 
3,245  engines,  and  67,712  cars,  making  a 
train  long  enough  to  cover  one- tenth  of  the 
entire  roads  of  the  State.  Her  stations  are 
only  five  miles  apart  More  than  two- 
thirds  of  her  land  is  within  five  miles  of  a 
railroad,  and  less  than  two  per  cent  is 
more  than  fifteen  miles  away. 

The  State  has  a  large  financial  interest 
in  the  Illinois  Central  railroad.  The  road 
was  incorporated  in  1850,  and  the  State 
gave  each  alternate  section  for  six  miles  on 
each  side,  and  doubled  the  price  of  the  re- 
maining land,  so  keeping  herself  good. 
The  road  received  2,595,000  acres  of  land, 


and  pays  to  the  State  one-seventh  of  the 
gross  receipts.  Add  to  this  the  annual 
receipts  from  the  canal,  $111,000,  and  a 
large  per  cent,  of  the  State  tax  is  provided 
for. 

THE    RELIGION    AND    MORALS 

of  tlie  State  keep  step  with  her  productions 
and  growth.  She  was  born  of  the  mission- 
ary spirit.  It  was  a  minister  who  secured 
for  her  the  ordinance  of  1787,  by  which  she 
has  been  saved  from  slavery,  ignorance, 
and  dishonesty.  Rev.  Mr.  Wiley,  pastor 
of  a  Scotch  congregation  in  Randolph 
County,  petitioned  the  Constitutional 
Convention  of  1818  to  recognize  Jesus 
Christ  as  king,  and  the  scriptures  as  the 
only  necessary  guide  and  book  of  law.  The 
convention  did  not  act  in  the  case,  and  the 
old  covenanters  refused  to  accept  citizen- 
ship. They  never  voted  until  1824,  when 
the  slavery  question  was  submitted  to  the 
people;  then  they  all  voted  against  it  and 
cast  the  determining  votes.  (Conscience 
has  predominated  whenever  a  great  moral 
question  has  been  submitted  to  the  people. 

But  little  mob  violence  has  ever  been  felt 
in  the  State.  In  1817  regulators  disposed 
of  a  band  of  horse-thieves  that  infested  the 
Territory.  The  Mormon  indignities  finallv 
awoke  the  same  spirit.  Alton  was  also  the 
scene  of  a  pro-slavery  mob,  in  which  Love- 
joy  was  added  to  the  list  of  martyrs.  The 
moral  sense  of  the  people  makes  the  law 
sui)reme,  and  gives  to  the  State  unruffled 
peace. 

"With  $22,300,000  in  church  property, 
and  4,298  church  organizations,  the  State 
has  that  divine  police,  the  sleepless  patrol 
of  moral  ideas,  that  alone  is  able  to  secure 
perfect  safety.     Conscience  takes  the  knife 


tiG 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


from  the  assassin's  hand  and  tlie  bludgeon 
from  the  grasp  of  the  highwayman.  We 
sleep  in  safety,  not  because  we  are  behind 
bolts  and  bars — these  only  fence  against 
the  innocent;  not  because  a  lone  officer 
drowses  on  a  distant  corner  of  a  street; 
not  becanse  a  sheriff  may  call  his  posse 
from  a  remote  part  of  the  county;  bnt 
because  conscience  guards  the  very  portals 
of  the  air  and  stirs  in  the  deepest  re- 
cesses of  the  public  mind.  This  spirit 
issues  within  the  State  9,500,000  copies 
of  religious  papers  annually,  and  receives 
still  more  from  without.  Thns  the  crime 
of  the  State  is  only  one  fourth  that  of  New 
York  and   one  half  that  of  Pennsylvania. 

Illinois  never  had  but  one  duel  between 
her  own  citizens.  In  Belleville,  in  1820, 
Alphonso  Stewart  and  William  Bennett 
arranged  to  vindicate  injured  honor.  The 
seconds  agreed  to  make  it  a  sham,  and 
make  them  shoot  blanks.  Stewart  was  in 
the  secret.  Bennett  mistrusted  something, 
and  unobserved,  slipped  a  bullet  into  his 
gun  and  killed  Stewart.  He  then  fled  the 
State.  After  two  years  he  was  caught, 
tried,  convicted,  and,  in  spite  of  friends 
and  political  aid,  was  hung.  This  fixed 
the  code  of  honor  on  a  Christian  basis,  and 
terminated  its  use  in  Illinois. 

The  early  preachers  were  ignorant  men, 
who  were  accounted  eloquent  according  to 
the  strength  of  their  voices.  But  they  set 
the  stvle  for  all  public  speakers.  Lawyers 
and  political  speakers  followed  this  rule. 
Gov.  Ford  says :  "  Nevertheless,  these  first 
preachers  were  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
the  country.  They  inculcated  justice  and 
morality.  To  them  are  we  indebted  for 
the  first  Christian  character  of  the  Protest- 
ant portion  of  the  people." 


In  education  Illinois  surpasses  her  ma- 
terial resources.  The  ordinance  of  1787 
consecrated  one  thirty-sixth  of  her  soil  to 
common  schools,  and  the  law  of  1818,  the 
first  law  that  went  upon  her  statutes,  gave 
three  per  cent  of  all  the  rest  to 

EDUCATION. 

The  old  compact  secures  this  interest 
forever,  and  by  its  yoking  morality  and 
intelligence  it  precludes  the  legal  interfer- 
ence with  the  Bible  in  the  public  schools. 
With  such  a  start  it  is  natural  that  we 
should  have  11,050  schools,  and  that  our 
illiteracy  should  be  less  than  New  York  or 
Pennsylvania,  and  only  about  one  half  of 
Massachusetts.  We  are  not  to  blame  for 
not  having  more  than  one  half  as  many 
idiots  as  the  great  States.  These  public 
schools  soon  made  colleges  inevitable. 
The  first  college,  still  flourishing,  was 
started  in  Lebanon  in  1828,  by  the  M.  E. 
church,  and  named  after  Bishop  McKen- 
dree.  Illinois  College,  at  Jacksonville, 
supported  by  the  Presbyterians,  followed 
in  1830.  In  1832  the  Baptists  built  Shurt- 
leff"  College,  at  Alton.  Then  the  Presby- 
terians built  Knox  College,  at  Galesburg, 
in  1838,  and  the  Episcopalians  built  Jubilee 
College,  at  Peoria,  in  1847.  After  these 
earlv  years,  colleges  have  rained  down.  A 
settler  could  hardly  encamp  on  the  prairie 
but  a  college  would  spring  up  by  his  wagon. 
The  State  now  has  one  very  well  endowed 
and  equipped  university,  namely,  the 
Northwestern  University,  at  Evanston, 
with  six  colleges,  ninety  instructors,  over 
1,000  students,  and  $1,500,000  endowment. 

Kev.  J.  M.  Peck  was  the  first  educated 
Protestant  minister  in  the  State.  He 
settled  at  Rock  Spring,  in  St.  Clair  County, 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


1820.  and  left  his  impress  on  the  State. 
Before  183"  onh'  party  papers  were  piib- 
lislied,  but  Mr.  Peck  published  a  Gazetteer 
of  Illinois.  Soon  after  John  Russell,  of 
Blutfdale,  published  essays  and  tales  show- 
iu<(  genius.  Judge  James  Hall  published 
The  Illinois  Monthly  Magazine  with  great 
ability,  and  an  annual  called  The  Western 
Sourenir,  which  gave  him  an  enviable 
fame  all  over  the  United  States.  From 
these  beginnings,  Illinois  has  gone  on  till 
she  has  more  volumes  in  public  libraries 
even  than  Massachusetts,  and  of  the  44,- 
500,000  volumes  in  all  the  public  libraries 
of  the  United  States,  she  has  one  thirteenth. 
In  newspapers  she  stands  fourth.  Her 
increase  is  marvelous. 

This  brings  us  to  a  record  unsurpassed 
in  the  history  of  any  age. 

THE    WAR    RECORD    OF    ILLINOIS. 

I  hardly  know  where  to  begin,  or  how  to 
advance,  or  what  to  say.  I  can  at  best  give 
you  only  a  broken  synopsis  of  her  deeds, 
and  you  must  put  them  in  the  order  ol 
glory  for  yourself.  Her  sons  have  always 
been  foremost  on  fields  of  danger.  In 
1832-33,  at  the  call  of  Gov.  Reynolds,  her 
sons  drove  Blackhawk  over  the  Mississippi. 

When  the  Mexican  war  came,  in  May, 
1846,  8,370  men  offered  themselves  when 
only  3,720  could  be  accepted.  The  fields 
of  Buena  Vista  and  Vera  Cruz,  and  the 
storming  of  Cerro  Gordo,  will  carry  the 
glory  of  Illinois  soldiers  long  after  the 
causes  that  led  to  that  war  have  been 
forgotten.  But  it  was  reserved  till  our  day 
for  her  sons  to  find  a  field  and  cause  and 
foemen  that  could  fitly  illustrate  their  spirit 
and  heroism.  Illinois  put  into  her  own 
regiments  for  the  United  States  government 


256.000  men,  and  into  the  army  through 
otiier  States  enough  to  swell  the  number  to 
290,000.  This  far  exceeds  all  the  soldiers 
of  the  Federal  government  in  all  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  Her  total  years  of 
service  were  over  600,000.  She  enrolled 
men  from  eighteen  to  forty-five  years  of 
age  when  the  law  of  Congress  in  1S(!4 — 
the  test  time — only  asked  for  those  from 
twenty  to  forty-five.  Iler  enrollment  was 
otherwise  excessive.  Her  people  wanted  to 
go,  and  did  not  take  the  pains  to  correct 
the  enrollment.  Thus  the  basis  of  fixing 
the  quota  was  too  great,  and  then  the  quota 
itself,  at  least  in  the  trying  time,  was  far 
above  any  other  State. 

Thus  the  demand  on  some  counties,  as 
Monroe,  for  example,  took  every  able-bod- 
ied man  in  the  county,  and  then  did  not 
have  enough  to  fill  the  qnota.  Moreover, 
Illinois  sent  20,844  men  for  ninety  or  one 
hundred  da^'s,  for  whom  no  credit  was 
asked.  When  Mr.  Lincoln's  attention  was 
called  to  the  inequality  of  the  quota  com- 
pared with  other  States,  he  replied  :  "  The 
country  needs  the  sacrifice.  We  must  put 
the  whip  on  the  free  horse."  In  spite  of 
all  these  disadvantages  Illinois  gave  to  the 
country  73,000  years  of  service  above  all 
calls.  AVith  one  thirteenth  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  loyal  States,  she  sent  regularly 
one  tenth  of  all  the  soldiers,  and  in  the 
peril  of  the  closing  calls,  when  patriots 
were  few  and  weary,  she  then  sent  one 
eighth  of  all  that  were  called  for  by  her 
loved  and  honored  son  in  the  White  House. 
Her  mothers  and  daughters  went  into  the 
fields  to  raise  the  grain  and  keep  the 
children  together,  while  the  fathers  and 
older  sons  went  to  the  harvest  fields  of  the 
world.     I  knew  a  father  and  four  sons  who 


68 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


agreed  that  one  of  them  must  stay  at  home  ; 
and  they  pulled  straws  from  a  stack  to  see 
who  might  go.  The  father  was  left.  The 
next  day  he  came  into  the  camp,  saying  : 
"  Mother  says  she  can  get  the  crops  in,  and 
I  am  soins,  too."  1  know  large  Methodist 
churches  from  which  every  male  member 
went  to  the  army.  Do  you  want  to  know 
what  these  heroes  from  Illinois  did  in  the 
field  ?  Ask  any  soldier  with  a  good  record 
of  his  own,  who  is  able  to  judge,  and 
he  will  tell  you  that  the  Illinois  men  went 
in  to  win.  It  is  common  history  that  the 
greater  victories  were  won  in  the  West. 
"When  everything  else  looked  dark  Illinois 
was  irainins  victories  all  down  the  river, 
and  dividing  the  Confederacy.  Sherman 
took  with  him  on  his  great  march  forty- 
five  regiments  of  Illinois  infantry,  three 
companies  of  artillery,  and  one  company  of 
cavalry.     He  could  not  avoid 

GOING   TO    THE    SEA. 

If  he  had  been  killed,  I  doubt  not  the 
men  would  have  gone  right  on.  Lincoln 
answered  all  rumors  of  Sherman's  defeat 
with,  "It  is  impossible;  there  is  a  mighty 
sight  of  fight  in  100,000  Western  men." 
Illinois  soldiers  brought  home  300  battle- 
flags.  The  first  United  States  flag  that 
floated  over  Richmond,  was  an  Illinois  flag. 
She  sent  messengers  and  nurses  to  every 
field  and  hospital,  to  care  for  her  sick  and 
wounded  sons.  She  said,  "  these  suffering 
ones  are  mj'  sons,  and  I  will  care  for  tiieni." 

When  individuals  had  given  all,  then 
cities  and  towns  came  forward  with  their 
credit  to  the  extent  of  many  millions,  to 
aid  these  men  and  their  families. 

Illinois  gave  the  country  the  great 
general  of  the  war — Ulysses   S.    Grant — • 


since  honored  with  two  terms  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States. 

One  other  name  from  Illinois  comes  up 
in  all  minds,  embalmed  in  all  hearts,  that 
must  have  the  supreme  place  in  this  story 
of  our  glory  and  of  our  nation's  honor; 
that  name  is  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois. 

The  analysis  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character 
is  difilcult  on  account  of  its  symmetry. 

In  this  age  we  look  with  admiration  at 
his  uncompromising  honesty.  And  well 
we  may,  for  this  saved  us.  Thousands 
throughout  tlie  length  and  breadth  of  our 
country,  who  knew  him  only  as  "  Honest 
Old  Abe,"  voted  for  him  on  that  account; 
and  wisely  did  tiiey  choose,  for  no  other 
man  could  have  carried  us  through  the 
fearful  night  of  the  war.  When  his  plans 
were  too  vast  for  our  comprehension,  and 
his  faith  in  the  cause  too  sublime  for  our 
participation;  when  it  was  all  night  about 
us,  and  all  dread  before  us,  and  all  sad  and 
desolate  behind  us;  when  not  one  ray 
shone  upon  our  cause;  when  traitors  were 
haughty  and  exultant  at  the  South,  and 
tierce  and  blasphemous  at  the  North;  when 
tiie  loj'al  men  here  seemed  almost  in  the 
minority;  when  the  stoutest  heart  quailed, 
the  bravest  cheek  paled,  when  generals 
were  defeating  each  other  for  place,  and 
contractors  were  leeching  out  the  very 
heart's  blood  of  the  prostrate  republic; 
when  every  thing  else  had  failed  us,  we 
looked  at  this  calm,  patient  man,  standing 
like  a  rock  in  the  storm,  and  said:  "Mr. 
Lincoln  is  honest,  and  we  can  trust  him 
still."  Holding  to  this  single  point  with 
the  energy  of  faith  and  despair  we  held 
togetlier,  and,  under  God,  he  brought  us 
through  to  victory. 

His   practical    wisdom    made   him    the 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


wonder  of  all  lands.  With  such  certainty 
did  Mr.  Lincoln  follow  causes  to  their 
ultimate  effects,  tliat  his  foresight  of  con - 
tijigencies  seemed  almost  prophetic. 

He  is  radiant  with  all  the  great  virtues, 
and  his  memory  shall  shed  a  glory  upon 
this  age,  that  shall  fill  the  eyes  of  men  as 
they  look  into  history.  Other  men  have 
excelled  him  in  some  point,  but,  taken  at 
all  points,  all  in  all,  he  stands  head  and 
shoulders  above  every  other  man  of  6,000 
years.  An  administrator,  he  saved  the  na- 
tion in  the  perils  of  unparalleled  civil  war. 
A  statesman,  he  justified  his  measures  by 
their  success.  A  philanthropist,  he  gave 
liberty  to  one  race  and  salvation  to  another. 
A  moralist,  he  bowed  Irom  the  summit  of 
human  power  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  and 
became  a  Christian.  A  mediator,  he  exer- 
cised mercy  under  the  most  absolute  abey- 
ance to  law.  A  leader,  he  was  no  partisan. 
A  commander,  he  was  untainted  with 
blood.  A  ruler  in  desperate  times,  he  was 
unsullied  with  crime.  A  man,  he  has  left 
no  word  of  passion,  no  thought  of  malice, 
no  trick  of  craft,  no  act  of  jealousy,  no  ])ur- 
pose  of  selfish  ambition.  Thus  perfected, 
without  a  model  and  without  a  peer,  he 
was  dropped  into  these  troubled  years  to 
adorn  and  embellish  all  that  is  good  and 
all  that  is  great  in  our  humanity,  and  to 
present  to  all  coming  time  the  representa- 
tive of  the  divine  idea  ot  free  government. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  away 
down  in  the  future,  when  the  re])ul>lic  has 
fallen  from  its  niche  in  the  wall  of  time; 
when  the  great  war  itself  shall  have  faded 
out  in  the  distance  like  a  mist  on  the  hori- 
zon; when  the  Anglo  Saxon  language  shall 
be  spoken  only  by  the  tongue  of  the  stran- 
ger; then  the  generations  looking  this  way 


shall  see  the  great  president  as  the  supreme 
figure  in  this  vortex  of  history. 


CHICAGO. 


It  is  impossible  in  our  brief  space  to  give 
more  than  a  meager  sketch  of  such  a  city 
as  Chicago,  which  is  in  itself  the  greatest 
marvel  of  the  Prairie  State.  This  mysteri- 
ous, majestic,  mighty  city,  born  first  of 
water,  and  next  of  fire;  sown  in  weakness, 
and  raised  in  power;  planted  among  the 
willows  of  the  n:arsh,  and  crowned  with 
the  glory  of  the  mountains,  sleeping  on  the 
bosom  of  the  prairie,  and  i-ocked  on  the 
bosojn  of  the  sea;  the  youngest  city  of  the 
world,  and  still  the  eye  of  the  prairie,  as 
Damascus,  the  oldest  city  of  the  world,  is 
the  eye  of  the  desert.  With  a  commerce 
far  exceeding  that  of  Corinth  on  her 
isthmus,  in  the  highway  to  the  East;  with 
the  defenses  of  a  continent  piled  around  her 
by  the  thousand  miles,  making  her  far  safer 
than  Home  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber;  with 
schools  eclipsing  Alexandria  and  Athens; 
with  liberties  more  conspicuous  than  those 
of  the  old  republics;  witli  a  heroism  ecpial 
to  the  first  Carthage,  and  with  a  sanctity 
scarcely  second  to  that  of  Jerusalem — set 
your  thoughts  on  all  this,  lifted  into  the 
eyes  of  all  men  by  the  miracle  of  its  growth, 
illuminated  by  the  flame  of  its  fall,  and 
transfigured  by  the  divinity  of  its  resurrec- 
tion, and  you  will  feel,  as  I  do,  the  utter 
impossibility  of  compassing  this  subject  as 
it  deserves.  Some  impression  of  her  im- 
portance is  received  from  the  shock  her 
burning  gave  to  the  civilized  world. 

When  the  doubt  of  her  calamity  was 
removed,  and  the  horrid  fact  was  accepted, 
there  went  a  shudder  over  all  cities,  and  a 
quiver  over  all  lands.     There  was  scarcely 


70 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


a  town  in  the  civilized  world  that  did  not 
shake  on  the  brink  of  this  opening  chasm. 
The  flames  of  our  homes  reddened  all  skies. 
The  city  was  set  upon  a  hill,  and  could  not 
be  hid.  All  ejes  were  turned  upon  it.  To 
have  struggled  and  suffered  amid  the  scenes 
of  its  fall  is  as  distinguishing  as  to  have 
fought  at  Tliermopjlffi,  or  Salamis,  or 
Hastings,  or  Waterloo,  or  Bunker  Hill. 

Its  calamity  amazed  the  world,  because 
it  was  felt  to  be  the  common  property  of 
mankind. 

The  early  history  of  the  city  is  full  of 
interest,  just  as  the  early  history  of  such  a 
mau  as  Washington  or  Lincoln  becomes 
public  property,  and  is  cherished  by  every 
patriot. 

Starting  with  560  acres  in  1833,  it  em- 
braced and  occupied  23,000  acres  in  1869, 
and  having  now  a  population  of  more  tlian 
600,000,  it  commands  general  attention. 

The  first  settler — Jean  Baptiste  Pointe 
au  Sable,  a  mulatto  from  the  West  Indies 
— came  and  began  trade  with  the  Indians 
in  1796.  John  Kinzie  became  his  success- 
or in  ISO-t,  m  which  year  Fort  Dearborn 
was  erected. 

A  mere  trading-post  was  kept  here  from 
that  time  till  about  the  time  of  the  Black- 
hawk  war,  in  1832.  It  was  not  the  city. 
It  was  merely  a  cock  crowing  at  midnight. 
The  morning  was  not  yet.  In  1833  the 
settlement  about  the  fort  was  incorporated 
as  a  town.  The  voters  were  divided  on  the 
propriety  of  such  corporation,  twelve  voting 
for  it  and  one  against  it.  Four  years  later 
it  was  incorporated  as  a  city,  and  embraced 
560  acres. 

The  produce  handled  in  this  city  is  an 
indication  of  its  power.  Grain  and  flour 
were  imported  from  the  East  till  as  late  as 


1837.  The  first  exportation  by  way  of 
e.x;periment  was  in  1839.  Exports  exceeded 
imports  first  in  1812.  The  Board  of  Trade 
was  organized  in  1818,  but  it  was  so  weak 
that  it  needed  nursing  till  1855.  Grain 
was  purchased  by  the  wagon-load  in  the 
street. 

I  remember  sitting  with  my  father  on  a 
load  of  wheat,  in  the  long  line  of  wagons 
along  Lake  street,  while  the  buyers  came 
and  untied  the  bags,  and  examined  the 
grain,  and  made  their  bids.  That  manner 
of  business  had  to  cease  with  the  day  of 
small  things.  One  tenth  of  all  the  wheat 
in  the  United  States  is  handled  in  Chicago. 
Even  as  long  ago  as  1853  the  receipts  of 
grain  in  Chicago  exceeded  those  of  the 
goodly  city  of  St.  Louis,  and  in  1851  the 
exports  of  grain  from  Chicago  exceeded 
those  of  N"ew  York  and  doubled  those  of 
St.  Petersburg,  Archangel,  or  Odessa,  the 
largest  grain  markets  in  Europe. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  the  city 
are  not  contemptible.  In  1873  manufac- 
tories employed  15,000  operatives;  in  1876, 
60,000.  The  manuftictured  product  in 
1875  was  worth  $177,000,000. 

No  estimate  of  the  size  and  power  of 
Chicago  would  be  adequate  that  did  not 
put  large  emphasis  on  the  railroads.  Be- 
fore they  came  thundering  along  our 
streets,  canals  were  the  hope  of  our  coun- 
try. But  who  ever  thinks  now  of  traveling 
by  canal  packets?  In  June,  1852,  there 
were  only  forty  miles  of  railroad  connected 
with  the  city.  The  old  Galena  division  of 
the  Northwestern  ran  out  to  Elgin.  But 
now,  who  can  count  the  trains  and  measure 
the  roads  that  seek  a  terminus  or  connection 
in  this  city?  The  lake  stretches  away  to 
the   north,  gathering   into    this  center  all 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


the  harvests  that  might  otherwise  pass  to 
the  north  of  us.  If  you  will  take  a  map 
and  kx)k  at  the  adjustment  of  railroads, 
you  will  see,  first,  that  Chicago  is  the  great 
railroad  center  of  the  world,  as  New  York 
is  the  commercial  city  of  this  continent; 
and,  second,  that  the  railroad  lines  form 
the  iron  spokes  of  a  great  wheel  whose  hub 
is  this  city.  The  lake  furnishes  the  only 
break  in  the  spokes,  and  this  seems  simply 
to  have  pushed  a  few  spokes  together  on 
each  shore.  See  the  eighteen  trunk  lines, 
exclusive  of  eastern  connections. 

Pass  round   the  circle,  and  view   their 
numbers  and  extent.     There  is  the  great 
Northwestern,  with  all  its  branches,  one 
branch  creeping  along  the  lake  shore,  and 
so  reaching   to    the  north,   into   the   Lake 
Superior  regions,  away  to  the  right,  and  on 
to  the  Northern  Pacific  on  the  left,  swing- 
ini;-  around  Green  Bay  for  iron  and  copper 
and  silver,  twelve  months  in  the  year,  and 
reaching  out  for  the  wealth  of  the  great 
aarricultural  belt  and  isothermal  line  trav- 
ersed  by  the  Northern  Pacific.     Another 
branch,  not  so   far   north,  feeling  for  the 
heart  of  the  Badger  State.     Another  push- 
ing lower  down  the  Mississippi — all  these 
make  many  connections,  and  tapping  all 
the  vast  wheat  regions  of  Minnesota,  Wis- 
consin, Iowa,  and  all  the  regions  tliis  side 
of  sunset.     There  is  that  elegant  road,  the 
Chicago,   Burlington  &   Quincy,   running 
out    a   goodly    number   of    branches,    and 
reaping   the  great  fields   this  side   of  the 
Missouri   River.     I  can  only  mention  the 
Chiciigo,  Alton  &  St.  Louis,  ow  Illinois 
Central,  described  elsewhere,  and  the  Ciii- 
ca<ro  &  Eock  Island.     Further  around  we 
come  to  the  lines  connecting   us  with   all 
the  Eastern  cities.     The  Chicago,  Indian- 


apolis  &   St.    Louis,  the   Pittsburg,   Fort 
Wayne    &    Chicago,    the   Lake   Shore   & 
Michigan    Southern,    and    the    Michigan 
Central  and  Great  Western,  give  us  many 
highways  to  the  seaboard.     Thus  we  reach 
the  Mississippi  at  five  points,  from  St.  Paul 
to  Cairo  and  the  Gulf  itself  by  two  routes. 
We  also  reach  Cincinnati   and   Baltimore, 
and  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  and  New 
York.     North    and   south    run    the   water 
courses  of  the  lakes  and  the  rivers,  broken 
just  enough  at   this   point  to  make  a  pass. 
Through   this,  from   east   to  west,  run   the 
long  lines  that  stretch  from  ocean  to  ocean. 
This   is   the  neck  of  the   glass,  and  the 
(Tolden  sands  of  commerce  must  pass  into 
our  hands.     Altogether  we  have  more  than 
10,000  miles  of  railroad,  directly  tributary 
to  this  city,  seeking  to  unload  their  wealth 
in  our  coffers.     All  these  roads  have  come 
themselves   by    the   infallible   instinct   of 
capital.     Not   a  dollar  was  ever  given  by 
the  city  to  secure  one  of  them,  and  only  a 
small  per  cent,  of  stock  taken  originally  by 
her  citizens,  and   that  taken   simply  as  an 
investment.     Coming  in  the  natural  order 
of  events,  they  will  not  be  easily  diverted. 
There  is  still  another  showing  to  all  this. 
The   connection  between  New  York   aiul 
San  Francisco  is  by  the  middle  route.    This 
passes    inevitably    through    Chicago.     St. 
Louis  wants  the  Southern  Pacific  or  Kansas 
Pacific,  and  pushes  it  out  through  Denver, 
and  so  on  up  to  Cheyenne.     But  before  the 
road  is  fairly  under  way,  the  Chicago  roads 
shove  out  to  Kansas  City,  Tuakingeven  the 
Kansas  Pacific  a  feeder,  and   actually  leav- 
ing St.  Louis  out  in  the  cold.     It  is  not  too 
much  to  expect  that  Dakota,  Montana,  and 
Washington  Territory  will  find  their  great 
market  in  Chicago. 


72 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


But  these  are  not  all.  Perhaps  I  had 
better  notice  here  the  ten  or  fifteen  new 
roads  tliat  have  just  entered,  or  are  just 
entering,  our  city.  Their  names  are  all 
that  is  necessary  to  give.  Chicago  &  St. 
Paul,  looking  up  the  Red  River  country  to 
the  British  possessions ;  the  Chicago,  At- 
lantic &  Pacific  ;  the  Chicago,  Decatur  & 
State  line  ;  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  ;  the 
Chicago,  Danville  &  Vincennes  ;  the  Chi- 
cago &  La  Salle  Railroad  ;  the  Chicago, 
Pittsburgh  &  Cincinnati  ;  the  Chicago  and 
Canada  Southern  ;  the  Chicago  and  Illi- 
nois River  Railroad.  These,  with  their  con- 
nections, and  with  the  new  connections  of 
the  old  roads,  already  in  process  of  erection, 
give  to  Chicago  not  less  than  10,000  miles 
of  new  tributaries  from  the  richest  land  on 
the  continent.  Thus  there  will  be  added 
to  the  reserve  power,  to  the  capital  within 
reach  of  this  city,  not  less  than  $1,000,000,- 
UOO. 

Add  to  all  this  transporting  power  the 
ships  that  sail  one  every  nine  minutes  of 
the  business  hours  of  the  season  of  naviga- 
tion; add,  also,  the  canal  boats  that  leave 
one  every  five  minutes  during  the  same 
time — and  you  will  see  something  of  the 
business  of  the  city. 

THE  COMMERCE  OF  THIS  CITY 

has  been  leaping  along  to  keep  pace  with 
the  growth  of  the  country  around  us.  In 
1852,  our  commerce  reached  the  hopeful 
sum  of  $20,000,000.  In  1870  it  reached 
$400,000,000.  In  1871  it  was  pushed  up 
above  $i50,000,000,  and  in  1875  it  touched 
nearly  double  that. 

One  half  of  our  imported  goods  come  di- 
rectly to  Chicago.  Grain  enough  is  export- 
ed directly  from  our  docks  to  the  old  world 


to  employ  a  semi-weekly  line  of  steamers  of 
3,000  tons  capacity.  This  branch  is  not 
likely  to  be  greatly  developed.  Even  after 
the  great  Welland  Canal  is  completed  we 
shall  have  only  fourteen  feet  of  water.  The 
ereat  ocean  vessels  will  continue  to  control 
the  trade. 

The  schools  of  Chicago  are  unsurpassed 
in  America.  Out  of  a  population  of  300,- 
000,  there  were  only  186  persons  between 
the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one  unable  to 
read.     This  is  the  best  known  record. 

In  1831  the  mail  system  was  condensed 
into  a  half-breed,  who  went  on  foot  to 
Niles,  Mich.,  once  in  two  weeks,  and 
brought  back  what  papers  and  news  he 
could  find.  As  late  as  1846  there  was 
often  only  one  mail  a  week.  A  post-office 
was  established  in  Chicago  in  1833,  and 
the  post-master  nailed  up  old  boot-legs  on 
one  side  of  his  shop  to  serve  as  boxes  for 
the  nabobs  and  literary  men. 

The  improvements  that  have  character- 
ized the  city  are  as  startling  as  the  city 
itself  In  1831,  Mark  Beaubien  established 
a  ferry  over  the  river,  and  put  himself  un- 
der bonds  to  carry  all  the  citizens  free  for 
the  privilege  of  charging  strangers.  Now 
there  are  twenty-four  large  bridges  and  two 
tunnels. 

In  1833  the  government  expended  $30,- 
000  on  the  harbor.  Then  commenced  that 
series  of  maneuvers  with  the  river  that  has 
made  it  one  of  the  world's  curiosities.  It 
used  to  wind  around  in  the  lower  end  of 
the  town,  and  make  its  way  rippling  over 
the  sand  into  the  lake  at  the  foot  of  Madi- 
son street.  They  took  it  up  and  put  it 
down  where  it  now  is.  It  was  a  narrow 
stream,  so  narrow  that  even  moderately 
small  crafts  had  to  go  up  through  the  wil- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


lows  and  cat's  tails  to  the  point  near  Lake 
street  bridge,  and  back  up  one  of  the 
branches  to  get  room  enough  in  which  to 
turn  around. 

In  1844  the  quagmires  in  the  streets 
were  first  pontooned  by  plank  roads,  which 
acted  in  wet  weather  as  public  squirt-guns. 
Keeping  you  out  of  the  mud,  they  com- 
promised by  squirting  the  mud  over  you. 
Tlie  wooden-block  pavements  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1857.  In  1840  water  was  delivered 
by  peddlers  in  carts  or  by  hand.  Then  a 
twenty-five  horse-power  engine  pushed  it 
through  hollow  or  bored  logs  along  the 
streets  till  1854,  when  it  was  introduced 
into  the  houses  by  new  works.  The  first 
fire-engine  was  used  in  1835,  and  the  first 
steam  tire-engine  in  1859.  Gas  was  util- 
ized for  lighting  the  city  in  1850.  The 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  was 
organized  in  1858,  and  horse  railroads 
carried  them  to  their  work  in  1859.  The 
alarm  telegraph  adopted  in  1864.  The 
opera-house  built  in  1865.  The  city  grew 
from  560  acres  in  1833  to  23,000  in  1869. 
In  1834,  the  taxes  amounted  to  $48.90,  and 
the  trustees  of  the  town  borrowed  $60  more 
for  opening  and  improving  streets.  In 
1835,  the  Legislature  authorized  a  loan  of 
$2,000,  and  the  treasurer  and  street  com- 
missioners resigned  rather  than  plunge  the 
town  into  such  a  gulf. 

One  third  of  the  city  has  been  raised  up 
an  average  of  eight  feet,  giving  good  pitch 
to  the  263  miles  of  sewerage.  The  water 
of  the  city  is  above  all  competition.  It  is 
received  through  two  tunnels  extending  to 
a  crib  in  the  lake  two  miles  from  shore. 
The  first  tunnel  is  five  feet  two  inches  in 
diameter  and  two  miles  long,  and  can 
deliver  50,000,000  of  gallons  per  day.    The 


second  tunnel  is  seven  feet  in  diameter  and 
six  miles  long,  running  four  miles  under 
the  city,  and  can  deliver  100,000,000  of 
gallons  per  day.  This  water  is  distributed 
through  410  miles  of  watermains. 

The  three  grand  engineering  exploits  of 
the  city  are  :  First,  lifting  the  city  up  on 
jack-screws,  whole  squares  at  a  time,  with- 
out interrupting  the  business,  thus  giving 
us  good  drainage  ;  second,  running  the 
tunnels  under  the  lake,  giving  us  the  best 
water  in  the  world  ;  and  third,  the  turning 
the  current  of  the  river  in  its  own  channel, 
delivering  us  from  the  old  abominations, 
and  making  decency  possible.  They  re- 
dound about  equally  to  the  ci-edit  of  the 
engineering,  to  the  energy  of  the  people, 
and  to  the  health  of  the  city. 

That  which  really  constitutes  the  city,  its 
indescribable  spirit,  its  soul,  the  way  it 
lights  up  in  ever}'  feature  in  the  hour  of 
action,  has  not  been  touched.  In  meeting 
strangers,  one  is  often  surprised  how  some 
homely  women  marry  so  well.  Their  forms 
are  bad,  their  gait  uneven  and  awkward, 
their  complexion  is  dull,  their  features 
are  misshapen  and  mismatched,  and  when 
we  see  them  there  is  no  beauty  that  we 
should  desire  them.  But  when  once  they 
are  aroused  on  some  subject,  they  put  on 
new  proportions.  They  light  up  into  great 
power.  The  real  person  comes  out  from 
its  unseemly  ambush,  and  captures  us  at 
will.  They  have  power.  They  have  abil- 
ity to  cause  things  to  come  to  pass.  We 
no  longer  wonder  why  they  are  in  such 
high  demand.     So  it  is  with  our  city. 

There  is  no  grand  scenery  except  the 
two  seas,  one  of  water,  the  other  of  prairie. 
Nevertheless,  there  is  a  spirit  about  it,  a 
push,  a  breadth,  a  power,  that  soon  makes 


74 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


it  a  place  never  to  be  forsaken.  One  soon 
ceases  to  believe  in  impossibilities.  Ba- 
laams are  the  only  prophets  that  are  disap- 
pointed. The  bottom  that  has  been  on  the 
point  of  falling  out  has  been  there  so  long 
that  it  has  grown  fast.  It  can  not  fall  out. 
It  has  all  the  capital  of  the  world  itching 
to  get  inside  the  corporation. 

The  two  great  laws  that  govern  the 
growth  and  size  of  cities  are,  first,  the 
amount  of  territory  for  which  they  are  the 
disti-ibuting  and  receiving  points  ;  second, 
the  number  of  medium  or  moderate  dealers 
that  do  this  distributing.  Monopolists 
build  up  themselves,  not  the  cities.  They 
neither  eat,  wear,  nor  live  in  proportion  to 
their  business.     Both  these  laws  help  Chi- 


cago. 


The  tide  of  trade  is  eastward — not  up  or 
down  the  map,  bat  across  the  map.  The 
lake  runs  up  a  wingdam  for  500  miles  to 
gather  in  the  business.  Commerce  can 
not  ferry  up  there  for  seven  months  in  the 
year  and  the  facilities  for  seven  months  can 
do  the  work  for  twelve.  Then  the  great  re- 
gion west  of  us  is  nearly  all  good,productive 
land.  Dropping  south  into  the  trail  of 
St.  Louis,  you  fall  into  vast  deserts  and 
rocky  districts,  useful  in  holding  the  world 
together.  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  instead 
of  rivaling  and  hurting  Chicago,  are  her 
greatest  sureties  of  dominion.  They  are 
far  enough  away  to  give  sea-room — farther 
off  than  Paris  is  from  London — and  yet 
they  are  near  enough  to  prevent  the  spring- 
ing up  of  any  other  great  city  between 
them. 

St.  Louis  will  be  helped  by  the  opening 
of  the  Mississippi,  but  also  hurt.  That 
will  put  New  Orleans  on  her  feet,  and  with 
a  railroad  runnino;  over  into  Texas  and  so 


West,  she  will  tap  the  streams  that  now 
crawl  up  the  Texas  and  Missouri  road.  The 
current  is  East,  not  North, and  a  seaport  at 
New  Orleans  can  not  permanently  help  St. 
Louis. 

Chicago  is  in  the  field  almost  alone,  to 
handle  the  wealth  of  one  fourth  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  this  great  republic.  This  strip  of 
seacoast  divides  its  margins  between  Port- 
land,  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore  and  Savannah  or  some  other 
great  port  to  be  created  for  the  South  in  the 
next  decade.  But  Chicago  has  a  dozen  em- 
pires casting  their  treasures  into  her  lap. 
On  a  bed  of  coal  that  can  run  all  the  ma- 
chinery of  the  world  for  500  centuries;  in 
a  garden  feed  the  race  by  the  thousand 
years;  at  the  head  of  the  lakes  that  give 
her  a  temperature  as  a  summer  resort 
equaled  by  no  great  city  in  the  land;  with 
a  climate  that  insures  the  health  of  her 
citizens;  surrounded  bj'  all  the  great  de- 
posits of  natural  wealth  in  mines  and  forests 
and  herds,  Chicago  is  the  wonder  of  to-day, 
and  will  be  the  city  of  the  future. 

MASSACEE  AT  FORT  DEARBOEN. 

During  the  war  of  1S12,  Fort  Dearborn 
became  the  theater  of  stirring  events.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  fifty-four  men  under 
command  of  Captain  Nathan  Heald, 
assisted  by  Lieutenant  Helm  (son-in-law  of 
Mrs.  Kinzie)  and  Ensign  Ronan.  Dr. 
Yoorhees  was  surgeon.  The  only  residents 
at  the  post  at  that  time  were  the  wives  of 
Captain  Heald  and  Lieutenant  Helm,  and 
a  few  of  the  soldiers,  Mr.  Kinzie  and  his 
family,  and  a  few  Canadian  voya^eurs, 
with  their  wives  and  children.  The  sol- 
diers and  Mr.  Kinzie  wereon  most  friendly 
terms  with  the  Pottawatomies  and  Win- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


75 


nebagoes,  the  principal  tribes  around  them, 
but  they  could  not  win  them  from  their 
attachment  to  the  British. 

One  evening  in  April,  1812,  Mr.  Kinzie 
sat  playing  on  his  violin  and  his  children 
were  dancing  to  the  music,  when  Mrs.  Kin- 
zie came  rushing  into  the  house  pale  with 
terror,  and  exclaiming:  "The  Indians!  the 
Indians!"  *' What?  where?  "  eagerly  in- 
quired Mr.  Kinzie.  "  Up  at  Lee's,  killing 
and  scalping,"  answered  the  frightened 
mother,  who,  when  the  alarm  was  given, 
was  attending  Mrs.  Barnes  (just  conMned) 
living  not  far  oif.  Mr.  Kinzie  and  his 
family  crossed  the  river  and  took  refuge  in 
the  fort,  to  which  place  Mrs.  Barnes  and 
her  infant  not  a  day  old,  were  safely  con- 
veyed. The  rest  of  the  inhabitants  took 
shelter  in  tlie  fort.  This  alarm  was  caused 
by  a  scalping  party  of  Winnebagoes,  who 
hovered  about  the  fort  several  days,  when 
they  disappeared,  and  for  several  weeks 
the  inhabitants  were  undisturbed. 

On  the  7th  of  August,  1812,  General 
Hull,  at  Detroit,  sent  orders  to  Captain 
Heald  to  evacuate  Fort  Dearborn,  and  to 
distribute  all  the  United  States  property  to 
the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood — a  most 
insane  order.  The  Pottawatomie  chief 
who  brought  the  dispatch  had  more  wisdom 
than  the  commanding  general.  He  ad- 
vised Captain  Heald  not  to  make  the 
distribution.  Said  he:  "Leave  the  fort 
and  stores  as  tiiey  are,  and  let  the  Indians 
make  distribution  for  themselves;  and 
while  they  are  engaged  in  the  business, 
the  white  people  may  esca])e  to  Fort 
Wayne." 

Captain  Heald  held  a  council  with  the  In- 
dians on  the  afternoon  of  the  12th,  in  which 
his  officers  refused  to  join,  for  they  had  been 


informed  that  treacherv  was  designed — 
that  the  Indians  intended  to  murder  the 
white  people  in  the  council,  and  then 
destroy  those  in  the  fort.  Captain  Heald, 
however,  took  the  precaution  to  open  a 
port-hole  displaying  a  cannon  pointing  di- 
rectly upon  the  council,  and  by  that  means 
saved  his  life. 

Mr.  Kinzie,  who  knew  the  Indians  well, 
begged  Captain  Heald  not  to  confide  in 
their  promises,  nor  distribute  the  arms  and 
munitions  among  them,  for  it  would  only 
put  power  into  their  iiands  to  destroy  the 
whites.  Acting  upon  this  advice,  Heald 
resolved  to  withhold  the  munitions  of  war; 
and  on  the  night  of  the  13th  after  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  other  property  had  been 
made,  the  powder,  ball  and  liquors  were 
thrown  into  the  river,  the  muskets  broken 
up  and  destroyed. 

Black  Partridge,  a  friendly  chief,  came 
to  Captain  Heald  and  said:  "Linden  birds 
have  been  singing  in  my  ears  to-day;  be 
careful  on  the  march  you  are  iroino'  to 
take."  On  that  night  vigilant  Indians  had 
crept  near  the  fort  and  discovered  the 
destruction  of  their  promised  booty  going 
on  within.  The  next  morning  the  powder 
was  seen  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  river. 
The  savages  were  exasperated  and  made 
loud  complaints  and  threats. 

On  the  following  day  when  preparations 
were  making  to  leave  the  fort,  and  all  the 
inmates  were  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  impending  danger,  Capt.  Wells,  an 
uncle  of  Mrs.  Heald,  was  discovered  upon 
the  Indian  trail  among  the  sand  hills  on 
the  borders  of  the  lake,  not  far  distant, 
with  a  band  of  mounted  Mianiis,  of  whose 
tribe  he  was  chief,  having  been  ado]ited  bv 
the  famous  Miami   warrior,  Little  Turtle. 


76 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


"When  news  of  Hull's  surrender  reached 
Fort  Wayne,  he  had  started  with  this  force 
to  assist  Heald  in  defending  Fort  Dearborn. 
He  was  too  late.  Every  means  for  its 
defense  had  been  destro3'ed  the  night  be- 
fore, and  arrangements  were  made  for  leav- 
ing the  fort  on  the    morning  of  the   15th. 

It  was  a  warm,  bright  morning  in  the 
middle  of  August.  Indications  were  posi- 
tive that  the  savages  intended  to  murder 
the  white  people;  and  when  they  moved 
out  of  the  southern  gate  of  the  fort,  the 
march  was  like  a  funeral  procession.  The 
band,  feeling  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion, 
struck  up  the  Dead  March  in  Saul. 

Capt.  Wells,  who  had  blackened  his  face 
with  gun-powder  in  token  of  his  fate,  took 
the  lead  with  his  band  of  Miamis,  followed 
by  Captain  Heald  with  his  wife  by  his  side 
on  horseback.  Mr.  Kinzie  hoped  by  his 
personal  influence  to  avert  the  impending 
blow,  and  therefore  accompanied  them, 
leaving  his  family  in  a  boat  in  charge  of  a 
friendly  Indian,  to  be  taken  to  his  trading 
station  at  the  site  of  Niles,  Michigan,  in 
the  event  of  his  death. 

The  procession  moved  slowly  along  the 
lake  shore  till  they  reached  the  sand  hills 
between  the  prairie  and  the  beach,  when 
the  Pottawatomie  escort,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Blackbird,  tiled  to  the  right, 
placing  those  hills  between  them  and  the 
white  people.  Wells,  with  his  Miamis,  had 
kept  in  the  advance.  They  suddenly  came 
rushing  back,  Wells  exclaiming,  "They 
are  about  to  attack  us;  form  instantly." 
These  words  were  quickly  followed  by  a 
storm  of  bullets  which  came  whistling 
over  the  little  hills  which  the  treacherous 
savages  had  made  the  covert  for  their  mur- 
derous attack.     The  white  troops  charged 


upon  the  Indians,  drove  them  back  to  the 
prairie,  and  then  the  battle  was  waged  be- 
tween fifty-four  soldiers,  twelve  civilians 
and  three  or  four  women  (the  cowardly 
Miamis  having  fled  at  the  outset)  against 
five  hundred  Indian  warriors.  The  white 
people,  hopeless,  resolved  to  sell  their  lives 
as  dearly  as  possible.  Ensign  Ronan 
wielded  his  weapon  vigorously,  even  after 
falling  upon  his  knees  weak  from  the  loss 
of  blood.  Capt.  Wells,  who  was  by  the 
side  of  his  niece,  Mrs.  Heald,  when  the 
conflict  began,  behaved  with  the  greatest 
coolness  and  courage.  He  said  to  her, 
"  We  have  not  the  slightest  chance  for  life. 
We  must  part  to  meet  no  more  in  this 
world.  God  bless  you."  And  then  he 
dashed  forward.  Seeing  a  young  warrior, 
painted  like  a  demon,  climb  into  a  wagon 
in  which  were  twelve  children,  and  toma- 
hawk them  all,  he  cried  out,  unmindful  of 
his  personal  danger,  "  If  that  is  your  game, 
butchering  women  and  children,  I  will  kill 
too."  He  spurred  his  horse  tow-ards  the 
Indian  camp,  where  they  had  left  their 
squaws  and  papooses,  hotly  pursued  by 
swift-footed  young  warriors,  who  sent  bul- 
lets whistling  after  him.  One  of  these 
killed  his  horse  and  wounded  him  severely 
in  the  leg.  With  a  yell  the  young  braves 
rushed  to  make  him  their  prisoner  and  re- 
serve him  for  torture.  He  resolved  not  to 
be  made  a  captive,  and  by  the  use  of  the 
most  provoking  epithets  tried  to  induce 
them  to  kill  him  instantly.  He  called  a 
fiery  young  chief  a  sqiuiw,  when  the  en- 
raged warrior  killed  Wells  instantly  with 
his  tomahawk,  jumped  upon  his  body,  cut 
out  his  heart,  and  ate  a  portion  of  the  warm 
morsel  with  savage  delight  ! 

In    this   fearful   combat  women   bore  a 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


conspicuous  part.  Mrs.  Heald  was  an  ex- 
cellent equestrian  and  an  expert  in  the  use 
of  the  rifle.  Slie  fought  the  savajres  bravely, 
receiving  several  severe  wounds.  Though 
faint  from  the  loss  of  blood,  she  managed  to 
keep  her  saddle.  A  savage  raised  his  toma- 
hawk to  kill  her,  when  she  looked  him  full 
in  the  face,  and  with  a  sweet  smile  and  in  a 
gentle  voice  said,  in  his  own  language, 
"Surely  you  will  not  kill  a  squaw  !"  The 
arm  of  the  savage  fell,  and  the  life  of  the 
heroic  woman  was  saved. 

Mrs.  Helm,  the  step-daughter  of  Mr. 
Kinzie,  had  an  encounter  with  a  stout  In- 
dian, who  attempted  to  tomahawk  her. 
Springing  to  one  side,  she  received  the 
glancing  blow  on  her  shoulder,  and  at  the 
same  instant  seized  the  savage  round  the 
neck  with  her  arms  and  endeavored  to  get 
hold  of  his  scalping  knife,  which  hung  in  a 
sheath  at  his  breast.  While  she  was  thus 
struiTgling  she  was  drao;o;ed  from  her  antaij- 
onist  by  another  powerful  Indian,  who  bore 
her,  in  spite  of  her  struggles,  to  the  margin 
of  the  lake  and  plunged  her  in.  To  her 
astonishment  she  was  held  by  him  so  that 
she  would  not  drown,  and  she  soon  per- 
ceived that  she  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
friendly  Black  Partridge,  who  had  saved 
her  life. 

The  wife  of  Sergeant  Holt,  a  large  and 
powerful  woman,  behaved  as  bravely  as  an 
Amazon.  She  rode  a  fine,  high-spirited 
horse,  whicli  the  Indians  coveted,  and 
several  of  them  attacked  her  with  the  butts 
of  their  guns,  for  the  purpose  of  dismount- 
ing her;  but  she  used  the  sword  which  she 
had  snatched  from  her  disabled  husband  so 
skillfully  that  she  foiled  them;  and,  sud- 
denly wheeling  her  horse,  she  dashed  over 
the  prairie,  followed  by  the  savages  shout- 


ing, "The  brave  woman!  the  brave  woman! 
Don't  hurt  her!"  They  finally  overtook 
her,  and  while  she  was  fighting  them  in 
front,  a  ])0werful  savage  came  up  behind 
her,  seized  her  by  the  neck  and  dragged 
her  to  the  ground.  Horse  and  woman 
were  made  captive.  Mrs.  Hok  was  a  long 
time  a  captive  among  the  Indians,  but  was 
afterward  ransomed. 

In  this  sharp  conflict  two  thirds  of  the 
white  people  were  slain  and  wounded,  and 
all  their  horses,  baggage  and  provision 
were  lost.  Only  twentv-eight  stragsliug 
men  now  remained  to  fight  five  hundred 
Indians  rendered  furious  by  the  sight  of 
blood.  They  succeeded  in  breaking  through 
the  ranks  of  the  murderers  and  gaining  a 
slight  eminence  on  the  ])rairie  near  the 
Oak  Woods.  The  Indians  did  not  pursue, 
but  gathered  on  their  flanks,  while  the 
chiefs  held  a  consultation  on  the  sand-hills, 
and  showed  signs  of  willingness  to  parley. 
It  would  have  been  madness  on  the  part  of 
the  whites  to  renew  the  fight;  and  so  Capt. 
Heald  went  forward  and  met  Blackbird  on 
the  open  prairie,  where  terms  of  sur- 
render were  agreed  upon.  It  was  arranged 
that  the  white  people  should  give  up  their 
arms  to  Blackbird,  and  that  the  survivors 
should  become  prisoners  of  war,  to  be  ex- 
changed for  ransoms  as  soon  as  practicable. 
With  this  understanding  captives  and  cap- 
tors started  for  the  Indian  camp  near  the 
fort,  to  which  Mrs.  Helm  liad  been  taken 
bleeding  and  sufi'ering  by  Black  Partridge, 
and  had  met  her  step-father  and  learned 
that  her  husband  was  safe. 

A  new  scene  of  horror  was  now  opened 
at  the  Indian  camp.  The  wounded,  not 
being  included  in  the  surrender,  as  it  was 
interpreted  by  the  Indians,  and  the  British 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


general,  Proctor,  having  offered  a  liberal 
bounty  for  American  scalps,  delivered  at 
Maiden,  nearly  all  the  wounded  men  were 
killed  and  scalped,  and  price  of  the  trophies 
was  afterward  paid  by  the  British  govern- 
ment. 

This  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Shabbona, 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice.  Al- 
though he  was  not  so  conspicuous  as 
Tecumseh  or  Black  Hawk,  yet  in  point  of 
merit  he  was  superior  to  either  of  them. 

Shabbona  was  born  at  an  Indian  village 
on  the  Kankakee  River,  now  in  Will  County 
about  the  year  1775.  While  young  he  was 
made  chief  of  the  band,  and  went  to  Shab- 
bona Grove,  now  De  Kalb  County,  where 
they  were  found  in  the  early  settlement  of 
the  county. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  Shabbona,  with  his 
warriors,  joined  Tecumseh,  was  aid  to  that 
great  chief,  and  stood  by  his  side  when  he 
fell  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  At  the 
time  of  the  Winnebago  war,  in  1827,  he 
visited  almost  every  village  among  the  Pot- 
tawatomies,  and  by  his  persuasive  argu- 
ments prevented  them  from  taking  part  in 
the  war.  By  request  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago,  Shabbona,  accompanied  by  Billy 
Caldwell  (Sauganash),  visited  Big  Foot's 
village  at  Geneva  Lake,  in  order  to  pacify 
the  warriors,  as  fears  were  entertained  that 
they  were  about  to  raise  the  tomahawk 
against  the  whites.  Here  Shabbona  was 
taken  prisoner  by  Big  Foot,  and  his  life 
threatened,  but  on  the  following  day  was 
set  at  liberty.  From  that  time  the  Indians 
(through  reproach)  styled  him  "  the  white 
man's  friend,"  and  many  times  his  life  was 
endangered. 

Before  the  Black  Hawk  war,  Shabbona 
met  in  council  at  two  different  times,  and 


by  his  influence  prevented  his  people  from 
taking  part  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
After  the  death  of  Black  Partridge  and 
Senachwine,  no  chief  among  the  Pottawat- 
omies  exerted  so  much  influence  as  Shab- 
bona. Black  Hawk,  aware  of  this  influ- 
ence, visited  him  at  two  different  times,  in 
order  to  enlist  him  in  his  cause,  but  was 
unsuccessful.  While  Black  Hawk  was  a 
prisoner  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  he  said,  had 
It  not  been  for  Shabbona  the  whole  Potta- 
watomie nation  would  have  joined  his 
standard,  and  he  could  have  continued  the 
war  for  3'ears. 

To  Shabbona  many  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Illinois  owe  the  preservation  of  their 
lives,  for  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  had  he  not 
notified  the  people  of  their  danger,  a  large 
portion  of  them  would  have  fallen  victims 
to  the  tomahawk  of  savages.  By  saving 
the  lives  of  whites  he  endangered  his  own, 
for  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  threatened  to  kill 
him,  and  made  two  attempts  to  execute 
their  threats.  The}'  killed  Pj'peogee,  his 
son,  and  Pyps,  his  nephew,  and  hunted  him 
down  as  though  he  was  a  wild  beast. 

Shabbona  had  a  reservation  of  two  sec- 
tions of  land  at  his  Grove,  but  by  leaving 
it  and  going  West  for  a  short  time,  the 
Government  declared  tlie  reservation  for- 
feited, and  sold  it  the  same  as  other  vacant 
land.  On  Shabbona's  return,  and  finding 
his  possessions  gone,  he  was  very  sad  and 
broken  down  in  spirit,  and  left  the  Grove 
forever.  The  citizens  of  Ottawa  raised 
money  and  bought  him  a  tract  of  land  on 
the  Illinois  Kiver,  iibove  Seneca,  in  Grundy 
County,  on  which  they  built  a  house,  and 
supplied  him  with  means  to  live  on.  He 
lived  here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
on  the  17th  of  July,  1859,  in  the  eighty- 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


79 


fourth  year  of  liis  age,  and  was  buried  with 
creat  pomp  in  tlie  cemetery  at  Morris. 
His  squaw,  Pokanoka,  was  drowned  in 
Mazon  Creek,  Grundy  County,  on  the 
30th  of  November,  1864,  and  was  buried 
by  his  side. 

In  1861  subscriptions  were  taken  up  in 


many  of  the  river  towns,  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment over  tlie  remains  of  Shabbona,  but 
the  war  breaking  out,  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned.  Only  a  plain  marble  slab 
marks  the  resting-place  of  this  friend  of  the 
white  man. 


PAKT  II. 


V 


ISTORY*OF*JEFFERSON*COUNTY. 


PART  II. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY, 


CHAPTER    I.* 


INTRODUCTORY— GEOLOGY    AND  ITS  PRACTICAL  VALUE— HOW  THOROUGHLY    TO    EDUCATE    THE 
FARMERS— WHY  THEY  SHOULD  UNDERSTAND  THE  GEOLOGICAL  FORMATIONS  OF  THE 
LAND  THEY  TILL— AGE  OF   THE  EARTH    ACCORDING  TO    THE    RESEARCH 
OF    THE    GEOLOGISTS— LOCAL    GEOLOGY— CONFIGURATION- 
SOILS    AND    TIMBER— MINERALS    AND    MINERAL 
SPRINGS— BUILDING  M  VTERIALS,   ETC. 


"  The  little  fields  made  green 
By  husbandry  of  many  thrifty  years." 

THERE  is  no  question  of  such  deep  in- 
terest as  the  geological  history  of  that 
particular  portion  of  the  country  in  which  we 
make  om-  homes.  The  people  of  Southern 
Illinois  are  an  agricultural  people  in  their 
pursuits.  Their  first  care  is  the  soil  and 
climate,  and  it  is  in  them  they  may  find  an 
almost  inexhaustible  fund  of  knowledge,  that 
will  ever  put  money  in  their  coffers.  All 
mankind  are  deeply  interested  in  the  soil. 
From  it  comes  all  life,  all  beauty,  pleasure, 
wealth  and  enjoyment.  Of  itself,  it  may 
not  be  a  beautiful  thing,  but  from  it  comes 
the  fragrant  flower,  the  golden  fields,  the 
sweet  blush  of  the  maiden's  cheek,  the  flash 
of  the  lustrous  eye,  that  is  more  powerful  to 
subdue  the  heart  of  obdurate  man  than  an 
army  with  banners.  From  it  spring  the  groat, 
rich  cities,  whose  towers,  and  temples,  and 
minarets  kiss  the  early  morning  sun,  and 
whose    ships,    with  their    precious  cargoes, 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


fleck  every  sea.  In  short,  it  is  the  nourish- 
ing mother  whence  comes  our  high  civiliza- 
tion— the  wealth  of  nations,  the  joys  and  ex- 
alted pleasures  of  life. 

The  corner-stone  upon  which  all  life  rests 
is  the  farmer,  who  tickles  the  earth,  and  it 
laughs  with  the  rich  harvests  that  so  bounti- 
fully bless  mankind.  Who,  then,  should  be 
so  versed  in  the  knowledge  oE  the  soil  as  the 
farmer?  What  other  information  can  be  so 
valuable  to  him  as  the  mastery  of  the  science 
of  geology,  that  much  of  it,  at  least,  as  ap- 
plies to  the  portion  of  the  earth  where  he 
has  cast  his  fortunes  and  cultivates  the  soil  ? 
We  talk  of  educating  the  farmer,  and  ordi- 
narily this  means  to  send  the  boys  to  college, 
to  acquire  what  is  termed  a  classical  educa- 
tion, and  they  come  back,  perhaps,  as  grad- 
uates, as  incapable  of  telling  the  geological 
story  of  ,thoir  father's  farm  as  of  describing 
the  color  and  shape  of  last  year's  clouds. 
How  much  more  of  practical  value  it  would 
have  been  to  the  young  man  had  he  never 
looked  into  the  classics,  and  instead  thereof 


102 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


had  taken  a  few  practical  lessons  in  the  local 
geology  that  ■would  have  told  him  the  story 
of  the  soil  around  him,  and  enabled  him  to 
comprehend  how  it  was  formed,  its  different 
qualities  and  from  whence  it  came  and  its 
constituent  elements.  The  farmer  grows  to 
be  an  old  man,  and  he  will  tell  you  he  has 
learned  to  be  a  good  farmer  only  by  a  long 
life  of  laborious  experiments;  and  if  you 
should  tell  him  that  these  experiments  had 
made  him  a  scientific  farmer,  he  would  look 
with  a  good  deal  of  contempt  upon  your  sup- 
posed effort  to  poke  ridicule  at  him.  He  has 
taught  himself  to  regard  the  word  "  science" 
as  the  property  only  of  bookworms  and  cranks. 
He  does  not  realize  that  every  step  in  farm- 
ing is  a  purely  scientific  operation,  because 
science  is  made  by  experiments  and  investi- 
gations. An  old  farmer  may  examine  a  soil 
and  tell  you  that  it  is  adapted  to  wheat  or 
corn,  that  it  is  warm,  or  cold  and  heavy,  or  a 
few  other  facts  that  jhis  long  experience  has 
taught  him,  and  to  that  extent  he  is  a  scien- 
tific farmer.  He  will  tell  you  that  his  knowl- 
edge has  cost  him  much  labor,  and  many  sore 
disappointments.  Suppose  that  in  his  youth 
a  well -digested  chapter  on  the  geological  his- 
tory, that  would  have  told  him  in  the  sim- 
plest terms,  all  about  the  land  he  was  to  culti- 
vate, how  invaluable  the  lesson  would  have 
been,  and  how  much  in  money  value  it  would 
have  proved  to  him.  In  other  words,  if  you 
could  give  your  boys  a  practical  education, 
made  up  of  a  few  lessons  pertaining  to  those 
subjects  that  immediately  concern  their  lives, 
how  invaluable  such  an  education  might  be, 
and  how  many  men  would  thus  be  saved  the 
pangs  and  penalties  of  ill-directed  lives. 

The  parents  often  spend  much  money  in 
the  education  of  their  children,  and  from 
this  they  build  gi-eat  hopes  upon  their  fut- 
ure that  are  often  blasted,  not  through  the 
fault,  always,  of  the  child,   but  through  the 


error  of  the  parent  in  not  being  able  to  know 
in  what  real,  practical  education  consists.  If 
the  schools  of  the  country,  for  instance,  could 
devote  one  of  the  school  months  in  each  year 
to  rambling  over  the  hills  and  the  fields,  and 
gathering  practical  lessons  in  the  geology 
and  botany  of  the  section  of  country  in 
which  the  children  were  born  and  reared, 
how  incomparably  more  valuable  and  useful 
the  time  thus  spent  would  be  to  them  in 
after  life,  than  would  the  present  mode  of 
shutting  out  the  sunshine  of  life,  and  spend- 
ing both  life  and  vitality  in  studying  meta- 
physical mathematics, or  the  most  of  the  other 
text-books,  that  impart  nothing  that  is  worth 
the  carrying  home  to  the  child's  stock  of 
knowledge.  At  all  events,  the  chapter  in 
the  county's  history,  or  in  the  history  of  any 
community  or  country,  that  tells  its  geolog- 
ical formation,  is  of  first  importance  to  all  its 
people,  and  if  properly  prepared  it  will  be- 
come a  soui'ce  of  great  interest  to  all,  and  do 
much  to  disseminate  a  better  education 
among  the  people,  and  thus  be  a  perpetual 
blessing  to  the  community. 

The  permanent  effects  of  the  soil  on  the 
people  are  as  strong  and  certain  as  they  are 
upon  the  vegetation  that  springs  from  it.  It 
is  a  maxim  in  geology  that  the  soil  and  its 
underlying  rocks  forecast  unerringly  to  the 
trained  eye  the  character  of  the  people, 
the  number  and  the  quality  of  the  civ- 
ilization of  those  who  will,  in  the  com- 
ing time,  occupy  it.  Indeed,  so  close  are  the 
relations  of  the  geology  and  the  people  that 
this  law  is  plain  and  fixed,  that  a  new  coun- 
try may  have  its  outlines  of  history  written 
when  first  looked  upon;  and  it  is  not,  as  so 
many  suppose,  one  of  those  deep,  abstruse 
subjects  that  are  to  be  given  over  solely  to  a 
few  great  investigators  and  thinkers,  and  to 
the  masses  must  forever  remain  a  sealed  book. 
Our  }ouths  may  learn  the  important  outlines 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


103 


of  the  geology  of  their  country  with  no  more 
difliculty  than  they  meet  in  mastering  the 
multiplication  table  or  the  simple  rule  of 
three.  And  we  make  no  question  that  a 
youth  need  not  possess  one-half  of  the  men- 
tal activity  and  shrewdness  in  making  a  fair 
geologist  of  himself  that  he  would  find  was 
required  of  him  to  become  a  skillful  manip- 
ulator of  cards  or  a  successful  jockey. 

On  the  geological  structure  of  a  country 
depend  the  pursuits  of  its  inhabitants,  and 
the  genius  of  its  civilization.  Agriculture  is 
the  outgrowth  of  a  fertile  soil;  mining  re- 
sults from  mineral  resources,  and  from  nav- 
igable rivers  spring  navies  and  commerce. 
Every  great  branch  of  ^industry  requires,  for 
its  successful  development,  the  cultivation  of 
kindred  arts  and  sciences.  Phases  of  life 
and  modes  of  thought  are  thus  induced, 
which  give  to  different  communities  and 
States  characters  as  various  as  the  diverse 
rocks  that  underlie  them.  In  like  manner 
it  may  be  shown  that  their  moral  and 
intellectual  qualities  depend  on  mater- 
ial conditions.  Where  the  soil  and  sub- 
jacent rocks  are  profuse  in  the  bestowal  of 
wealth,  man  is  indolent  and  effeminate; 
where  effort  is  required  to  live,  he  becomes 
enlightened  and  virtuous.  A  perpetually 
mild  climate  and  bread  growing  upon  the 
trees  will  produce  only  ignorant  savages. 
The  heaviest  misfortune  that  has  so  long  en- 
vironed poor,  persecuted  Ireland  has  been 
her  ability  to  produce  the  potato,  and  thus 
subsist  wife  and  children  upon  a  small  patch 
of  ground.  Statistics  tell  us  that  the  num- 
ber of  marriages  are  regulated  by  the  price 
of  corn,  and  the  true  philosopher  has  dis- 
covered that  the  invention  of  gunpowder  did 
more  to  civilize  the  world  than  any  one  thing 
in  its  history. 

Geology   traces   the  history  of   the   earth 
back  through   successive  stages  of   develop- 


ment to  its  rudimental  condition  in  a  state 
of  fusion.  The  sun,  and  the  planetary  sys- 
tem that  revolves  around  it,  were  originally  a 
common  mass,  that  became  separated  in  a 
gaseous  state,  and  the  loss  of  heat  in  a  planet 
reduced  it  to  an  elastic  state,  and  thus  it  com- 
menced to  write  its  own  history,  and  place 
its  records  upon  these  imperishable  books, 
where  the  geologist  may  go  and  read  the 
strange,  eventful  story.  The  earth  was  a 
wheeling  ball  of  fire,  and  the  cooling  event- 
ually formed  the  exterior  crust,  and  in  the 
slow  process  of  time  prepared  the  way  for 
the  animal  and  vegetable  life  it  now  con- 
tains. In  its  center,  the  fierce  flames  still  rage 
with  undiminished  energy.  Volcanoes  are 
outlets  for  these  deep-seated  fires,  where  are 
generated  those  tremendous  forces,  an  illus- 
tration of  which  is  given  in  the  eruptions  of 
Vesuvius,  which  has  thrown  a  jet  of  lava,  re- 
sembling a  column  of  flame,  10,000  feet 
high.  The  amount  of  lava  ejected  at  a  sin- 
gle eruption  fi'om  one  of  the  volcanoes  of 
Iceland  has  been  estimated  at  40,HOO,000,- 
Ol)0  tons,  a  quantity  sufficient  to  cover  a 
large  city  with  a  mountain  as  high  as  the 
tallest  Alps.  Our  world  is  yet  constantly 
congealing,  just  as  the  process  has  been  con- 
stantly going  on  for  billions  of  years,  and 
yet  the  rocky  crust  that  rests  upon  this  inter- 
nal fire  is  estimated  to  be  only  between  thirty 
and  forty  miles  in  thickness.  In  the  silent 
(Jepths  of  the  stratified  rocks  are  the  former 
creation  of  plants  and  animals,  which  lived 
and  died  during  the  slow,  dragging  centuries 
of  their  formation.  These  fossil  remains  are 
fragments  of  history,  which  enable  the  geol- 
ogist to  extend  his  researches  far  back  into 
the  realms  of  the  past,  and  not  only  deter- 
mine their  former  modes  of  life,  but  study 
the  contemporaneous  history  of  their  rocky 
beds,  and  group  them  into  systems.  And 
such  has  been  the  profusion  of  life,  that  the 


104 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


gi'eat  limestone  formations  of  the  globe  con- 
sist mostly  of  animal  remains,  cemented  by 
the  infusion  of  animal  matter.  A  large  part 
of  the  soil  spread  over  the  earth's  surface  has 
been  elaborated  in  animal  organisms.  First, 
as  nom'ishment,  it  enters  into  the  structure 
of  plants,  and  forms  vegetable  tissue;  passing 
thence,  as  food,  into  the  animal,  it  becomes 
endowed  with  life,  and  when  death  occurs  it 
returns  into  the  soil  and  imparts  to  it  addi- 
tional elements  of  fertility. 

The  realization  of  great  defects  in  the  edu- 
cation of  our  young  farmers  and  of  their 
losses  and  disappointments,  and  even  disas- 
ters, in  the  pursuit  of  their  occupation  of  till- 
ing the  earth,  that  come  of  their  neglect  in 
early  education  and  training,  promjats  ns 
to  present  a  subject  that  many  of  our 
readers  will  consider  dry  and  uninterest- 
ing. The  views  of  the  writer  are  not  vis- 
ionary,  or  mere  theories  drawn  from  books. 
Born  and  reared  on  a  farm,  with  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century's  experience  in  tilling 
the  soil,  qualifies  him  to  tell,  with  as  much 
facility  as  Horace  Greeley,  what  "  he  knows 
about  farming."  The  most  inportant  subject 
to  all  mankind  to-day  is  how  to  get  for  the 
young  people  the  best  education;  how  to  fit 
our  youths  for  the  life  struggle  before  them. 
Agassiz  was  (^nce  appealed  to  by  some  New 
England  horse-breeders  in  regard  to  develop- 
ing horses,  and  ti)ld  them  it  was  not  a  ques- 
tion of  equestrianism,  but  one  of  rocks.  To 
most  men  the  reply  would  have  been  almost 
meaningless,  yet  it  was  full  of  wisdom.  It 
signified  that  certain  rock  formations  that  un. 
derlie  the  soil  would  insure  a  certain  growth 
of  grasses  and  water,  and  the  secret  of  the 
perfect  horse  lay  here. 

That  the  reader  may  gather  here  lessons 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  rocks  that  are  spread 
out  over  the  earth,  we  give  in  their  order  the 
difiierent  groups  and  systems  in  the  simplest 


form  we  can  present  them,  as  gathered  from 
the  geologists.  We  only  deem  it  necessary 
to  explain  that  all  rocks  are  either  igneous 
or  stratified;  the  former  meaning  melted  by 
fire,  and  the  latter,  sediment  deposited  in  wa- 
ter. Their  order,  commencing  with  the  lowest 
stratified  rocks  and  ascending. are  as  follows: 

The  Laurentian  system  is  the  lowest  and 
oldest  of  the  stratified  rocks.  From  the  efi"ects 
of  great  heat,  it  has  assumed,  to  some  extent, 
the  character  of  the  igneous  rocks  below,  but 
still  retains  its  original  lines  of  stratifica- 
tion, A  principal  eftect  of  the  great  heat 
to  which  its  rocks  were  exposed  is  crystal- 
lization. The  Laurentian  system  was  formerly 
believed  to  be  destitute  of  organic  remains, 
but  recent  investigations  have  led  to  the 
discovery  of  animals,  so  low  in  the  scale  of 
organization  as  to  be  regarded  as  the  first 
appearance  of  sentient  existence.  This  dis- 
coverv,  as  it  extends  the  origin  of  life  back- 
ward through  30,000  feet  of  strata,  may  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  important  ad- 
vances made  in  American  geology. 

The  Huronian  system,  like  the  one  that 
precedes  it,  and  on  which  it  rests,  is  highly 
crystalline.  Although  fossils  have  not  been 
found  in  it,  yet  from  its  position,  the  infer- 
ence is  they  once  existed,  and  if  they  do  not 
now,  the  great  transforming  power  of  heat 
has  caused  their  obliteration.  This,  and 
the  subjacent  system,  extend  from  Labra- 
dor southwesterly  to  the  great  lakes,  and 
thence  northwesterly  toward  the  ..Lrctic 
Ocean,  They  derive  their  names  from  the 
St,  Lawrence  and  Lake  Htu-on,  on  the  banks 
of  which  are  found  their  principal  outcrops. 
Their  emergence  from  the  ocean  was  the  birth 
of  the  North  American  Continent.  One  face 
of  the  uplift  looked  toward  the  Atlantic  and 
the  other  toward  the  Pacific,  thus  prefigur- 
ing the  future  shores  of  this  great  divison 
of  the  globe  of  which  they  are  the  germ. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


105 


The  Silurian  age,  compared  with  the  more 
stable  formations  of  subsequent  times,  was  one 
of  commotion,  in  which  lire  and  water  played 
a  conspicuous  part.  Earthquakes  and  volca- 
noes furrowed  the  yielding  crust  with  ridges, 
and  thiew  up  islands  whose  craggy  summits, 
here  and  there,  stood  like  sentinels  above 
the  murky  deep  which  dashed  against  their 
shores.  The  present  diversities  of  climate 
did  not  exist,  as  the  temperature  was  mostly 
due  to  the  escape  of  internal  heat,  which 
was  the  same  over  every  part  of  the  surface. 
As  the  radiation  of  heat,  in  future  ages,  de- 
clined, the  sun  became  the  controlling  power, 
and  zones  of  climate  appeared  as  the  result 
of  solar  domination.  Uniform  thermal  con- 
ditions imparted  a  corresponding  character 
to  vegetable  and  animal  life,  and  one  univer- 
sal fauna  and  flora  extended  from  the  equa- 
tor to  the  poles.  During  the  Silui'ian  age. 
North  America,  like  its  inhabitants,  was 
mostly  submarine,  as  proved  by  wave  lines 
on  the  emergino;  lands. 

The  Devonian  age  is  distinguished  for  the 
introduction  of  vertebrates,  or  the  foui-th  sub- 
kingdom  of  animal  life,  and  the  beginning  of 
terrestrial  vegetation.  The  latter  appeared 
in  two  classes,  the  highest  of  the  flowerless 
and  the  lowest  of  the  flowering  plants.  The 
Lepidodendron,  a  noted  instance  of  the  for- 
mer, was  a  majestic,  upland  forest  tree, 
which,  during  the  coal  period,  grew  to  a 
height  of  eighty  feet,  and  had  a  base  of  more 
than  thi'ee  feet  in  diameter.  Its  description 
is  quite  poetical,  and  is  as  follows:  Beau- 
tiful spiral  flutings,  coiling  in  opposite  direc- 
tions and  crossing  each  other  at  fixed  angles, 
carved  the  trunks  and  branches  into  rbom- 
boidal  eminences,  each  of  which  was  scarred 
with  the  mark  of  a  falling  leaf.  At  an  alti- 
tude of  sixty  feet,  it  sent  ofi"  arms,  each  sep- 
arating into  branchlets,  covered  with  a 
needle-like  foliage  destitute  of  flowers.     It 


grew,  not  by  internal  or  external  accretions, 
as  plants  of  the  present  day,  but,  like  the 
building  of  a  monument,  by  additions  to  the 
top  of  its  trunk.  Mosses,  rushes  and  other 
diminutive  flowerless  plants  are  now  the  only 
representatives  of  this  cryptogamic  vegeta- 
tion, which  so  largely  predominated  in  the 
early  botany  of  the  globe.  Floral  beauty 
and  fragrance  were  not  characteristic  of  the 
old  Devonian  woods.  No  bird  existed  to 
enliven  their  silent  groves  with  song;  no  ser- 
pent to  hiss  in  the  fenny  brakes,  nor  beast 
to  pursue,  with  hideous  yells,  its  panting 
prey. 

The  vertebrates  consisted  of  fishes,  of -which 
the  Ganoids  and  Placoids  were  the  principal 
groups.  The  former  were  the  forerunners  of 
the  reptile,  which  in  .many  respects  they 
closely  resemble.  They  embraced  a  large 
number  of  species,  many  of  which  grew  to  a 
gigantic  size;  but,  with  the  excejation  of  the 
gar  and  sturgeon,  they  have  no  living  repre- 
sentative. The  Placoids,  structurally  formed 
for  advancement,  still  remain  among  the 
highest  types  of  the  present  seas.  The  shark, 
a  noted  instance,  judging  from  its  fossil  re- 
mains, must  have  attained  100  feet  in  length. 
Both  groups  lived  in  the  sea,  and  if  any 
fresh  water  animals  existed,  their  remains 
have  either  perished  or  not  been  found.  So 
numerous  were  the  inhabitants  of  the  ocean, 
that  the  Devonian  has  been  styled  the  age  of 
fishes.  In  their  anatomical  structure  was 
foreshadowed  the  organization  of  man;  rep- 
tiles, birds  and  mammals  being  the  inter- 
mediate gradations. 

The  Carboniferous  age  opened  with  the 
deposition  of  widely  extended  mai-ine  forma- 
tions. Added  to  the  strata  previously  do- 
posited,  the  entire  thickness  in  the  region 
of  the  Alleghanies,  now  partially  elevated, 
amounted  to  seven  miles.  The  most  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  Carboniferous  age  was  the 


106 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


formation  of  coal.  Being  carbonized  vege- 
table tissue,  the  material  f ui-nished  for  this 
puj-pose  was  the  vast  forest  accumulation  pe- 
culiar to  the  period.  The  coal-iields  of  Eu- 
rope are  estimated  at  18,000  square  miles, 
those  of  the  United  States  at  150,000.  In 
Illinois,  three-fourths  of  the  svirf ace  are  un- 
derlaid by  beds  of  coal,  and  the  State,  conse- 
quently, has  a  greater  area  than  any  other 
member  of  the  Union.  The  entire  carbon- 
iferous system,  including  the  coal  beds  and 
the  intervening  strata,  in  Southern  Illinois, 
is  27,000  feet  in  thickness  and  in  the  north- 
ern part  only  500  feet. 

The  Reptilian  age  came  next,  and  is  distin- 
guished for  changes  in  the  continental  bor- 
ders, which  generally  ran  within  their  pres- 
ent limits. 

The  Mammalian  age  witnessed  the  increaae 
of  the  mass  of  the  earth  above  the  ocean's 
level  threefold,  and  next  in  regular  succes- 
sion was  the  age  of  Man,  which  commenced 
with  the  present  geological  conditions.  These 
are  the  order  of  the  earth's  formation,  sim- 
ply given,  to  the  time  of  the  coming  of  man. 
Though  the  absolute  time  of  his  coming  can- 
not be  determined,  he  was  doubtless  an  in 
habitant  of  the  earth  many  thousands  of 
years  before  he  was  sufficiently  intelligent  to 
preserve  the  records  of  his  own  history. 

The  present  age  still  retains,  in  a  dimin- 
ished degi-ee  of  activity,  the  geological  action 
we  have  briefly  sketched.  The  oscillations  of 
the  earth's  crust  are  still  going  on,  perhaps 
as  they  ever  have.  As  an  evidence  of  this,  it 
is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  coast  of  Green- 
land, on  the  western  side,  for  a  distance  of 
600  miles,  has  been  slowly  sinking  for  the 
past  four  huadi-ed  years.  Thus  constantly 
have  the  bottoms  of  the  oceans  been  lifted 
above  the  waters  and  the  mountains  sunk  and 
became  the  beds  of  the  sea.  In  the  science 
of  geology,  this  solid  old  earth  and  its  fixed 


and  eternal  mountains  are  as  unstable  as  the 
floating  waves  of  the  water. 

Jefferson  County  is  situated  southeast  of 
the  intersection  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi 
and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroads,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Marion  County,  on 
the  east  by  Wayne  and  Hamilton,  on  the 
south  by  Franklin,  on  the  west  by  Perry  and 
Washington,  and  has  an  area  of  576  square 
miles.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  four- fifths 
of  this  territory  is  timbered  land,  while  only 
about  one-fifth  is  prairie.  The  prairies  invar- 
iably occupy  the  more  or  less  elevated  lands 
between  the  water-courses,  and  h&ve  generally 
a  considerable  depth  of  quaternary  deposits, 
sometimes  underlaid  with  shales.  It  is  sel- 
dom that  rocks  are  found  in  the  prairies,  even 
by  digging  to  some  depth,  though  at  some 
places  timbered  hills  occur  in  the  prairie, 
which  are  underlaid  with  solid  rockj'  strata, 
and  rise  above  the  level  of  the  prairie  either 
within  its  bounds  or  at  its  edge.  Knob 
Prairie  has  its  name  from  such  a  hill  or  knob. 
The  timbered  portion  of  the  county  is  partly 
flat,  but^most  of  it  is  undtilating  or  broken, 
in  consequence  of  the  numerous  water-courses 
which  traverse  the  county  in  every  direction. 
It  has  some  post-oak  flats,  also  some  wet  flats 
at  the  edge  of  prairies,  in  which  water-oak 
predominates,  but  more  oak  barrens,  with  a 
growth  of  black  oak,  white  oak,  post  oak, 
hickory,  etc.  The  timber  in  the  creek  bot- 
toms is  generally  quite  heavy,  and  consists  of 
swamp  white  oak,  water  oak,  sugar  maple, 
sycamore,  black  walnut,  white  walnut,  etc. 
In  the  extreme  southeast  part  of  the  county, 
however,  are  occasional  trees  of  more  south- 
ern affinity,  such  as  the  sweet  gum. 

The  county  is  well  supplied  with  running 
water,  principally  by  the  branches  of  Big 
Muddy  River,  which  head  near  the  north  line 
of  the  county  and  traverse  it  in  a  southerly 
direction,  with    many  smaller   creeks  which 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFEKSON  COUNTY. 


107 


empty  into  them,  both  from  the  west  and 
east.  The  main  branch  of  Big  Muddy  Kiver 
heads  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  coun- 
ty, some  miles  southeast  of  Centralia,  while 
some  other  ravines  near  by  run  westward  to- 
ward Crooked  Creek  and  the  Kaskaskia 
River.  The  Little  Muddy  River  passes 
through  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county. 
In  the  northeast  part  of  the  county  is 
Horse  Greek,  a  tributary  of  the  Little  Wa- 
bash River,  and  all  the  branches  on  the  east 
line  of  the  county  take  their  couTBe  east- 
ward, toward  the  Little  Wabash. 

The  geological  formation  of  Jefferson 
County,  like  those  of  all  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties, are  members  of  the  coal  formation.  All 
over  the  county,  with  the  exception  of  a 
limited  area  in  the  southwest  corner,  is  found 
the  same  strata  traced  all  over  the  county  of 
Marion — a  subdivision  of  the  upper  coal 
measures,  including  a  coal  seam  which  varies 
from  six  to  twenty-four  inches  in  thickness. 
At  a  greater  depth  may  be  found  the  Du 
Quoin  coal  bed,  and  the  sandstones  overlying 
this  coal  and  its  associated  limestones,  have 
been  traced  over  a  large  area  east  of  the  out- 
crop of  the  coal,  and  attain  a  considerable 
but  variable  thickness,  sometimes  amounting 
to  more  than  two  hundred  feet,  and  appear  to 
pass  across  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of 
this  county.* 

The  Shoal  Creek  limestone  has  no  great 
thickness.  It  varies  between  seven  and  fif- 
teen feet;  but  being  the  only  prominent 
limestone  between  two  heavy  bodies  of  sand- 
stone, it  forms  a  well  marked  horizon,  and 
can  be  readily  traced  over  a  long  distance. 
In  Perry  County,  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  Jefferson  County  line,  on  Little 
Mudd}'  River,  just  before  it  enters  the  latter 
county,  is  an  outcrop  of  evidently   the  same 

•  Most  of  the  local  geology,  and  tlie  facts  pertaining  to  it,  are 
conipileti  (rom  the  official  survey  of  the  State. 


limestone.  Here  five  feet  of  it  are  exposed, 
covered  with  soil.  It  rests  on  one  foot  of 
shales  and  three  feet  of  black,  laminated 
slates,  which  reach  to  the  water  level.  Coal, 
probably  fifteen  inches  thick,  has  been  dug 
from  the  bed  of  the  creek.  From  this  jioint, 
the  Shoal  Creek  limestone  must  pass  into 
Jefferson  County;  but  the  county  is  mostly 
covered  with  heavy  quaternary  deposits, 
and  is  thinly  settled,  so  that  artificial  de- 
posits are  wanting.  Higher  up  those  creeks 
and  in  the  barrens,  sandstones- crop  out  at  a 
few  points.  The  rest  of  the  county  is  occu- 
pied by  the  higher  sandstone  formation,  the 
same  which  covers  the  whole  of  Marion 
County.  Almost  everywhere  single  layers  of 
the  sandstone  can  be  found  of  sufficient  hard- 
ness for  building  purposes.  This  formation 
being  part  of  the  coal  measure  system,  it 
may  be  expected  to  contain  some  stone  coal, 
but  it  is  not  rich  in  this  mineral.  It  is  found 
at  numerous  points,  however,  throughout 
Jefferson  and  Marion  Counties,  and  it  un- 
doubtedly extends  much  further.  It  is  of 
considerable  local  importance,  being  used  ex- 
tensively in  this  district,  and  has  been  opened 
at  numerous  points.  At  some  places,  this 
coal  is  quite  pure  and  free  from  sulphur,  but 
at  others  it  contains  much  sulphuret  of 
iron. 

The  slaty,  fossiliferous  limestone,  which 
is  a  certain  indication  of  the  coal,  has  been 
noticed  north  of  the  "  Limestone  Branch. " 
In  Jordan's  Prairie,  at  Rome,  the  coal  is 
struck  in  every  well,  only  ten  feet  below  the 
surface,  and  is  probably  ten  inches  thick. 
At  the  edge  of  the  prairie  southeast  from 
Rome,  the  coal  has  been  mined  to  some  ex- 
tent, especially  in  the  southwest  part  of  Sec- 
tion 18.  At  that  point  the  bed  is  fourteen 
inches  thick,  of  which  at  least  ten  is  good 
coal.  The  coal  has  likewise  been  found  near 
the  middle  of  the  north  line  of  the  northeast 


108 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


quarter  of  Section  24  and  farther  east,  and  at 
other  points  in  this  portion  of  the  connty. 
In  all  places  it  was  from  ten  to  twelve  inches 
thick,  and  accompanied  with  shales,  the  cal- 
careous slate  and  sandstone. 

The  of&cial  snrvey,  and  a  description  of 
all  the  noteworthy  discoveries  in  the  county 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  all  the  coal 
which  is  near  the  surface  in  the  county, 
with  the  exception  of  that  in  the  south- 
west corner,  belongs  to  one  stratum,  which, 
is  in  some  places  divided  in  two  by  a  parting 
of  shale,  and  which  is  the  sarne  that  extends 
all  over  the  adjoining  county  of  Marion. 
The  stratum,  at  a  few  points,  exceeds  one  and 
a  half  feet  in  thickness  of  good  coal,  and  is 
frequently  thinner.  Where  it  is  thicker,  it 
generally  contains  impure  portions.  It  is  at 
many  points  of  a  very  good  quality,  and.  as 
the  country  is  broken,  it  can  be  profitably 
worked  in  numerous  localities  by  stripping 
along  the  outcropping  edges.  It  is.  there- 
fore, well  adapted  to  supply  the  local  de- 
mand for  coal  throughout  the  county  at  a 
very  moderate  cost.  The  coal  and  accom- 
panying strata  are  neither  horizontal  nor 
dipping  in  one  direction,  but  they  form 
waves  which  follow  more  or  less  the  surface 
configuration  of  the  country.  A  question 
arises  whether  there  is  a  lower  coal  bed.  of 
greater  thickness,  at  an  available  depth.  The 
next  lower  coal  seam  is  that  underneath  the 
Shoal  Creek  limestone;  but  this  coal,  where 
it  is  known  on  Little  Muddy  Kiver,  near  the 
west  line  of  the  county,  is  too  thin  to  pay 
the  expenses  i>f  deep  mining.  This  seam 
may  become  of  some  local  importance  in  the 
southwest  comer  of  the  county,  where  it  can 
be  worked  by  stripping  along  its  outcrop  on 
a  limited  area,  but  further  on  it  is  covered  by 
a  considerable  thickness  of  the  higher  strata. 
The  only  remaining  coal  bed  of  good  prom 
ise  is,  then,  the  one  worked  in  the  coal  shaft 


at  Tamaroa,  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
at  a  depth  of  about  two  hundred  feet  below 
the  surface,  which  is  the  Du  Quoin  coal. 
Tamaroa  is  a  little  over  four  miles  west  of 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  county,  and  it 
would  seem,  therefore,  as  if  this  coal  bed.  in 
tlie  nearest  part  of  the  county,  could  not  be 
much,  if  any,  deeper.  From  the  same  for- 
mations, however,  in  the  adjoining  counties, 
it  is  believed  that  this  coal  dips  rapidly 
downward  from  Tamaroa,  and  in  most  parts 
of  Jefi"erson  County  lies  at  a  considerable 
depth.  It  [would  probably  be  found  at  the 
least  depth  in  the  southwest  comer  of  the 
county,  but  even  ,there  it  would  hardly  be 
reached  under  several  hundred  feet. 

The  coal  near  the  surface  in  this  countj-  is 
the  same  as  the  vein  near  the  surface  at  Cen- 
tral City.  If  a  great  demand  for  coal  should 
arise,  this  lower  coal  bed  might  supply  it. 
Its  depth,  at  least,  would  not  be  greater  than 
that  of  many  coal  pits  in  other  countries, 
and  the  only  question  would  be  as  to  its 
thickness,  which  at  Tamaroa  amotmts  to  five 
feet  eight  inches. 

The  shales  accompanying  tlie  coal  bed  con- 
tain generally  much  kidney-iron  ore — an  im- 
pure carbonate  of  iron  in  sub-globular  con- 
cretions, or  in  flat  bodies  or  sheets.  The  ag- 
gregate quantity  of  this  ore  is  large,  but  it  is 
probably  ;not  concentrated  at  any  one  point 
in  sufficient  quantity  and  of  sufficient  piurity 
to  be,  for  the  present,  of  practical  value  for 
the  production  of  iron.  Some  pieces  of  galena 
have  been  found  scattered  over  the  country, 
such  as  occur  in  the  drift  in  many  other 
cotmties  of  the  State.  The  water  in  some 
parts  of  the  county  is  impregnated  with  salts, 
originating  principally  from  the  decomposi- 
tion of  the  sulphate  of  iron  contained  in 
the  coal  or  shales,  and  from  the  action 
of  the  sulphate  of  iron  thus  produced 
upon  the  strata  which  it  percolates.     Thus. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


109 


other  and  more  complex  combiaations  of  salts 
are  formed,  such  as  magnesia  salts,  alums, 
etc.  As  the  coal  seam  is  near  the  surface  in 
many  neighborhoods,  wells  are  frequently 
sunli  down  to  it  or  the  accompanying  strata, 
and  this  well-water  contains  thpse  salts  in 
variable  quantities,  which  are  often  sufficient- 
ly large  to  prevent  the  use  of  the  water  for 
household  purposes.  Thus  it  is  at  Mount 
Yernon,  at  Rome,  in  some  parts  of  Horse 
Prairie,  especially  at  the  Stone-Coal  branch, 
and  at  other  places. 

The  strongest  mineral  water,  probably,  in 
the  countj-  is  the  springs  of  Dr.  William  Duff 
Green,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  city  of 
Mount  Yernon.  There  are  several  of  these 
springs.  They  issue  from  the  side  of  a  shal- 
low ravine,  at  the  same  level,  a  few  feet  from 
each  other,  from  a  highly  ferruginous 
stratum,  which  is  apparently  the  slaty  shale, 
with  the  iron  ore  above  the  coal  seam  here 
changed  beyond  recognition  by  the  long- con- 
tinued influence  of  the  mineral  water.  These 
springs  all  contain  a  considerable  quantity 
of  iron  combined  with  other  salts.  A  re- 
markable fact  is  that  the  water  of  all  of  them 
is  not  quite  the  same.  The  difference  con- 
sists, however,  principally  in  the  relative 
quantity  of  the  salts.  The  springs  evidently 
emanate  from  the  same  stratiun,  but,  passing 
through  different  pwrtions  of  the  rock,  the 
water  mav  come  in  contact  with  slightly  dif- 
ferent  mineral  substances. 

The  temperature  of  the  running  springs  is 
the  mean  temperature  of  the  earth  in  this 
latitude,  or,  what  is  the  same,  that  of  a  deep, 
cool  cellar;  but  one  spring,  which  is  by  Dr. 
Green  called  "  Tepid  Spring,"  differs  from 
the  others  in  various  respects.  It  is  warmer 
than  the  others,  at  least  in  summer,  because, 
not  running  as  freely  as  they  do,  its  water  is 
stationary,  and  assumes  the  temperature  of 
the  air.     It  does  not  freeze  in  winter,  which 


is,  apparently,  not  a  consequence  of  intrinsic 
heat,  but  of  its  saline  character.  Its  water 
has  a  milky  hue,  because  the  iron  salts  which 
it  contains  begin  tj  decompose  in  the  orifice 
of  the  spring,  where  they  are  long  exposed  to 
the  oxidizing  influence  of  the  air,  without 
being  discharged.  Such  is  the  simple  ex- 
planation, based  on  the  teaching  of  science, 
of  some  facts  which  have  been  regarded  as 
wonderful  mysteries.  Nature's  works  seem 
mysterious,  but  all  conform  to  definite  laws, 
which,  when  the  principles  are  once  under- 
stood, appear  clear  and  plain  as  daylight. 
A  small  quantity  of  gas  is  devolved  in  the 
springs,  either  through  the  action  of  sulphates 
upon  carbonates  in  the  strata  or  perhaps  al- 
together by  a  vegetation  of  a  low  order, 
which  rapidly  grows  and  coats  the  orifice  of 
the  springs,  and.  under  the  direct  action  of 
the  sun's  rays,  exhales  oxygen.  Although 
originally  similar,  the  waters  of  these  difi'er- 
ent  springs  now,  very  probably,  have  a  differ- 
ent medicinal  effect  upon  the  system. 

Building  material  is  found  in  the  county 
in  large  quantities.  Sandstone,  for  founda- 
tions, the  walling  of  wells  and  for  all  ordi- 
nary and  heavy  masonry,  can  be  readily  ob- 
tained in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  county. 
Good  quarries  are  already  known  in  large 
numbers,  and  with  little  labor  many  new 
ones  might  be  opened  in  convenient  loca- 
tions, as  sandstones  form  the  principal  sub- 
strata of  the  countv.  The  limestone  is  gen- 
erally  impure,  siliceous  or  argillaceous.  At 
some  points  it  can  be  burnt  and  used  for 
making  mortar,  and  if  the  demand  were 
suUicient  better  quarries  might  be  opened, 
and  a  better  article  might  be  obtained.  The 
fossiliferous,  slaty  limestone,  or  calcareous 
slate,  is  tmdoubtedly  a  superior  fertilizer,  but 
has  not  yet  been  used  as  such.  Its  wide  dis- 
tribution over  the  county  will  render  it  valu- 
able in  fnttire  times.     Brick  mav  be  manu- 


110 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


factored  wherever  needed ;  and  of  line  timber 
of  various  kinds — white  oak,  black  oak, 
post  oak,  black  walnut,  etc. — there  is  an  ex- 
cellent supply. 


The  agricultural  excellence  of  the  county, 
which  is  fully  up  to  the  standard  of  any  of 
the  counties  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  will 
be  treated  of  further  along  in  this  work. 


CHAPTEK    II. 


THE  PRE-HISTORIC    RACES— IVIOUxND-BUILDERS— THEIR   OCCUPATION  OF    THE    COUNTRY— RELICS 

LEFT    BY   THEM— THE  INDIANS— SPECULATIONS    AS    TO    THEIR    ORIGIN— ULTIM.1TE 

EXTINCTION  OF    THE  RACE— SOMETHING    OF  THE    TRIBES  OF  SOUTHERN 

ILLINOIS— WHAT  BECAME  OF  THEM— LOCAL  TRADITIONS  AND 

INCIDENTS— THE    BLACK    HAWK    WAR,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"Wrapped  in  clouds  and  darkness,  and  defying 
historic  scrutiny." 

THROUGHOUT  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Valleys,  as  well  as  many  portions  of 
North  America,  and  extending  into  South 
America,  are  found  the  remains  of  a  former 
race  of  inhabitants,  of  whose  origin  and  his- 
tory we  have  no  record,  and  who  are  only 
known  to  us  by  the  relics  that  are  found  in 
the  tumuli  which  they  have  left.  The  Mound- 
Builders  were  a  numerous  people,  entirely 
distinct  from  the  North  American  Indians, 
and  they  lived  so  long  before  the  latter  that 
they  are  not  known  to  them  by  tradition. 
They  were  evidently  industrious  and  domes- 
tic in  their  habits,  and  the  finding  of  large 
sea  shells  in  the  Illinois  mounds,  which 
must  have  been  brought  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  if  not  from  more  distant  shores,  proves 
that  they  had  communication  and  trade  with 
other  tribes.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting 
fact  connected  with  this  ancient  people  is 
that  they  had  a  written  language.  This  is 
proved  by  pome  inscribed  tablets  that  have 
been  discovered  in  the  mounds,  the  most  im- 
portant of  which  belong  to  the  Davenport 
Academy  of  Sciences.      These  tablets  have 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


attracted  gi-eat  attention  from  archseologiste, 
and  it  is  thought  they  will  some  time  prove 
of  great  value  as  records  of  the  people  who 
wrote  them.  It  is  still  uncertain  whether  the 
language  was  generally  tinderstood  by  the 
Mound-Buildeis,  or  whether  it  was  confined 
to  a  few  persons  of  high  rank.  In  the 
mound  where  two  of  these  tablets  were  dis- 
covered, the  bones  of  a  child  were  found,  par- 
tially preserved  by  contact  with  a  large 
number  of  copper  beads,  and  as  copper  was 
a  rare  and  precious  metal  with  them,  it  would 
seem  that  the  mound  in  question  was  used 
for  burial  of  persons  of  high  rank.  The  in- 
scriptions have  not  been  deciphered,  for  no 
key  to  them  has  yet  been  found;  we  are  to- 
tally ignorant  of  the  derivation  of  the  lan- 
guage, or  its  aifinities  with  other  written 
languages. 

The  Mound-Builders  lived  while  the  mam- 
moth and  mastodon  were  upon  the  earth,  as 
is  clearly  proved  by  the  carvings  upon  some 
of  their  elaborate  stone  pipes.  From  the  size 
and  other  peculiarities  of  the  pipes,  it  is  in- 
ferred that  smoking  was  not  habitual  with 
them,  but  that  it  was  reserved  as  a  sort  of 
ceremonial  observance.  Our  knowledge  of 
the  habits  and  customs  of  the  Mound-Builders 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


in 


is  very  incomplete,  but  it  ia  sufficient  to  show 
that  at  least  a  part  of  this  country  was  onco 
inhabited  by  a  people  who  have  passed  away 
without  leaving  so  much  as  a  tradition  of 
their  existence,  and  who  are  only  known  to 
us  through  the  silent  relics  which  have  been 
interred  for  centuries.  A  people  utterly  for- 
gotten, a  civilization  totally  lost!  Oblivion 
has  drawn  her  impenetrable  veil  over  their 
history.  No  printed  page  intelligible  to  us, 
or  sculptm-ed  monument,  inform  us  who  they 
were,  whence  they  came  or  whither  they 
went.  In  vain  has  science  sought  to  pene- 
trate the  gloom  and  solve  thejiroblem  locked 
in  the  breast  of  the  voiceless  jiast,  but  ev^ry 
theory  advanced,  every  reason  assigned  etids 
where  it  began,  in  speculation. 

"  Ye  moldering  relics  of  departed  years, 
Your  names  have  perished;  not  a  trace  remains. 

Save  where  the  grass-grown  mound  its  summit  rears 
From  the  green  bosom  of  your  native  plains. 
Say,  do  your  spirits  wear  oblivion's  chains? 

Did  death  forever  quench  your  hopes  and  fears?" 

There  are  no  traces  of  the  Mound-Builders 
to  be  found  in  Jefferson  County.  From  the 
relics  they  have  left  of  their  existence,  it 
seems  they  kept  near  the  water,  as  the  most 
extensive  mounds  and  earthworks  are  found 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  lakes  of  the  North  and 
along  our  great  rivers.  Two  of  the  largest 
mounds  in  the  United  States  are  located  in 
Illinois  and  West  Virginia — the  great  mound 
in  the  American  Bottom  ^between  Alton  and 
East  St.  Lotris,  denominated  the  "  Monarch 
of  all  similar  structures  in  the  United 
States,"  and  that  located  near  the  junction 
of  Grave  Creek  with  the  Ohio  Kiver  in  West 
Virginia.  Along  the  Illinois  and  Wabash 
Elvers,  many  of  these  mounds  may  still  be 
seen,  though  hundreds  of  the  smaller  ones 
have  been  leveled  with  the  earth  by  the  plow- 
share. At  Palestine  and  Hutsonville,  111., 
and  at  Merom,  Ind.,  on  the    Wabash  Eiver, 


are  extensive  groups.  The  Hutsonville  group 
contains  fifty-nine  mounds,  and  vary  in  size 
from  eighteen  to  fifty  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base:  They  were  scientifically  examined  3 
few  years  ago  by  Prof.  Putnam,  of  Boston, 
who  made  an  extended  report  of  them  to  the 
Boston  Historical  Society. 

The  Indians. — Of  the  Red  Indians,  but  lit- 
tle is  known  of  them  prior  to  the  discovery 
of  the  country  by  the  Eiu'opeans.  They 
were  found  here,  but  how  long  they  had 
been  in  possssion  historians  have  no  definite 
means  of  knowing.  Their  origin  is  a  ques- 
tion that  has  long  interested  archaeologists, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  they  have 
been  called  on  to  answer.  Many  theories 
tipon  the  subject  are  entertained,  but  all, 
alike,  are  more  or  less  unsatisfactory.  It  is 
believed  by  some  that  they  were  an  original 
race,  indigenous  to  the  Western  Hemisphere. 
A  more  common  sup])Osition,  however,  is  that 
ttiey  are  a  derivative  race,  and  sjirang  from 
one  or  more  of  the  ancient  peoples  of  Asia. 
In  the  absence  of  all  authentic  history,  and 
even  when  tradition  is  wanting,  any  attempt 
to  jjoint  the  particular  theater  of  their  ori- 
gin mast  prove  unsuccessful.  For  centuries 
they  have  lived  without  progi'ess,  while  the 
Caircasian  variety  of  the  race,  under  the 
transforming  power  of  art,  science  and  im- 
proved systems  of  civil  polity,  have  made 
the  most  rapid  advancement. 

The  advent  of  the  whites  upon  the  shores 
of  the  western  continent  engendered  in  the 
red  man's  bosom  a  spark  of  jealousy,  which, 
by  the  impolitic  course  of  the  former,  was 
soon  fanned  into  a  blaze,  and  a  contest  was 
thereby  inaugurated  that  sooner  or  later 
must  end  in  the  utter  extermination  of  the  lat- 
ter. But  the  struggle  was  long  and  bitter. 
Many  a  campaign  was  planned  by  warriors 
worthy  and  tit  to  command  armies,  for  the 
destruction     of    the     pale-faced      invaders. 


113 


HISTORY   or  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


When  King  Philip  struck  the  blow  which  he 
hoped  would  forever  crush  the  growing 
power  of  the  white  men,  both  sides  recog- 
nized the  supreme  importance  of  the  contest, 
and  the  courage  and  resources  of  the  New 
England  colonists  were  taxed  to  the  utmost 
to  avoid  a  defeat  which  meant  destruction 
final  and  complete.  When  Tecumseh  organ- 
ized the  tribes  of  the  West  for  a  last  and 
desperate  effort  to  hold  their  own  against 
the  advancing  tide  of  civilization,  it  was  a 
duel  to  the  death,  and  the  conquerors  were 
forced  to  pay  dearly  for  the  victory  which  to 
them  was  salvation.  When  the  Creeks  chal- 
lenged the  people  of  the  South  to  mortal 
combat,  it  required  the  genius  of  a  Jackson 
and  soldiers  worthy  of  such  a  chief  to  avert 
an  overwhelming  calamity,  and  the  laurels 
gathered  by  the  heroes  of  Talledega,  Emuck- 
fau,  and  Tohopeka  lost  little  of  their  luster 
when  with  them  were  twined  the  laurels  of 
Chalmette.  But  since  the  decisive  battle  of 
Tohopeka,  March  27,  1814,  there  has  been 
no  Indian  war  of  any  considerable  magni- 
tude, none  certainly  which  threatened  the 
supremacy  of  the  whites  upon  the  continent, 
or  even  seriously  jeopardized  the  safety  of  the 
States  or  Territories  where  they  occurred. 
The  Black  Hawk  war,  about  the  last 
ortranized  effort,  required  but  a  few  weeks 
service  of  raw  militia  to  quell.  Since  then, 
campaigns  have  dwindled  into  mere  raids, 
battles  into  mere  skirmishes,  and  the  mas- 
sacre of  Dade's  command  in  Florida  and 
Custer's  in  Montana  were  properly  regarded 
as  accidents  of  no  permanent  importance. 
A  dozen  such,  melancholy  as  they  might  be, 
would  not,  in  the  least,  alarm  the  country, 
and  Indian  fighting,  though  not  free  from 
peril,  now  serves  a  useful  purpose  as  a  train- 
ing school  for  the  young  graduates  of  West 
Point,  who  might  otherwise  go  to  their 
graves  at  a  good  old  age  without  ever  having 
smelled  hostile  gun -powder. 


The  Indians  as  a  race  are  doomed  by  the 
inexorable  laws  of  humanity  to  speedy  and 
everlasting  extinguishment.  Accepting  the 
inevitable  with  the  stoical  indifference  which 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation  or  the 
prompting  of  revenge  seldom  disturb,  they 
excite  pity  rather  than  fear.  The  recent 
Apache  uprising,  which  Gen.  Crook  sup- 
pressed so  quickly  and  cheaply,  is  the  ut- 
most the  red  man  can  now  do  in  the  way  of 
warlike  enterprise.  Discouraged  and  de- 
moralized, helpless  and  hopeless,  he  sits 
down  to  await  a  swiftly  approaching  fate; 
and  if  now  and  then  he  treads  the  war  path 
and  takes  a  few  white  scalps,  it  is  more  from 
force  of  habit  than  from  any  expectation  of 
crippling  the  power  that  is  sweeping  him 
and  his  out  of  existence. 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  however,  the 
white  man  lived  in  America  only  by  the  red 
man's  consent,  and  less  than  a  hundred  years 
ago  the  combined  strenorth  of  the  red  man 
might  have  driven  the  white  into  the  sea. 
Along  our  Atlantic  coast  are  still  to  be  seen 
the  remains  of  the  rude  fortifications  which 
the  early  settlers  built  to  protect  themselves 
from  the  host  of  enemies  around;  but  to  find 
the  need  of  such  protection  now  one  must  go 
beyond  the  Mississippi,  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  to  a  few  widely  scattered  points 
in  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Oregon.  The 
enemy  that  once  camped  in  sight  of  the  At- 
lantic has  retreated  almost  to  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  and  from  that  long  retreat  there 
can  be  no  retiurning  advance.  East  of  the 
stream  which  he  called  the  "  Father  of 
Waters,"  nothing  is  left  of  the  Indian  ex- 
cept the  names  he  gave  and  the  graves  of  his 
dead,  with  here  and  there  the  degraded 
remnants  of  a  once  powerful  tribe  dragging 
out  a  miserable  life  by  the  sufferance  of 
their  conquerors.  Fifty  years  hence,  if  not 
in  a  much  shorter  period,  he  will  live  only 
in  the  pages  of  history    and  the  brighter  im- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


113 


mortality  of  romantic  song  and  story.  He 
will  leave  nothing  behind  him  but  a  memory, 
for  he  has  done  nothing  and  been  nothing. 
He  has  resisted  and  will  continue  to  resist 
every  attempt  to  civilize  him — every  at- 
tempt to  inject  the  white  man's  ideas  into 
the  red  man's  brain.  He  does  not  want  and 
will  not  have  our  manners,  our  morals  or 
our  religion,  clinging  to  his  own  and  perish- 
ing with  them.  The  greatest  redeeming 
feature  in  his  career,  so  far  as  that  career  is 
known  to  us,  is  that  he  has  always  preferred 
the  worst  sort  of  freedom  to  the  best  sort  of 
slavery.  Had  he  consented  to  become  a 
hewer  of  wood  and  drawer  of  water  for  the 
superior  race,  he  might,  like  our  American- 
ized Africans,  be  enjoying  the  blessings  of 
Bible  and  breeches,  sharing  the  honors  of 
citizenship  and  the  delights  of  office,  seeking 
and  receiving  the  bids  of  rival  political  par- 
ties. Whether  his  choice  was  a  wise  one, 
we  leave  our  readers  to  determine  ;  but  it  is 
impossible  not  to  feel  some  admiration  for 
the  indomitable  spirit  that  has  never  bowed 
its  neck  to  the'  yoke,  never  called  any  man 
"master."  The  Indian  is  a  savage,  but  he 
never  was,  never  will  be  a  slave. 

If  the  treatment  of  the  red  man  by  the 
white  had  been  uniformly  or  even  generally 
honest  and  honorable,  the  superior  race 
might  contemplate  the  decay  and  disap- 
pearance of  the  inferior  without  remorse,  if 
not  without  regret.  But  unfortunately  that 
treatment  has  been,  on  the  whole,  dishonest 
and  dishonorable.  In  a  speech  in  New  York 
City,  not  long  before  his  death.  Gen.  Sam 
Houston,  an  indisputable  authority  in  such 
matters,  declared  with  solemn  emphasis  that 
"there  never  was  an  Indian  war  in  which  the 
white  man  was  not  the  agressor. "  The  facts 
sustain  an  assertion  which  carries  its  own 
comment.  But  aggression  leading  to  war  is 
not  the  heaviest  sin  against  the  Indian.     He 


I 


has  been  deceived,  he  has  been  cheated,  he 
has  been  robbed;  and  the  deception,  cheat- 
ing and  robbery  has  taught  him  that  the  red 
man  has  no  rights  which  the  white  man  feels 
bound  to  respect.  Whatever  else  he  may  be, 
he  is  no  fool,  and  with  the  dismal  experience 
of  more  than  250  years  burning  his  soul,  is 
it  any  wonder  that  they  will  have  none  of 
our  manners,  our  morals,  or  our  relia'ion  ? 
"  My  son, "  said  the  mother  of  a  too 
often  whipped  boy,  "  why  will  you  not 
behave  like  a  gentleman?"  "  If  you  did 
not  treat  me  like  a  dog,  I  might,"  was 
the  reply.  We  have  treated  the  Indian 
like  a  dog  and  are  surprised  that  he  has  de- 
veloped into  a  dog  and  not  into  a  Christian 
citizen.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
the  Indian  is  capable  of  a  high  degree  of  civ- 
lization,  but  that  he  is  what   he    is    may   be 

i  largely  ascribed  to  white  influences  and  ex- 
amples, and  to  what  he  has  suffered  from  the 
whites  since    the   first    Eui-opean  landed  on 

j  American   soil.       Every   spark    of   genuine 

!  manhood  has  been  literally  ground  out  of 
him  by  the  heel  of  relentless  oppression  and 
outrage.  He  was  always  a  barbarian,  but  we 
have  made  him  a  brute.    He  might,  perhaps, 

1  have  been  gradually  transformed  into  a  hum- 
ble and  harmless  member  of  civilized  society. 
We  have  made  him  a  nuisance  and  a  curse 
whose  extermination  the  interests  of  society 
imperatively  demand — and  are  rapidly  ac- 
complshing.  The  crimes  of  the  Indian  have 
been  blazoned  in  a  hundred  histories;  his 
wrongs  are  written  only  in  the  records  of 
that  court  of  final  appeal,  before  which  op- 
pressors and  oppressed  must  stand  for  judg- 
ment. 

But  few  people,  and  particularly  the  pio- 
neers of  the  country,  will  agree  with  any  de- 
fense, bo  it  ever  so  feeble,  of  the  Indian. 
Their  hatred  of  him,  often  on  general  prin- 
ciples,   is    intense,    and   always  was  so,  and 


114 


HIiSTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


the  greatest  wrongs  have  been  heaped  upon 
him  merely  because  he  was  au  Indian,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  fact  that  he  was  a  human 
being.  When  resenting  the  encroachments 
of  the  whites  upon  his  hunting  grounds,  he 
has  been  characterized  as  a  fiend,  a  savage 
and  a  barabarian,  and  one  who  might  be 
robbed,  mistreated,  and  even  murdered 
without  any  compunction.  This  whole  broad 
land  was  the  Indian's  birthright.  How  he 
came  to  possess  it  is  no  busfinesa  of  ours,  nor  is 
it  pertinent  to  the  subject.  It  is  our  own  now, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  grave  doubt  whether  we 
attained  it  more  honorably  than  did  the  In- 
dian before  us.  Were  our  title  to  be  chal- 
lenged by  another  race  of  people,  we  doubt- 
less should  do  as  the  Indians  did,  contest 
our  rights  step  by  step  to  the  bitter  end,  and 
with  all  our  boasted  civilization  and  refine- 
ment, it  is  not  improbable  that  we  might  in- 
augurate as  great  barbarities  and  cruelties 
as  they  did,  rather  than  yield  our  homes 
and  fii'esides. 

Tribes  of  Southern  Illinois. — The  Indians 
occupying  Southern  Illinois  when  first 
known  to  the  whites  were  the  Delawares,  the 
Kickapoos,  the  Shawnees  and  the  Pianke- 
shaws,  with  occasional  fragmentary  bands 
from  the  tribes  who  came  to  hunt.  The  Del- 
awares were  once  a  powerful  tribe,  one  of 
the  most  powerful  of  North  America.  They 
called  themselves  Lenno  Lenape,  wliich  .sicr- 
nifies  "original  "  or  "  unmixed  "  men.  When 
first  met  with  by  Europeans,  they  occupied  a 
district  of  country  bounded  easterly  by  the 
Hudson  River  and  the  Atlantic,  on  the  west 
their  territories  extended  to  the  ridge  sepa- 
rating the  flow  of  the  Delaware  from  the  other 
streams  erapyting  into  the  Susquehanna 
River  and  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  Delawares 
had  been  a  migratory  people.  According  to 
their  own  traditions,  many  hundred  years 
had  elapsed  since   they    had  resided   in  the 


western  part  of  the  continent;  thence,  by 
slow  emigration,  they  reached  the  Alleghany 
River,  so  called  from  a  nation  of  giants,  the 
"Allegewi,"  against  whom  they  (the  Del  a 
wares)  and  the  Iroquois  (the  latter  also  em- 
igrants from  the  West)  carried  on  successful 
war;  and  still  proceeding  eastward,  settled 
on  the  Delaware,  Hudson,  Susquehanna  and 
Potomac  Rivers,  making  the  Delaware  the 
center  of  their  possessions.  By  the  other 
Algonquin  tribes,  the  Delawares  were  re- 
garded with  the  utmost  respect  and  venera- 
tion. They  were  called  "  fathers,"  "  grand- 
fathers," etc.* 

A  paper  addressed  to  Congi'ess,  May  10, 
1779,  establishes  the  territory  of  the  Dela- 
wares subsequent  to  their  being  driven  west- 
ward from  their  former  possessions  by  their 
old  enemies,  the  Ii'oquois,  in  the  following 
described  boundaries:  "  From  the  mouth  of 
the  Alleghany  River  at  Fort  Pitt  to  the  Ve- 
nango, and  thence  up  French  Creek  and  by 
Le  Boeuf  (the  present  site  of  Waterford, 
Penn.)  along  the  old  road  to  Presque  Isle 
on  the  east;  the  Ohio  River,  including  all 
the  islands  in  it,  from  Fort  Pitt  to  the 
Oubache  (W^abash),  on  the  south;  thence  up 
the  Oubache  River  to  that  branch.  Ope-co- 
meecah  (the  Indian  name  of  White  River, 
Indiana),  and  up  the  same  to  the  head 
thereof;  from  thence  to  the  head- waters  and 
springs  of  the  Great  Miami,  or  Kocky  River; 
thence  across  to  the  head-waters  of  the  most 
northeastern  branches  of  the  Scioto  River; 
thence  to  the  westermost  springs  of  the  San- 
dusky River;  thence  down  said  river,  in- 
cluding the  islands  in  it  and  in  the  little 
lake  (Sandusky  Bay),  to  Lake  Erie  on  the 
west  and  northwest,  and  Lake  Erie  on  the 
north."  These  boundaries  contain  the 
cessions  of  lands  made  to  the  Delaware  na- 
tion by  the  Wyandots,   the  Hurons  and  the 

♦Taylor's  History. 


^^-^"^MS  ^^^M^/d^ 


U3RAKY 
•  THE 
JNlVERSnY  OF  iLLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


117 


Iroquois.  The Delawareg.  after  Gen.  Wayne's 
sici-nal  victory  in  1704,  came  to  realize  that 
fiu-ther  contests  with  the  American  colonies 
would  be  worse  than  useless.  They  there- 
fore submitted  to  the  inevitable,  acknowl- 
edged the  supremacy  of  the  whites  and  de- 
sired to  make  peace  with  the  victoi's.  At  the 
close  of  the  treaty  at  Greenville,  made  in 
1795,  by  Gen.  Wayne,  Bu-kon-ge-he-las,  a 
Delaware  chief  of  great  influence  in  his 
tribe,  spoke  as  follows:  "Father,  your  chil- 
di'en  all  well  understand  the  sense  of  the 
treaty  which  is  now  concluded.  We  expe- 
rience daily  proofs  of  your  iacreasing  kind- 
ness. I  hope  we  may  all  have  sense  enough 
to  enjoy  our  dawning  happiness.  All  who 
know  me,  know  me  to  be  a  man  and  a  war- 
rior, and  I  now  declare  that  1  will  for  the 
future  be  as  steady  and  true  friend  to  the 
United  States  as  I  have,  heretofore,  been  an 
active  enemy." 

This  promise  of  Bu-kon-ge-he-las  was 
faithfully  kept  by  his  people.  They  evaded 
;ill  the  eftorts  of  the  Shawnee  prophet, 
Tooumseh,  and  the  British,  who  endeavored 
to  induce  them  by  threats  or  bribes  to  vio- 
late it.  They  remained  faithful  to  the 
I'nitod  States  during  the  war  of  1812,  and, 
with  the  Shawnees,  furnished  some  voi-y 
able  warriors  and  scouts  who  rendered  val- 
uable services  to  the  United  States  during 
the  war.  After  the  Greenville  treaty,  the 
great  body  of  the  Delawares  removed  to 
their  lands  on  White  River,  Indiana, 
Vhither  some  of  their  people  had  preceded 
them,  while  a  lai'ge  fragment  of  the  tribe 
crossed  the  Wabash  into  Southern  Illinois. 
Now  and  then  predatory  bands  coiumitted 
outrages  on  the  scattered  settlers,  but  on  a 
siu  ill  scale.  They  continued  to  reside  on 
White  River  and  the  Wabash  and  their  trib 
utaries  until  1819,  when  most  of  them  emi- 
grated to  Missoviri  and  located  on  the  tract 


of  land  granted  by  .  the  Spanish  authorities 
in  1793,  jointly  to  them  and  the  Shawnees. 
Others  of  their  tribe,  who  remained  in  Illi- 
nois, finally  scattered  themselves  among  the 
Miamis,  Pottawatomies  and  Kickapoos,  and 
a  few,  including  the  Moravian  converts, 
went  to  Canada,  and  their  identity  as  part  of 
a  distinct  tribe  is  lost. 

The  largest  part  of  the  Delaware  nation  in 
182  ,  settled  on  the  Kansas  and  Missouri 
Rivers.  They  numbered  1,000,  were  brave, 
enterprising  hunters,  cultivated  lands  and 
were  friendly  to  the  whites.  In  1853,  they 
sold  the  Government  all  the  lands  granted 
them,  excepting  a  reservation  in  Kansas. 
During  the  late  civil  war,  they  sent  to  the 
United  States  Army  170  out  of  their  20U 
able-bodied  men.  Like  their  ancestors,  they 
proved  valiant  and  trustworthy  soldiers. 

The  Shawnese  or  Shawanese  wore  an  erratic 
tribe  of  the  Algonquin  family.  A  tradition 
recently  originated  makes  them  primarily 
one  with  the  Kickapoo  nation.  They  were 
driven  southward  by  the  warlike  Iroquois 
and  wandered  into  the  Carolinas  and  some 
of  them  into  Florida.  But  toward  the  close 
of  the  sevenreenth  century  a  large  band  of 
them  went  North  and  was  among  the  tribes 
occupying  Pennsylvania  when  it  was  granted 
to  Penn.  The  Iroquois  claimed  sovereignty 
over  the  Shawnees  and  drove  thorn  to  the 
West.  Thoy  took  ])art  in  the  conspiracy  of 
Pontiac,  and  afterward  participated  in  the 
campaigns^  against  Gens.  Harmar  and  St. 
Clair  in  Ohio.  For  mauy  years  they  were 
liittor  and  relentless  foes  of  the  whites. 
Thoy  submitted  under  the  treaty  of  Gen. 
Wayne  at  Greenville  in  1795,  but  in  the 
war  of  1812  some  of  tho  petty  tribes  of  the 
Shawnees  joined  tho  British.  A  fragment  of 
tho  tribe  drifted  to  Southern  Illinois,  and  had 
their  village  at  Shawneetown,  which  place 
now  bears  their  name.     Some  of  them  went 


118 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


WeBt  after  the  Greenville  treaty,  and  a  few 
years  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812 
most  of  those  remaining  crossed  the  Father  of 
Waters.  In  1854,  there  were  about  900  Shaw- 
nees  in  Kansas,  and  in  1876  there  were  some 
750  in  the  Indian  Territory. 

The  Kickapoos  were  also  a  tribe  of  the 
Algonquin  family,  and  were  found  by 
the  French  missionaries  toward  the  close 
of  the  seventeenth  century  on  the  Wis- 
consin Kiver.  They  were  closely  allied 
to  the  Miamis,  but  roved  in  bands  over 
a  large  territory.  They  were  more  civ- 
ilized, industrious,  energetic  and  cleanly 
than  the  neighboring  tribes,  and.  it  may  also 
be  added,  more  implacable  in  their  hatred  of 
the  Americans.  They  were  among  the  first 
to  commence  battle  and  the  last  to  enter  into 
treaties.  Unappeasable  enmity  led  them 
into  the  field  against  Harmar,  St.  Clair  and 
Wayne,  and  a  like  spirit  placed  them  first 
in  all  the  bloody  charges  on  the  field  of  Tip- 
pecanoe. In  the  treaties  of  Portage  des  Sioux 
in  1815,  Fort  Harrison,  1816,  and  Edwards- 
ville,  1819,  they  ceded  a  large  part  of  the 
land  they  claimed.  Many  of  the  tribes  had 
already  gone  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and 
the  United  States  assigned  them  a  large  tract 
on  the  Osage.  But  they  still  retained 
their  old  enmity  to  the  Americans,  and  when 
removed  from  Illinois  a  part  of  them  went  to 
Texas,  then  a  province  of  Mexico,  to  get  be- 
yond the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States. 
In  1822,  about  1,800  had  removed,  leaving 
only  400  remaining  in  Illinois.  Some  few  of 
these  settled  down  to  cultivate  the  ground, 
but  more  of  them  rambled  off  to  hunt  on  the 
grounds  of  Southern  tribes.  They  plun- 
dered on  all  sides  and  made  constant  inroads, 
killing  and  horse-stealing.  During  the  years 
1810  and  1811,  and  prior  to  the  emigration 
of  any  of  them  to  the  West,  they  committed 
so  many  thefts  and  'murders  on  the  frontier 


settlements  in  conjunction  with  the  Chippe- 
was,  Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas,  that  Gov 
Edwards  was  compelled  to  employ  military 
force  to  suppress  them. 

The  Piankeshaws'.were  a  weak,  petty  tribe, 
and  supposed  to  have  been  an  offshoot  of  the 
Shawnees.  They  at  one  time  inhabited  and 
claimed  the  country  for  some  distance  on 
both  sides  of  the  Wabash  River  toward  its 
mouth,  and  northwest  to  the  head- waters  of 
the  Kaskaskia  River.  This  comprises  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  different  tribes  of  the  "  noble 
red  men"  who  inhabited  Southern  Illinois, 
and  who  doubtless  have  chased  the  deer  and 
hunted  the  game  through  the  woodland 
groves  and  prairies  of  Jefferson  County.  The 
Piankeshaws,  however,  seem  to  have  been 
the  Indians  who  held  a  kind  of  claim  on  this 
immediate  section  of  the  country.  "But  what 
iy  remarkable,"  says  Mr.  Johnson,  "  they 
have  not  left  a  single  name  of  prairie,  town 
or  stream  that  may  remain  as  a  monument  to 
tell  the  world  that  such  a  tribe  ever  existed. ''^ 
All  the  Indians  of  Southern  Illinois  were 
driven  back  finally  by  stronger  tribes  coming 
down  from  the  North.  They  lost  the  proud 
spirit  characteristic  of  their  race,  cowered 
around  the  white  settlements  f  jr  protection 
and  abandoned  themselves  to  indolence  and 
drunkenness. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  white  settlements 
in  this  county,  occasional  bands  of^Indians 
made  incursions  for  hunting  and  tralfic. 
They  carried  their  pelts  to  Shawneetown, 
Kaskaskia  and  St.  Louis,  and  in  return 
brought  back  a  variety  of  articles  which 
they  bartered  away  among  the  white  settlers. 
In  1819-20,  the  Delawares  came  through 
the  county  on  their  way  to  their  We.?tern 
reservation.  From  some  cause  or  other, 
they  remained  here  a  considerable  time.  A 
large  number  of  them  were  encamped  on  the 
creek  near  where  John  Pearcy  lives,  undei  a 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


119 


chief  called  George  Owl.  There  were  also 
some  600  encamped  for  a  time  on  Horse 
Creek,  some  ei;^ht  or  ten  miles  from  Mount 
Vernon,  under  Capt.  Whitefeather.  They 
sent  loads  of  pelts  to  Shawneetown  and  Kas- 
kaskia,  bringing  back  many  things  the  set- 
tlers could  not  have  prociu'ed  elsewhere. 
They  also  sold  hunting  shirts,  breeches  and 
moccasins  (of  buck-skin)  of  their  own  make 
to  the  whites.  Another  band  was  encamped 
where  George  Bullock's  meadow  is  now. 
The  chief,  it  is  said,  had  some  pretty  daugh- 
ters, and  when,  at  his  urgent  request,  Isaac 
Casey's  daughters  paid  them  a  visit,  the  old 
chief  seemed  very  much  delighted  and  was 
as  polite  toward  them  as  a  French  dancing 
master.  While  these  Indians  were  encamped 
in  the  county,  they  remained  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  the  settlers,  and  were 
polite  (as  an  Indian  could  be)  and  extremely 
hospitable.  If  any  of  the  whites  visited 
them  at  mea)  time,  they  were  invited  to  eat, 
and  if  they  refused,  the  Indians  felt  offend- 
ed; but  on  the  contrary,  if  they  accepted, 
they  (the  Indians)  were  highly  pleased  and 
all  sat  back  and  waited  till  their  pale  face 
guests  were  through  eating. 

No  murders  or  massacres  are  positively 
known  to  have  been  committed  in  the  county 
by  the  Indians.  The  only  probable  mm-der 
was  that  of  Andrew  Moore,  an  account  of 
which  will  be  found  in  connection  with  the 
early  settlement.  A  little  panic  occurred  in 
1818,  but  resulted  in  nothing  more  than  a 
considerable  scare.  The  facts  are  about  as 
follows;  The  Cherokees,  who  occupied  the 
western  part  of  Kentucky,  made  occasional 
visits  to  this  part  of  Illinois.  They  were  less 
peaceably  disposed  than  the  Illinois  Indians, 
and  a  band  of  them  caused  the  panic  alluded 
to,  the  only  instance  of  the  kind  known  in 
the  history  of  Jefferson  County.  Isaac 
Casey  and  William  and  Isaac  Hicks  had  oc- 


casion to  go  to  the  Ohio  River  on  business, 
and  Abram  and  Clark  Casey  were  left  in 
charge  of  the  families.  Soon  after  they  left, 
small  squads  of  Indians  came  about  the 
cabin,  acting  in  a  rather  suspicious  manner, 
greatly  alarming  the  whites.  Some  time 
dm-ing  the  night  a  noise  was  heard,  which 
their  fear  magnified  into  a  probable  attack 
or  preparations  for  one,  and  gathsring  up 
their  arms,  they  beat  a  hasty  retreat — "  fall- 
ing back  in  good  order" — to  William  Casey's 
cabin,  where  they  spent  the  night — a  prey  to 
dismal  forebodings.  The  night  passed,  how- 
ever, without  any  attack  being  made,  and 
with  the  morning's  light  their  courage  re- 
turned. They  went  back  home,  where  they 
found  things  undisturbed,  and  then  enjoyed 
a  hearty  laugh  at  their  needless  scare. 

Few  traces  of  the  Indians  now  remain  in 
tne  county.  Implements,  such  as  stone  hatch- 
ets, arrow-heads,  etc. ,  years  ago  could  be 
picked  up  in  the  vicinity  of  their  old  camps, 
but  nothing  more.  Nothing  like  the  ruins 
of  an  ancient  village  or  a  biuylng  ground 
are  known  to  exist  save  a  few  mounds  or  hil- 
locks near  the  fair  grounds,  which  are  sup- 
posed to  be  and  probably  are  the  remains  of 
an  Indian  cemotei'y. 

Black  Hawk  War. — It  is  not  inappropri- 
ate to  cloao  this  chapter  with  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Although  we  shall 
devote  a  subsequent  chapter  to  the  war  and 
military  history  of  the  county,  yet,  while  en- 
gaged with  the  Indians,  it  is  well,  perhaf^s,  to 
"exterminate"  them  and  be  done  with  it.  That 
is  the  inevitable  doom  awaiting  them.  The 
causes  which  led  to  the  Black  Hawk  war 
reach  back  to  and  even  prior  to  the  Winne- 
bago and  Sac  war  of  1827,  and  briefly  stated 
by  Edwards  in  his  history  of  Illinois,  are  as 
follows:  During  the  administration  of  Gov. 
Edwards,  the  Indians  upon  the  Northwestern 
frontier    began    to    be    very     troublesome. 


120 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEUSON  COU^STTY. 


The  different  tribes  not  only  commenced  a 
warfare  among  themselves,  in  regard  to  their 
respective  boundaries,  but  they  extended  their 
hostilites  to  the  white  settlements.  A  treaty 
of  peace,  in  which  the  whites  acted  more  as 
mediators  than  as  a  party,  had  been  signed 
at  Prairie  Du  Chi  en  on  the  29  th  of  August, 
1825,  by  the  terms  of  which  the  boundaries 
between  the  Winnebagoes  and  Sioux,  Chip- 
pewas.  Sacs,  Foxes  and  other  tribes,  were 
defined,  but  it  failed  to  keep  them  quiet. 
Their  depredations  and  murders  continued 
frequent,  and  in  the  summer  of  1827  their 
conduct  particularly  of  the  Winnebagoes, 
became  very  alarming.  There  is  little  doubt, 
however,  that  the  whites,  who  at  this  period 
were  immigrating  in  large  niTmbers  to  the 
Northwest  and  earnestly  desired  their  re- 
moval further  westward,  purposely  exasper- 
ated the  Indians,  at  the  same  time  that  they 
greatly  exaggerated  the  hostlities  committed. 
The  Indians  thus  maddened  and  rendered  in- 
sanely jealous  of  the  encroachments  of  the 
whites  and  the  insults  and  injui'ies  heaped 
upon  them,  finally  broke  out  into  open  war. 

Black  Hawk,  in  the  spring  of  1831,  came 
over  from  west  of  the  Mississippi  River  with 
300  warriors  of  his  "old  guard,"  and  ordered 
the  whites  to  leave,  committed  numei'ous 
depredations  and  threatened  more  serious  re- 
sults if  his  orders  were  not  immediately  com- 
plied with.  Gens.  Gaines  and  Duncan  were 
ordered  to  quell  the  Indians,  and  marched  to 
the  scene  with  a  hastily  collected  army.  The 
clouds  of  war  soon  disappeared,  however,  by 
Black  Hawk  and  his  warriors  suing  for  peace, 
and  the  former  treaty  of  1804  was  ratified. 

This  peace  was  not  destined  to  remain  long 
imbroken.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1832, 
Black  Hawk  again  prepared  to  assert  his 
right  to  the  disputed  territory.  He  recrossed 
the  Mississippi  River,  proceeded  toward 
Rock   River  and  began  to  collect  an  army. 


Gov.  Reynolds  called  for  troops  and  prompt- 
ly the  State  responded.  Jefferson  County 
furnished  a  full  company,  besides  a  number 
of  men  scattered  through  other  companies  and 
battalions.  From  the  report  of  the  Adjutant 
General  of  the  State,  for  the  Black  Hawk 
and  Mexican  wars,  we  give  the  roster  of  this 
company,  as  follows:  James  Bowman,  Cap- 
tain; Franklin  S.  Casey,  First  Lieutenant; 
Green  Deprist,  Second  Lieutenant;  Stephen 
G.  Hicks,  Eli  D.  Anderson,  John  R.  Satter 
field  and  Littleton  Daniels,  Sergeants; 
George  Bullock,  James  Bullock,  Isaac  S. 
Casey  and  Isaac  Deprist,  Corporals;  Pri- 
vates, S.  H.  Anderson,  G.  W.  Atchison,  Ig- 
natius Atchison,  Samuel  Bullock,  William 
Bingaman,  Joseph  Bradford,  M.  D.  Bruce, 
P.  C.  Buffiington,  John  Baugh,  S.  W.  Car- 
penter, Zadok  Casey,  John  Darnall,  William 
Deweeze,  Gasaway  Elkin,  Robert  Elkin,  Is- 
aac Faulkenburg,  William  D.  Gastin,  Wil- 
lis B.  Holder,  William  B.  Hays,  James  Ham, 
Joel  Harlow,  John  Isam,  John  Jenkins, 
David  Kitrell,  James  C.  Martin,  Nathaniel 
Morgan,  James  F.  Miner,  John  E.  McBrian, 
H.  B.  Newby,  J.  R.  Owens,  Peter  Owens, 
Wyatt  Parrish,  George  W.  Pace,  James 
Rhea,  Jacob  Reynolds,  William  Thomason 
and  Joseph  Thomason.  Killed,  William 
Allen,  at  Kellogg's  Grove,  June  25,  1832; 
-lames  B.  Bond,  James  Black  and  Abram 
Bradford,  died  of  disease;  Robert  Meek  and 
Marcus  Randolph  wounded  at  Kellogg's  Grove. 
The  men  elected  their  own  officers  and 
each  man  furnished  his  own  horse  and  gun. 
These  were  to  be  valued  when  the  men  were 
mustered  in,  and  paid  for  if  lost  when  the 
men  should  be  discharged.  By  the  15th  of 
June  the  troops  had  arrived  at  their  place  of 
rendezvous  and  amounted  to  over  3,000  men. 
They  were  formed  into  three  brigades,  com- 
manded respectively  by  Gens.  Posey,  Alexan- 
der and  Henry.     The  company  from  Jefferson 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEESON  COUNTY. 


131 


County  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Kellogg's 
Grove,  in  which,  as  already  stated,  one  man 
was  killed  and  two  others  wounded. 

The  war  ended  with  the  battle  of  August 
2,  1832,  at  the  mouth  of  Bad  Axe,  a  creek 
which    empties    into     the    Mississippi    near 


Prairie  Du  Chien.  A  treaty  was  made  in 
the  following  September,  which  ended  the 
Indian  troubles  in  this  State.  Black  Hawk 
had  been  captured,  and  upon  regaining  his 
liberty  ever  after  remained  friendly  to  the 
whites. 


CHAPTER    III.* 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  COUNTY  BY  WHITE  PEOPLE— WHO  THE  PIONEERS  WERE,  AND  WHERE  THEY 

CAME  FROM— ANDREW  MOORE— HIS  MURDER  BY  THE  INDIANS— MOORE'S  PRAIRIE,  AND 

THE  PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED   IT— THE  WILKEYS,  CRENSHAWS,  ATCHISONS,  ETC.— 

SETTLEMENT     AT     MOUNT   VERNON— OTHER     PIONEERS— HARDSHIPS, 

TRIALS,    PRIVATIONS,     MANNERS,    CUSTOMS,    ETC.,  ETC. 


"  the  westward  tide  should  overflow 

The  mountain  barriers  to  this  unknown  clime, 
To  change  the  wilderness  and  barren  waste. 
Where  savage  and  the  deer  in  turn  were  chased. 
And  there  to  found  in  this  broad  valley  home 
A  richer,  vaster  empire  than  was  ruled  by  ancient 
Rome." — Byera. 

T"^HB  first  white  people,  according  to  authen- 
tic history,  who  ever  traversed  the  plains 
of  Illinois  or  navigated  its  streams  were  the 
French.  The  importance  which  attaches  to  all 
that  is  connected  with  the  explorations  and 
discoveries  of  the  earlj'  French  travelers  in  the 
Northwest,  but  increases  in  interest  as  time 
rolls  on.  Two  hundred  years  or  more  ago,  set- 
tlements were  made  by  the  French  in  what  is 
now  the  State  of  Illinois,  among  which  were 
Fort  Chartres,  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia  and  other 
places;  also  at  Vincennes  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Wabash  River.  Marquette,  Lasalle,  De 
Frontenac,  Joliet,  Hennepin  and  Tonti  were 
Frenchmen  whose  names  are  familiar  in  the 
earl}-  history  of  Illinois.  From  the  3-ear  1680 
until  the  close  of  the  •  Old  French  and  Indian 
war"  between  France  and  England,  Illinois 
was  under  French  dominion.     At  the  treaty  of 

♦By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


Paris,  February  16,  1763,  France  relinquished 
to  England  all  the  territory  she  claimed  east  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  from  its  source  to  Bayou 
Iberville.  Less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
passed,  and  it  was  wrested  from  Great  Britain 
by  her  American  colonies.  In  1778,  Gen. 
George  Rogers  Clark,  with  a  handful  of  the 
ragged  soldiers  of  freedom,  under  commission 
from  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  conquered  the 
country,  and  the  banner  of  the  thirteen  colonies 
floated  in  the  breeze  for  the  first  time  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.  The  conquest  of 
Clark  made  Illinois  a  county  of  Virginia,  as 
noticed  in  a  subsequent  chapter.  This  acquisi- 
tion of  territory  brought  many  adventurous 
individuals  hither,  and  Southern  Illinois  at  once 
became  the  center  of  attraction. 

There  is  but  little  doubt  that  Andrew  Moore 
was  the  first  white  man  to  make  a  settlement 
within  the  present  confines  of  Jefferson  County. 
Mr.  Johnson,  in  his  pioneer  sketches  of  the 
county,  notices  a  settlement  made  in  1808-09 
in  what  is  now  Franklin  County,  b\-  Thomas 
and  Francis  Jordan.  They  settled  some  eight 
or  nine  miles  from  the  present  towu  of  Frank- 
fort, and  with  the  assistance  of  a  company  of 


122 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUNTY. 


soldiers  from  the  saltworks,  erected  two 
forts  or  block-houses  there  for  their  protection. 
This  settlement  was  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  from  the  south  line  of  Jefferson  County. 
In  1810,  Andrew  Moore  came  from  the  Goshen 
settlement,  and  located  in  what  is  now  Moore's 
Prairie  Township,  in  this  count}-.  The  nearest 
settlement  to  him  was  the  Jordan  settlement, 
and  that  was  distant,  as  we  have  said,  some  fif- 
teen or  twenty  miles.  At  the  edge  of  a  hickory 
grove,  on  the  old  Goshen  road,  he  reared  his 
lone  cabin.  It  was  a  double  cabin,  and  com- 
posed of  round  hickory  poles,  with  a  chimney 
and  fire-place  in  the  middle.  Here  he  lived 
with  his  family  for  several  years — Gov.  Rey- 
nolds says  until  1812  ;  other  authorities  until 
1814—15.  All  the  while  they  were  alone,  ex- 
cept an  occasional  adventurous  traveler  who 
chanced  to  pass,  or  a  company  on  their  waj'  to 
the  Saline  for  salt.  With  these  exceptions, 
they  saw  none  of  their  kind.  Crusoe  on  his 
desert  island  was  not  more  alone  than  this  first 
family  of  Jefferson  County — these  lone  mari- 
ners of  the  desert. 

Andrew  Moore,  from  all  that  is  known  of 
him,  was  a  pioneer  of  the  true  tj'pe.  He  was 
a  self-exile  from  civilization,  as  it  were,  and  bj- 
choice  a  roving  nomad,  who  sought  the  soli- 
tudes of  the  pathless  woods,  the  dreariness  of 
the  desert  waste,  in  exchange  for  the  trammels 
of  civilized  societj-.  Of  the  latter  he  could 
not  endure  its  restraints,  and  he  despised  its 
comforts  and  pleasures.  He  yearned  for  free- 
dom— freedom  in  its  fullest  sense,  applied  to 
all  property,  life  and  everj-thing,  here  and  here- 
after. He  had  branched  out  into  the  wilder- 
ness, cut  loose  from  his  kind,  and  he  did  not 
burn  the  bridges  behind  him,  because  there 
were  none  to  burn.  He  hunted,  fished,  cut 
bee  trees,  and  cultivated  a  small  patch  in  the 
waj'  of  a  farm.  He  lived  and  moved  without 
fear  of  the  Indians,  and  felt  as  secure  in  his 
cabin  as  though  it  had  been  a  fortified  castle  ; 
but  in  everything — every  perilous  act,  every 


dangerous  feat — there  must  be  a  last  one.  The 
pitcher  went  once  too  often  to  the  fountain, 
and  Moore  finally-  made  his  last  excursion. 

Mr.  Johnson  thus  tells  the  story  of  his  tragic 
death  :  "  Moore  and  his  son,  a  boj-  some  eight 
or  ten  years  of  age,  went  one  da}-  on  horseback 
to  Jordan's  settlement,  to  mill,  expecting  to  re- 
turn the  same  evening  or  the  next  day.  But 
the  nest  day  passed  without  bringing  the  ab- 
sent ones,  and  after  a  night  of  fear  and  appre- 
hension, Mrs.  Moore  took  her  children  and  set 
off  down  the  path  to  meet  her  husband.  They 
plodded  along  until  they  finally  reached  the 
mill,  when,  to  their  great  grief,  thej'  learned 
from  Jordan  that  Moore  and  his  boj-  had  got 
their  grinding,  and  had  started  home  in  due 
time.  The  anguish  of  the  poor  woman  at  this 
dismal  news  was  most  distressing.  She  begged 
for  help  to  look  for  her  husband  and  child,  and 
as  many  as  dared  leave  the  settlement  at  once 
turned  out  and  engaged  in  the  search.  For 
several  days  they  scoured  the  woods  along  the 
trail,  but  found  no  trace  of  the  missing,  and 
finally  the  search  was  reluctantl}-  abandoned. 
Mrs.  Moore,  desolate  and  heart-broken,  returned 
to  her  cabin,  gathered  together  her  few  posses- 
sions, and  removed  down  into  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Saline.  A  few  years  later,  a  brother  of 
Mrs.  Moore,  named  Bales,  his  son-in-law,  a  Mr. 
Fannin,  and  a  Mr.  Fipps.  a  son-in  law  of  Mrs. 
Moore,  moved  up  to  the  prairie,  and  Mrs. 
Moore  returned  with  them.  A  hunting  part}- 
some  years  afterward  found  a  human  skull 
stuck  upon  a  snag  or  broken  limb  of  au  elm 
tree,  near  the  creek,  and  but  a  mile  or  two 
south  of  where  Moore  had  lived.  When  Mrs. 
Moore  heard  of  this,  she  said  that  if  it  was  her 
husband's,  it  would  be  known  by  his  having 
lost  a  certain  tooth  from  his  upper  jaw.  Upon 
examination  it  was  found  that  that  tooth,  and 
no  other,  was  lacking.  Fully  persuaded  now 
that  it  was  the  scull  of  her  poor,  unfortunate 
husband,  she  took  it  to  her  home,  and  kept  it 
sacredly  as  long  as  she  lived."     There  is  a  com- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


123 


fort  and  a  blessing  in  the  sweet  recollection  of 
having  once  been  all  the  world  to  auotber,  and 
with  a  love  such  as  only  a  true  woman  knows, 
Mrs.  Moore  preserved  the  ghastly  reliu,  cher- 
ished it  and  wept  over  it,  and  to  her  last  da^-s 
seemed  to  take  a  sad  and  mournful  pleasure  in 
showing  it  to  her  friends.  She  fiuall_y  returned 
to  the  old  town  of  Equality,  and  died  there. 

No  other  intelligence  of  Moore's  fate  or  that 
of  his  son  was  ever  received  by  his  family  or 
friends.  It  was  the  generally  accepted  theory 
that  the  Indians  surprised  them,  killed  the 
father,  and  to  satisfy  their  fiendish  cruelty,  cut 
oS  his  head,  placed  it  where  it  was  found,  and 
carried  the  boy  away  into  captivity,  taking  the 
horses  and  meal  with  them.  The  body  of  the 
murdered  man,  no  doubt,  was  devoured  by  wild 
animals. 

Such  was  the  first  attempt  at  a  settlement  in 
the  county,  and  its  tragic  and  melanchol}'  ter- 
mination. The  next  attempt,  and  what  may 
perhaps,  be  termed  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment, was  in  1816,  by  Carter  Wilkey.  About 
the  same  time  or  very  soon  after,  Daniel  Cren- 
shaw and  Robert  Cook  came  to  the  country. 
All  these  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie,  which  re- 
ceived its  name  from  Andrew  Moore,  whose 
settlement  is  above  noticed.  Crenshaw  moved 
into  Moore's  deserted  cabin,  and  Wilkey,  who 
was  single,  boarded  at  Crenshaw's.  Cook  set- 
tled in  the  lower  end  of  the  prairie,  where  Mr. 
Brookins  afterward  lived.  Wilkey  was  a  native 
of  (Georgia,  but  removed  from  that  State  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812. 
Being  under  age,  his  mother  succeeded  in  get- 
ting him  out  of  the  armj'  after  a  few  months' 
service.  Both  he  and  Robert  Cook  were  con- 
nected with  a  surveying  party,  engaged  in  sur- 
veying the  lands  in  this  part  of  the  State.  A 
Mr.  Bcrr)-  was  the  surveyor,  and  Cook  was  at- 
tached to  his  part}'  as  "  baggage  master,"  having 
in  charge  the  tent,  camp  equipage,  etc.  Car- 
ter Wilkey  was  the  "commissary" — the  hunts- 
man, who  furnished  the  game  for  the  use  of  the 


party.  This  surveying  was  done  in  1815,  and 
the  next  spring  Wilkey  came  back  to  stay,  as 
already  noted.  Crenshaw  repaired  Moore's 
cabin,  and  cultivated  his  improvement,  while 
Wilkey  raised  a  crop  during  the  summer  of 
1816,  in  the  prairie  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
west  of  Crenshaw's.  In  the  foil.  Barton  Atchi- 
son came  and  bought  Wilkey 's  crop,  and  set- 
tled near  Cook's.  Next  came  Mrs.  Wilkey  — 
the  mother  of  Carter — and  her  famil}',  Maxey 
Wilkey — an  older  brother  of  Carter's — and  his 
wife  and  child.  They  all  arrived  at  Crenshaw's 
on  the  22d  of  October,  1816,  and  spent  the 
winter  in  one  of  his  cabins— Crenshaw's  wife 
was  Mrs.  Wilkcy's  niece.  Thus,  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1816,  the  population  of  the  region 
of  country  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of 
Jefferson  Couuty  consisted  of  five  families— 
the  Wilkeys,  Crenshaws,  Cook  and  Atchison 
and  Carter  Wilkey,  who,  though  single,  was  not 
"  his  own  man" — probably  less  than  twenty 
souls. 

A  modern  writer  refers  to  the  first  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Great  West  as  men  and  women  of 
that  "  hardy  race  of  pioneers  to  whom  the 
perils  of  the  wilderness  are  as  nothing,  if  only 
that  wilderness  be  free."  The  eulogium  is  scarce- 
ly less  creditable  to  the  writer  than  to  the  sub- 
jects of  it.  Wliile  like  produces  like,  heroic 
men  and  women  will  spring  fi'om  heroic  ances- 
tors. And  the  people  of  the  West,  the  pioneers 
wh6  peopled  this  broad  domain,  were  as  much 
heroes  as  though  they  had  swayed  the  destinies 
of  an  empire,  or  commanded  the  armies  of  the 
world.  Of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county, 
whom  we  have  already  mentioned,  a  few  words 
additional  are  not  out  of  place. 

Maxey  Wilkey  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of 
1812,  and  served  in  the  armies  of  the  North 
until  peace  was  made.  He  claimed  to  have 
been  at  the  death  of  Tecumseh,  who  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  This  is  not  un- 
like the  story  of  Washington's  servant,  inas- 
much as  the  men  who  saw  the  great  warrior 


n 


184 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX   COUJsTY. 


pass  to  the  happy  hunting-grounds  are  about 
as  numerous  as  Washington's  bodj-  servants. 
Though  it  is  not  improbable  that  Mr.  Wilke}- 
witnessed  it,  as  he  claims  to  have  been  in  the 
battle  of  the  Thames.  The  following  upon  the 
subject  is  from  Johnson's  sketches  :  '•  He  says 
the  Indian  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  fell 
from  his  horse,  and  was  surrounded  aud  taken. 
It  was  believed  that  the  prisoner  was  Tecum- 
seh,  but  he  refused  to  speak.  Gen.  Harrison 
was  called  to  the  spot,  recognized  the  chief,  but 
could  get  no  answer  from  him,  aud  left  him  to 
his  fate.  The  soldiers  took  charge  of  him,  and 
he  soon  after  died.  The  old  man  tells  me  that 
he  saw  two  razor  strops  taken  off  the  dead  In- 
dian's back,  and  a  third  from  his  thigh,  that  is, 
strips  of  skin  about  two  by  twelve  inches  in 
size."  This  story  is  not  only  a  little  "  wild," 
but  contradictory  of  i-ecognized  histor}-.  That 
the  old  soldier  witnessed  the  circumstance  he 
relates  maj-  not  be  at  all  untrue,  but  that  the 
Indian  was  Tecumseli  is  most  improbable. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  and  his  discharge 
from  the  army,  Masey  "V\'^ilke3-  married  a  Miss 
Caldwell,  and  came  to  Illinois,  as  already  stated, 
In  the  fall  of  1816.  He  was  a  great  hunter, 
and  thought  far  more  of  the  excitement  of  the 
chase  than  of  the  accumulation  of  worldly 
wealth,  hence  he  remained  comparativelj*  poor. 
He  was  an  extraordinary  man  in  many  respects, 
and  his  wife  was  an  extraordinarj'  woman.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eighteen  children,  and  in 
that  respect  she  was  more  extraordinary  than 
many  of  her  pioneer  lady  friends.  Mr.  John- 
son relates  the  following  of  an  interview  he  had 
with  Wilkey  a  short  time  before  his  death  : 
"  His  present  homestead  adjoins  the  lauds  on 
which  he  settled,  aud  he  and  his  aged  wife  live 
nearl)-  alone,  both,  however,  are  stout  and  vig- 
orous for  people  of  their  age.  The  old  man  is 
as  erect  as  a  General,  and  looks  about  filtj' 
years  of  age,  though  upward  of  eighty.  His 
wife,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  was  just  recover- 
ing from  a  severe  illness.     In  the  course  of  our 


conversation,  he  remarked,  in  his  characteristic 
style,  '  That  woman,  sir,  that  you  see  lying  up- 
on her  bunk,  is  the  mother  of  eighteen  children, 
twelve  sons  and  six  daughters,  and  six  of  the 
sons  are  still  living.'  He  also  stated  that  he 
was  one  of  the  little  party  that  opened  out  the 
old  'Goshen  Trail,'  and  made  it  a  wagon-road.' 
Carter  AViikey,  the  younger  of  the  two  Wil- 
keys,  and  the  first  one  to  come  to  the  county, 
after  a  few  years  returned  to  Tennessee,  where 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  When  he 
came  back  to  Illinois,  he  still  made  his  home 
with  Crenshaw.  A  great  emigration  had  now 
sprung  up  from  Kentuck}-  and  Tennessee  to  the 
"  Sangamo  country."  Emigrations  to  the  mid- 
dle or  northern  part  of  the  State  were  termed  go- 
ing to  the  "Sangamo,"  and  it  was  no  uncommon 
sight  to  see  a  hundred  wagons  in  a  single  com- 
pan\-  going  north.  Crenshaw's  was  the  great 
camping-place  for  emigrants  on  their  way  to 
the  new  promised  land.  Carter  Wilkej-  long 
followed  the  business  of  going  to  Carmi,  a  dis- 
tance of  fortj'  miles,  with  two  or  three  pack- 
horses,  and  bringing  back  meal  to  sell  to  these 
"  movers.''  This  would  seem  a  small  business 
in  this  dav  of  railroads,  as  he  could  only  bring 
two  or  three  sacks  of  meal  at  a  time,  but  as  he 
sold  it  at  $2  a  bushel,  it  was  a  lucrative  busi- 
ness for  that  early  day.  In  the  meantime. 
Dempsey  Wood  had  moved  into  the  settlement 
with  four  stalwart  sons — John,  Ben,  Lawson 
and  Aleck.  Ben  was  a  carpenter,  and  he  and 
Carter  Wilkey  at  once  began  to  work  at  the 
business  in  partnership.  They  built  manj  of 
the  first  houses  (we  do  not  mean  cabins)  in  the 
countr}-.  They  built  the  first  house  on  Jordan's 
Prairie  ;  the}'  built  the  Clerk's  office  in  Mc- 
Leansboro,  the  first  house  erected  in  that  town  ; 
they  built  or  helped  to  build  the  first  bridge 
over  Casey's  Fork  of  Muddy  Creek.  They 
agreed  to  furnish  the  lumber  for  the  bridge 
floor  by  a  certain  Saturday-,  and  it  was  Monday 
morning  when  they  went  to  work.  The  amount 
required   was   1,660  feet,  2x10   inch-stuli',  and 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


125 


all  had  to  be  sawed  b^'  hand  with  a  whip-saw. 
They  sawed  the  lumber,  and  had  it  on  the 
ground  by  10  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning. 

Wilkej-  afterward  went  to  Burlington,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  the 
provision  and  grocery  business,  then  as  a  drug- 
gist, and  finally  studied  medicine  under  Dr. 
Hasbrook  of  that  city.  He  practiced  medicine 
for  many  }'ears,  and  was  a  ver}-  active  and  en- 
ergetic business  man.  He  used  to  trade  in 
horses  and  cattle,  and  bought  up  and  took  many 
hundred  of  them  to  the  southern  markets.  He 
was  married  in  1821  to  Miss  Brunetta  Casey,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  Casey.  Of  the  others  of  the 
Wilkej'  family,  a  daughter  married  Abel  Allen, 
another  one  married  Jacob  Weldon,  and  another 
a  Mr.  Robinson.  Dick  Wilkey,  as  he  was 
called,  married  a  Kirkendale. 

Crenshaw  sold  out  in  1822,  and  went  to  Ad- 
ams County,  where  he  afterward  died.  He  was 
a  good  man  and  got  along  well.  iS^ot  strictly 
religious,  but  honest  and  upright,  free  and  lib- 
eral in  his  views,  and  believed  in  the  young 
people  enjoying  themselves,  on  the  principle 
that  '•  all  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull 
boj'."  His  cabin  was  always  open  to  the  wan- 
dering minister  of  Christ,  the  frontier  mission- 
ar}-,  who  received  a  warm  welcome  when  he 
called,  and  was  pressed  to  stay  and  preach  to 
the  neighbors,  who  were  hastily-  summoned 
from  the  highways  and  by-ways  of  the  wilder- 
ness. The  young  people  always  found  equally 
as  warm  a  welcome  when  they  met  there  for  a 
backwoods  frolic  and  dance.  Crenshaw's  trade 
was  the  making  of  "saddle-trees,"  and  he  used 
to  make  saddles,  bringing  his  materials  from 
Carmi. 

Barton  Atchison  was  also  in  the  war  of  1812, 
and  was  a  character  in  his  wa}'.  He  was  a 
man  who  moved  ever^'thiug  by  his  own  prompt- 
ings ;  he  knew  little  or  nothing  of  the  rules  of 
society  and  he  cared  less.  He  was  an  honest 
man,  and  as  rough  of  speech  as  rough  could  be 
— a  genuine  rough  diamond.     He  was  long  a 


County  Commissioner,  and  held  other  offices 
to  the  satisftiction  of  the  people.  He  was  a 
great  story-teller,  and  delighted  to  relate  his 
adventures  in  the  arm3'  and  elsewhere.  Mr. 
Johnson  tells  the  following  as  one  of  his  arm3' 
stories  :  "  The  army  was  encamped  for  some 
time  at  a  certain  point,  and  during  their  stay 
there,  he  and  a  companion  went  out  one  even- 
ing to  take  a  hunt.  It  soon  began  to  snow, 
and  as  they  wandered  in  the  pathless  woods 
they  became  bewildered,  and  night  overtook 
them  before  thej-  reached  camp.  To  lie  down 
was  to  freeze,  and  to  walk  on  was  to  risk  get- 
ting farther  away,  of  rushing  into  unknown 
dangers,  and  of  finally  perishing  in  the  snow. 
At  length,  to  their  great  joy,  they  came  to  an 
old  unoccupied  cabin,  and  they  hastened  to 
take  shelter  beneath  its  friendly  roof  Thej' 
shook  off  the  snow,  and  were  about  to  wrap  their 
mantles  around  them  and  lie  down  to  pleasant 
dreams,  otherwise  roll  up  in  their  army  blank- 
ets, prepare  to  pass  the  night,  when  Atchi- 
son bethought  him  that,  perchance,  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather  miglit  bring  other 
company,  either  wild  beast  or  Indian,  to  the 
cabin,  and  it  prove,  after  all,  a  dangerous  rest- 
ing place.  So  finding  a  part  of  a  loft,  two 
courses  of  boards  laid  on  poles,  thej*  climbed  up 
and  made  their  beds.  The  wisdom  of  his 
suggestion  \\a.s  soon  apparent,  as  in  a  little 
while  a  band  of  Indians  came  in  and  took 
possession  of  the  cabin,  one  of  whom  was 
the  tallest  Indian  they  had  ever  seen.  The 
new-comers  kindled  a  fire,  roasted  a  little  meat 
and  began  a  night  carousal,  After  some  time 
Atchison  shifted  his  position  in  order  to  see  a 
little  better,  wlieu  the  boards  tipped  up,  and  he 
and  his  companion  and  the  loft  all  came  clatter- 
ing down  on  the  Indians'  heads.  This  was  too 
much  for  a  people  both  cowardly  and  supersti- 
tious, and  they  fled  in  terror  and  confusion." 

Atchison,  as  wc  have  said,  was  an  active  man, 
and  took  considerable  interest  in  county  affiiirs. 
He  raised  a  large  family,  and  still   has  many 


126 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEESON  COUNTY. 


living  descendants  in  tiie  county,  of  whom 
mucli  will  be  said  in  other  chapters  of  this 
work.  He  died  a  few  years  ago  at  an  advanced 
age,  leaving  many  warm  friends  to  mourn  his 
deatli.  At  one  time  and  another  he  held  many 
county  otBces,  and  in  each  and  all  he  was  ever 
honest  and  faithful.  His  learning,  so  far  as  the 
schoolbooks  go,  was  limited  and  meager,  but 
his  practical  education  was  good,  and  was 
gained  by  daily  experience  with  men  and 
things.  Such  were  the  men  and  the  families 
who  made  the  first  settlement  in  this  county. 
We  deem  no  excuse  necessar}-  for  the  extended 
sketch  given  of  these,  the  first  settlers — the 
advance  guard,  as  it  were,  of  the  grand  army  of 
emigrants  who  have  followed,  and  in  the  years 
that  have  come  and  gone,  have  given  to  Jefler- 
son  Country  a  population  not  surpassed  by  any 
count}-  in  the  State. 

The  next  settlement  made  after  those  already 
described  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1816  by  a 
man  named  Thompson.  He  did  not  remain 
long,  however,  and  of  him  very  little  is  known. 
In  the  winter  following  (1816-17),  several  fami- 
lies moved  into  the  new  settlement.  Of  these 
were  Theophilus  Cook,  the  Widow  Hicks  and  a 
few  others.     Cook  settled  near  Sloo's  Point.* 

He  had  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was 
a  man  whom  everybody  that  knew  him  loved 
and  honored  him.  His  Christian  character  was 
pure,  and  so  far  as  man  can  judge,  without  spot 
or  blemish.  As  a  husband,  father,  neighbor, 
friend,  he  lived  above  reproach.  He  left  a 
familj'  of  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  several 
of  whom  are  still  living. 

Mrs.  Hicks  was  the  widow  of  John  Hicks, 
one  of  the  seven  men  who  fell  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans    January   8,    1815.     Hicks    was 

*  Regarding  the  name  of  Sloo's  Point,  Mr.  Johnson,  in  his 
sketches,  says:  "Almost  as  soon  as  this  county  was  surveyed, 
Thomas  Sloo  of  Shawneetown,  came  in  and  entered  about  one  hun- 
dred quarter-sections  of  land  in  diflerent  parts  of  what  is  now  Jeffereon 
County.  John  T.  Johnson  lives  on  one  of  these  quarter-sections ;  on 
the  southenstern  part  of  Moore's  Prairie  was  a  long  point  of  timl)er, 
lying  on  the  waters  of  Uchshire's  Creek;  and  Sloo  had  entered  a 
good  deal  of  the  land  in  this  vicinity — iienco  the  name.  Among 
other  entries,  I  believe,  was  the  laud  on  which  William  Scrivner 

liVOB." 


standing  by  the  side  of  Theophilus  Cook  when 
he  received  his  death  wound.  He  left  three 
children,  Stephen  G.  and  two  daughters.  After 
the  war  was  over.  Carter  Wilkey,  who  was  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Hicks,  visited  her  in  Georgia, 
where  she  lived,  and  induced  her  to  remove 
with  her  family  to  Illinois.  It  was  a  terrible 
journey  to  be  made  in  winter  in  that  early  day, 
and  rendered  doubly  so  by  the  hostile  demon- 
strations frequently'  made  by  the  faithless  In- 
dians. They  finally  arrived,  however,  in  safety. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  a  man  named  Hodge 
moved  in  and  settled  on  the  place  where  Abra- 
ham Irvin  afterward  lived  for  many  years.  Mrs. 
Robinson  came  about  the  same  time,  as  also 
Fannin,  Fipps,  Bales  and  Mrs.  Moore,  widow 
of  Andrew  Moore  (whose  murder  by  the  In- 
dians has  alreadj'  been  noticed),  moved  back 
to  Moore's  Prairje. 

The  settlements  so  far  described  were  made 
in  that  portion  of  Jefferson  County  originally 
belonging  to  White  Count}-.  The  northern  line 
of  White  Count}'  then  ran  about  four  miles 
south  of  the  present  city  of  Mount  Vernon, 
dividing  Township  3  south,  and  extending  west 
to  the  Third  Principal  Meridian,  and  all  north 
of  that  line  was  in  Edwards  County.  Moore's 
Prairie,  where  the  first  settlement  of  the  county 
began,  was  in  the  northwest  part  of  White 
County.  The  next  settlement  we  shall  notice 
sprang  up  in  what  was  then  the  southwestern 
part  of  Edwards  County,  and  was  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  Mount  Vernon. 

The  circumstances  which  led  to  the  second  set- 
tlement were  somewhat  as  follows  :  Some  time 
about  the  spring  of  1816,  a  man  of  the  name 
of  Black  came  up  from  Pope  County,  on  a 
hunt,  and  upon  his  return  told  fabulous 
stories  of  the  country  he  had  seen,  and  es- 
pecially of  a  beautiful  prairie  where  perennial 
flowers  seemed  to  bloom,  and  the  richest  lux- 
uriance gave  token  of  an  earthly  paradise. 
His  "description  of  the  fruitful  lands  ho  had 
visited  excited  in  his  neighbors  and  friends  a 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOiSr  COINTY. 


127 


burning  desire  to  see  and  learn  for  themselves. 
Among  others  to  whom  he  related  his  wonder- 
ful stories  were  the  Caseys,  who  lived  near 
Cave-in-Rock,  and  thev  at  once  determined  to 
visit  this  fabled  land.  In  the  fall  following 
the  trip  of  Black  to  this  section,  the  Caseys 
came  on  a  tour  inspection.  This  was  the  first 
sight  any  of  the  Caseys  had  of  what  is  now 
Jefferson  County. 

Isaac  Casey  and  two  sons,  William  and 
Thomas,  in  the  autumn  of  1816,  started  out  to 
visit  Black's  Prairie,  of  which  he  had  given  so 
glowing  an  account.  They  missed  it,  however, 
nor  did  the}-  strike  any  prairie  until  they  came 
to  the  small  one  in  which  Mount  Vernon  was 
afterward  built.  They  stopped  at  Crenshaw's, 
and  he,  glad  to  meet  new-comers,  as  all  pio- 
neers were,  accompanied  them  in  their  search 
of  locations.  They  went  a  few  miles  beyond 
where  Mount  Vernon  is  situated,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Crenshaw's  and  finally  home.  The 
following  spring,  Isaac  Casey  came  back,  and 
his  son  William,  his  daughter  Katy,  and  his 
son-in-law,  Isaac  Hicks,  came  with  him  for  the 
purpose  of  founding  a  settlement.  They  built 
a  cabin  or  camp  in  the  open  prairie,  and  culti- 
vated a  small  patch  of  ground  near  where  the 
Methodist  Church  now  stands.  While  thus  en- 
camped in  the  prairie,  they  had  no  trouble  in 
procuring  meat,  as  game  was  abundant;  honey, 
too,  was  more  abundant  still.  But  bread  was 
a  serious  matter,  and  to  procure  it  Mr.  Casej- 
and  his  daughter  would  go  on  horseback  to 
the  Wabash  bottoms  beyond  Carmi  for  meal. 
He  would  ride  one  horse  and  lead  one,  while  his 
daughter  would  ride  another,  and  thus  three 
"  turns  "  of  meal  would  be  brought  back.  In 
the  fall,  they  all  returned  to  the  Ohio  River, 
where  they  had  come  from,  and  brought  out 
tJie  rest  of  their  families,  their  stock  and  such 
other  property  as  they  possessed.  William  Casey 
moved  into  the  camp  or  cabin  above  referred 
to,  Isaac  Casey  erected  his  cabin  near  by  and 
Isaac  Hicks  located  near  the  place  where  he 


died ;  other  families  followed  soon  after.  Kellj' 
settled  on  the  hill  and  remained  there  until  the 
capital  of  the  State  was  moved  to  Vandalia. 
He  then  moved  to  that  place  and  became  an 
officer  in  the  first  bank  ever  established  there. 
An  old  man  named  H}-nes  settled  a  little  west 
of  Kelly,  out  on  the  Goshen  road,  where  for 
some  years  he  kept  a  public  house;  afterward  he 
moved  up  North,  where  he  died.  Further  up  the 
Goshen  road,  William  Goings  settled.  He  was 
considered  a  bad  man  ;  he  made  millstones, 
and  it  was  believed  that  he  made  counterfeit 
money,  too.  He  was  finally,  after  the  settle- 
ment had  increased  a  little  more,  given  warn- 
ing to  leave  the  countr}-,  a  warning  he  obeyed 
with  alacrit}',  and  in  his  vacant  house  many 
relics  of  the  counterfeiting  business,  it  is  said, 
were  found.  James  and  John  Abbott.  John 
Utesler,  Mr.  StuU  and  Archibald  Harris  came 
in  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1817. 
They  were  from  Orange  County,  Ind.,  and  upon 
their  arrival  here  they  settled  in  the  neighbor- 
hood above  noticed. 

Zadok  Casey,  of  whom  we  shall  have  more 
to  say  hereafter,  came  in  the  spring  of 
1817  and  settled  on  the  place  where  Mr.  J. 
R.  Moss  now  lives.  He  reared  his  cabin  on  a 
slight  elevation  of  land,  which  he  called  Red 
Bud  Hill.  Abraham  Casey,  his  brother,  came 
the  next  year,  and  settled  near  where  Joseph 
Pace  lives.  A  son,  Clark  Casej',  came  with  him 
and  settled  on  what  is  called  the  '  Mulberry 
Hill."  Lewis  Watkins  settled  about  a  mile 
south  of  the  Atchison  place,  where  he  sold  goods 
for  a  time.  Thomas  Jordan  located  in  the 
edge  of  the  prairie  which  was  named  for  him. 
The  place  is  now  known  as  the  McConnell 
place,  and  his  brother  William  settled  in  the 
edge  of  Moore's  Prairie.  William  Jordan,  Jr., 
settled  on  Seven  Mile  Creek,  and  Oliver  Morris 
settled  near  Joseph  Jordan's  first  location. 

While  these  accessions  were  being  made  to 
the  new  settlements,  another,  and  a  quite  im- 
portant one,  was  on  the  waj-.     This  was  a  Ten- 


128 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFEKSON  COUNTY. 


nessee  colony  of  six  families,  consisting  of 
William  Maxey,  James  E.  Davis,  James  John- 
son, Nathaniel  Parker,  John  Wilkerson  and  H. 
B.  Maxey.  They  organized  themselves  into  a 
colony,  and  all  started  from  William  Maxey's, 
in  Tennessee,  and  quite  a  lively  trip  they  had 
of  it.  Fipps,  who  lived  in  Knight's  Prairie,  was 
the  only  man  they  found  between  the  Saline 
and  Crenshaw's,  where  they  stopped.  They 
arrived  May  9,  1818,  and  camped  in  the  edge 
of  Moore's  Prairie.  Here  they  raised  a  small 
crop  in  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  inclosed  with  a 
brush  fence,  and  in  the  fall  they  moved  up  to 
the  other  settlement — all  except  Parker,  who 
did  not  relish  the  gloomy  aspect  of  the  country, 
and  moved  back  to  Allen  County,  Ky.  James 
Johnson  settled  near  the  place  where  he  died  ; 
Wilkerson,  where  Simon  King  afterward  lived  ; 
William  Maxey,  at  the  old  Maxey  place,  and 
II.  B.  Maxey  in  the  little  prairie  where  Ward 
now  lives.  James  E.  Davis  settled  where  Sam 
Edwards  afterward  lived.  In  September  fol- 
lowing the  arrival  of  this  colony,  Edward 
Maxej-  moved  into  the  settlement.  He  came 
from  Allen  County,  Ky.,  and  settled  on  the 
branch,  northeast  of  what  is  now  Judge  Satter- 
field's  farm,  on  the  present  Richview  road. 
About  the  same  time,  Fleming  Greenwood 
came  ;  his  son-in-law  lived  near  what  is  now 
Thomas  McMeen's  place.  James  and  William 
Hicks  also  came  during  the  fall  or  winter. 
James  bought  Clark  Casey's  place  on  Mulberrj' 
Hill  ;  William  was  single,  but  afterward  mar- 
ried the  Widow  Dodds. 

According  to  the  historical  sketches  of  Mr. 
Johnson,  from  which  we  have  so  often  quoted, 
and  which  are  considered  bj-  the  old  citizens 
generallj-  to  be  substantially  correct,  the  fore- 
going is  believed  to  comprise  a  very  full  and 
complete  list  of  the  families  who  settled  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  territory  of  Jefferson 
prior  to  its  organization  as  a  distinct  and  in- 
dependent county.  There  may  have  been  a 
few  who  came  and  remained  but  a  short  time, 


and  then  left,  but  as  to  permanent  settlers,  the 
list,  perhaps,  is  as  nearly  correct  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  make  now,  after  all  these  years. 

Illinois  was  still  a  Territor}-  when  the  first 
white  people  came  to  Jefferson  County.  These 
early  settlers  were  men  inured  to  toil  and 
danger.  They  had  been  reared,  manj'  of  them, 
amid  scenes  of  peril  and  savage  warfare,  where 
the  howl  of  the  wolf,  the  scream  of  the  panther, 
and  the  yell  of  the  Indian  were  familiar  music 
to  their  ears.  Some  of  them  had  not  reached 
life's  meridian,  but  they  were  hopeful,  cour- 
ageous and  determined.  They  were  poor  in 
actual  worth,  but  rich  in  possibilities,  and  were 
read}'  to  face  danger  and  endure  cold  and  hun- 
ger, if  a  home  stood  at  the  end  of  their  journey 
beckoning  them  on.  For  the  grand  simplicity 
of  their  lives  and  their  sturd}'  virtue,  these 
early  settlers  achieved  recognition  and  fame,  as 
Enoch  Arden  did — after  death.  It  was  their 
lot  to  plant  civilization  here,  and  in  doing  it 
they  displayed  virtues  which  render  modern 
civilization  a  boast  and  a  blessing.  In  their 
little  space  of  time  they  made  greater  progress 
than  ten  centuries  had  witnessed  before.  The 
work  thirtj'  generations  had  left  undone  they 
performed,  and  the  abyss  between  us  of  to-day 
and  the  pioneers  of  Jetferson  County  is  wider 
and  more  profound  than  the  chasm  between 
1815  and  the  battle  of  Hastings.  They  did  so 
much  that  it  is  hard  to  recognize  the  doers. 
"  They  builded  wiser  than  they  knew,"  and  the 
monuments  to  their  energy  and  industry  still 
stand  in  perpetuation  of  their  memory. 

The  first  settlements  of  the' county  were  made 
under  difficulties,  and  amid  hardships  and  dan- 
gers. As  we  have  said,  the  people  were  poor. 
The}'  had  come  here  with  a  meager  outfit  of 
this  world's  goods,  expecting  to  increase  their 
stores  and  provide  homes  for  their  children. 
Some  of  their  experiences  in  their  new  homes 
are  thus  detailed  by  Mr.  Johnson,  the  faithful 
chronicler  of  the  early  history  of  the  countj' : 

"  The  farms,  as  in  most  new  countries,  were 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


130 


mere  patches,  inclosed  with  rails  or  brush,  and 
sometimes  not  inclosed  at  all.  The  houses 
were  round-pole  cabins,  but  in  rare  cases  made 
of  small  logs — '•  skelped  down,"  or  very  slightly 
hewn,  sometimes  of  split  logs  smoothed  a  little 
on  the  face.  Some  of  the  cracks  in  the  wall 
were  chinked  and  daubed,  while  some  were  left 
open  to  admit  light  and  serve  as  windows. 
Some  of  the  cabins  had  cracks  all  around  that 
a  dog  could  jump  through.  If  the  floor  was 
anything  else  than  the  bare  ground,  it  was  made 
of  puncheons  or  slabs,  fastened  down  with 
wooden  pins,  or  not  fastened  at  all.  *  *  * 
*  *  Shelves  resting  on  long  pins  in  the  walls 
answered  for  cupboard,  pantry,  bureau  and 
wardrobe.  There  were  but  few  bedsteads  in 
the  county.  Bed  scaffolds  were  made  on  two 
rails  or  pieces  driven  into  the  walls,  one  for  the 
side  and  one  for  the  end,  in  the  corner  of  the 
cabin,  the  other  end  of  these  rails  being  let  into 
a  post — the  entire  structure  frequently  having 
but  one  bed-post.  Boards  were  laid  across 
from  the  long  rail  to  the  wall,  and  on  these  the 
bed,  if  the  happy  family  had  any,  was  laid. 
The  table  was  either  made  of  boards  nailed  to 
a  rough,  unwieldy  frame,  or  it  was  made  on 
stakes  driven  into  the  (ground)  floor.  The  well- 
to-do  had  a  pot  and  a  skillet ;  some  broiled 
their  meat  on  the  coals,  and  cooked  their 
"  Johnnj'-cake  "  on  a  board.  The  cook-stove 
is  a  modern  invention,  and  was  then  unknown 
in  the  West. 

"  Isaac  and  William  Casej'  constructed  a  little 
hand-mill  that  would  grind  a  bushel  or  two  a 
day,  and  the}-  did  well.  But  many  of  the  first 
settlers  had  to  beat  their  meal  in  a  mortar, 
which  was  generally  a  stump  with  a  basin 
burnt  out  in  the  top  of  it.  The  meal  thus  made 
was  sifted  through  a  sieve  made  by  punching  a 
piece  of  deer-skin  full  of  holes  with  a  hot 
wheel-spindle,  and  stretching  it  (the  deer-skin, 
not  the  spindle)  over  a  hoop.  In  the  early 
autumn,  meal  vpas  grated,  and  the  bread  made 


of  this  meal  and   baked  in  the  ashes,  or  on  a 

board,  was  as  delicious  as  heart  could  wish. 

■»■******» 

'■  Most  of  the  hats  and  caps  were  made  of 
skins,  often  of  the  most  fantastic  shape.  After 
the  original  supply  of  clothing  was  exhausted, 
the  first  resource  was  to  make  clothing  of  deer- 
skins. These  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians  made 
excellent  clothing;  but  our  first  settlers  were 
not  such  good  tanners,  and  the  clothes  did  not 
do  so  well.  The  breeches  soon  got  a  tremen- 
dous knee,  that  was  a  permanent  thing.  When 
''  Aunt  Pranky  "  Johnson  was  coming  out,  she 
saw  a  boy  in  Moore's  Prairie  dressed  in  buck- 
skin, and  she  exclaimed  in  the  .sincerity  of  her 
kind  heart :  "  Why,  la  me,  honey,  just  look  at 
that  poor  crippled  boy  ! "  When  the  men  or 
boys,  in  their  buckskin  suits,  went  out  in  the 
dewy  grass,  their  breeches'  legs  would  soon  be 
dangling  around  their  feet,  nearly  a  foot  too 
long ;  and  then  about  ten  o'clock,  when  they 
became  dry  again,  they  crackled  and  rustled 
about  their  legs  nearly  a  foot  too  short.  After 
the  first  year  or  two,  however,  when  people  had 
time  to  raise  cotton,  buckskin  gave  way  to  cot- 
ton goods,  the  latter  being  died  with  copperas, 
the  copperas  being  mingled  with  white  when 
variety  was  desired.  People  made  their  own 
indigo.  The  plant  they  used  was  bruised  and 
kept  in  soak  for  some  time,  then  wrung  out ; 
the  fluid  was  churned  with  a  basket  to  cut  the 
indigo,  then  left  to  settle,  and  afterward  dried 
in  the  sun.  The  article  to  "  set  "  the  dye  was 
such  as  to  make  it  an  unpleasant  process,  and 
such  as  to  sometimes  draw  the  buffiilo  gnats 
around  one's  Sunday  clothes  in  a  most  provok- 
ing  manner."         *        *        »        *        * 

Such  was  the  life,  and  such  the  trials  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Jefl'erson  County — men  who 
wrought  for  their  successors  the  richest  and 
most  enduring  legacy  in  all  the  world.  Most 
of  them  have  served  out  tiieir  day  and  genera- 
tion, and  have  passed  away.  Their  graves, 
many  of  them,  are  unmarked  and  unknown,  and 


130 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


their  fast  receding  memories  are  unhonored 
and  unsung.  They  deserve  better  than  this. 
Justice  demands  that  a  meed  of  praise  be 
awarded  those  great  lives  whose  works  will 
ripen,  and  are  ripening  into  the  noblest  civili- 
zation the  world  has  ever  known. 

In  a  subsequent  chapter  we  shall  give  ex- 
tended sketches  of  these  pioneer  families,  whose 
settlements  have  been  here  noticed.  Man}-  of 
the  men  who  came  here  in  that  early  day  were 
giants,  and  it  is  meet  that  they  should  receive 
their  deserts  from  the  pen  of  the  historian. 
Their  country's  historj-  demands  that  their 
names,   their   acts   and   their   deeds   shall   be 


placed  on  record,  and  preserved  for  the  gener- 
ations to  come. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  American  people 
take  as  natural!}-  to  self-government  as  a  babe 
turns  to  the  maternal  fount  for  nourishment. 
The  truthfulness  of  the  remark  is  evidenced  in 
the  fact  that  new  counties  are  formed  when 
their  area  contain  but  a  few  hundred  inhabit- 
ants. Thus  far  we  have  shown  the  number  of 
families  locating  in  Jefferson  Count}-  prior  to 
its  organization,  and  with  which  we  will  close 
this  chapter.  In  a  new  chapter  we  will  give 
the  formation  of  the  county,  and  the  circum- 
stances which  led  to  the  same. 


CHAPTER    lA".* 


ILLINOIS  A  COUNTY  OF  VIRGINIA— JOHN  TODD,  THE  FIR.ST  CIVIL  GOVERNOR— ORGANIZATION  OF 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY- THE  LEGISLATIVE  ACT  CREATING  IT— LOCATION   OF  THE  SEAT 

OF  JUSTICE— FIRST  OFFICIALS— THE  COURTS— PUBLIC  BUILDINGS— CENSUS 

—THE  COUNTY  DIVIDED  INTO    DISTRICTS— COUNTY  OFFICERS— 

J.  R.  SATTER FIELD— TOWNSHIP  ORGANIZATION,  ETC. 


rr^HAT  Illinois,  now  one  of  the  greatest 
J-  States  of  the  Federal  Union,  once 
formed  a  county  of  Virginia  is  a  fact  un- 
known, perhaps,  to  a  majority  of  our  readers. 
In  October,  1778,  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia  jiassed  an  act  for  "  establishing  the 
county  of  Illinois,  and  for  the  more  effectual 
protection  and  defense  thereof."  A  clause  of 
the  act  reads:  "  That  all  the  citizens  of  this 
commonwealth,  who  are  already  settled,  or 
shall  hereafter  settle  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  l^Iississippi,  shall  be 
included  in  a  distinct  county,  which  shall  be 
called  Illinois  County."  By  the  provisions 
of  the  act,  the  Governor  of  Virginia  was  to 
appoint  "  a  County  Lieutenant  or  Comman- 
dant  in  Chief,"  who  should  "  appoint   and 

»By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


commission  so  many  Deputy  Commandants, 
Militia  officers  and  Commissaries,"  as  he 
should  deem  expedient,  for  the  enforcement 
of  law  and  order.  The  civil  officers  were  to 
be  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  people,  and 
were  to  "  exercise  their  several  jurisdictions 
and  conduct  themselves  agi'eeable  to  the  laws 
which  the  present  settlers  are  now  accus- 
tomed to. " 

Patrick  Henry,  the  first  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia after  the  colonies  had  thrown  off  the 
galling  yoke  of  Britain,  appointed  John 
Todd  the  County  Lieutenant  Commandant  of 
Illinois.  At  Williamsburg,  the  capital  then 
of  Virginia,  and  in  the  very  mansion  of  the 
royal  rulers  of  the  whilom  colony,  Gov. 
Henry  indicted  his  letter  of  appointment  to 
Todd  on  the  12th  of  December,    1778.     It 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


131 


occupies  the  fii-sfc  five  pages  of  the  record 
book  of  John  Todd's  official  acts  while  exer- 
cising authority  over  the  connty  of  Illinois, 
and  is  in  Patrick  Henry's  own  hundwi-iting. 
This  old  book,  a  Valuable  relic  of  the  early 
history  of  Illinois,  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society.  From  its 
pages,  browned  by  time  and  dimmed  with 
age,  some  interesting  facts  are  gleaned.  The 
following,  of  the  first  civil  Grovernor  of  Illi- 
nois, is  not  out  of  place  in  this   connection: 

Todd  was  not  unknown  on  the  fi'ontier. 
Born  in  Pennsylvania  and  educated  in  Vir- 
ginia, he  had  practiced  law  in  the  latter  col- 
ony for  several  years,  when,  in  1775,  he  re- 
moved to  Kentuek}',  which  was  then,  also,  a 
county  of  Virginia.  He  became  very  prom- 
inent in  the  councils  of  its  House  of  Del- 
egates, or  Representatives,  the  first  legisla- 
tive body  organized  west  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains.  Early  in  1777,  the  first  court  in 
Kentucky  convened  at  Harrodsburg,  and 
Todd  was  one  of  the  Justices.  Shortly  after, 
he  was  chosen  one  of  the  Representatives  of 
Kentucky  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  and 
proceeded  to  the  capital  to  fulfill  this  daty. 
The  following  year  he  accompanied  Gen. 
George  Rogers  Clark  in  his  expedition  to 
"  the  Illinois,"  and  was  the  first  man  to  en- 
ter Fort  Gage,  at  Kaskaskia,  when  it  was 
taken  from  the  British,  and  was  present  at 
the  final  capture  of  Vincennes. 

The  record  book  already  referred  to  of  it- 
self forms  an  interesting  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  Illinois.  After  Gov.  Henry  had  in- 
dicted upon  its  pages  his  letter  to  Todd,  it 
was  intrusted  to  a  faithful  messenger,  who, 
on  foot,  carried  it  from  tide  water  across  the 
mountains  to  Fort  Pitt,  thence  down  the 
Ohio  until  he  met  with  its  destined  recipient 
and  delivered  to  him  his  credentials.  It  is 
supposed  that  Todd  received  it  at  Vincennes, 
then  known  to  Virginians  as  St.  Vincent,  not 


long  after  the  siu-render  of  that  place  to 
Clark  on  the  24th  of  February,  1779,  and 
that  he  at  once  assumed  his  new  duties  as 
Governor,  or  "  Lieutenant  Commandant." 
This  position  he  held  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  although  his  many  duties  called  him 
frequently  to  Kentucky.  In  the  spi'ing  of 
1780,  he  was  elected  a  Delegate  from  the 
county  of  Kentucky  to  the  Legislature  of 
Virginia.  In  November  following,  Kentucky 
was  divided  into  three  counties,  viz.,  Fayette, 
Lincoln  and  Jefferson,  and  in  1781  Thomas 
Jefiferson,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had  become 
Governor  of  Virginia,  [appointed  Todd 
Colonel  of  Fayette  County,  and  Daniel 
Boone,  Lieutenant  Colonel.  In  the  summer 
of  1782.  Todd  visited  Richmond,  Va.,  on 
business  connected  with  the  Illinois  country, 
where,  it  is  said,  he  had  determined  to  per- 
manently reside,  and  on  his  return  he  stopped 
over  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  jmd  while  there 
met  his  untimely  death.  An  Indian  attack 
on  a  frontier  settlement  (Bryant  Station) 
aroused  the  militia  to  arms,  and  Todd,  as 
Senior  Colonel,  took  command  of  the  little 
army  sent  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  sav- 
ages. It  included  Boone  and  many  other 
pioneers  whose  names  rank  high  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  dark  and  bloody  ground.  At  the 
Blue  Licks,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1782, 
they  came  up  with  the  enemy,  but  the  head- 
long courage  of  those  who  would  not  heed 
the  prudent  counsels  of  Todd  and  Boone 
precipitated  an  action  which  proved  more 
disastrous  to  the  whites  than  any  ever  fought 
in  Kentucky  soil — that  sanguinary  theater  of 
savage  wai-fare.  More  than  one-third  of 
those  who  entered  the  .fight  were  killed  out- 
right and  many  others  wounded.  Among 
the  slam  was  Todd,  who  fell,  like  the  brave 
man  that  he  was,  with  his  face  to  the  foe, 
gallantly  fighting  at  the  head  of  his  troops. 
On  the  brow  of  a  small  hill  overlooking  Blue 


132 


HISTOHY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUXTY. 


Licks,  and  near  the  spot  where  he  fell,  still 
rejJosG  the  mortal  remains  of  the  first  civil 
Governor  of  Illinois.  August  18,  1882,  the 
centennial  of  the  disastrous  battle  of  Blue 
Licks  was  held  on  the  field  where  it  was 
fought,  and  a  resoluton  adopted  to  erect  a 
monument  to  the  heroes  that  there  fell  in 
defense  of  their  country. 

John  Todd  was  a  soldier  and  a  statesman. 
He  was  a  soldier  fit  to  stand  by  the  mightiest 
and  give  command.  He  was  a  statesman 
tried  and  true,  and  marvelously  adapted  to 
the  times  and  surroundings  amid  which  he 
lived.  Just  such  as  he  was  he  had  to  be,  to 
fulfill  the  mission  to  which  far-seeing  wis- 
dom had  appointed  him,  and  to  blaze  out  the 
way  for  the  C(jming  hosts  of  civilization  who 
were  to  people  tjiis  great  Northwest.  His 
tragic  death,  in  the  prime  of  life,  was  a  cal- 
amity to  the  nation  just  struggling  up  from 
the  tires  of  a  mighty  revolution,  and  a  loss 
not  easily  repaired  in  that  early  period  of  our 
history. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  ap- 
pointed Governor.  In  the  spring  of  1790, 
in  company  with  the  Territorial  Judges,  he 
went  to  Cahokia,  where,  by  proclamation, 
he  organized  the  county  of  St.  Clair,  the 
first  individual  coiinty  formed  in  what  is  now 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  ius  seat  of  justice 
Was  fixed  at  Easkaskia.  Eandolph  was  the 
next  county  created  in  Illinois;  and  the  date 
of  its  organization  extends  back  to  1795. 
These  were  the  only  counties  formed  until 
after  the  dawning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
At  the  session  of  the  Territorial  Legislature 
of  1811-12,  Madison,  Gallatin  and  Johnson 
were  organized,  and  Edwards  at  the  session 
of  1814.  At  the  session  of  1816,  White, 
Jackson,  Moni-oe,  Pope  and  Crawford  were 
organized,  and  at  the  last  session  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial   Legislature  Franklin,  Washington,  I 


Union,  Bond  and  Wayne  came  into  existence. 
At  the  first  session  of  the  Legislature  after 
Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a 
State.  Jefiferson  County  was  formed,  under 
the  following  act  entitled  an  act  for  foi-ming 
a  separate  county  out  of  Edwards  and  White 
Counties,  approved  March  26,  1819: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly,    That  all  that 
tract  of  country  within  the  following  boundaries, 
to  wit :    Beginning  where  the  line  between  Ranges 
4  and  5  east  intersects  the  base  line;   thence  west 
with  said  line  to  .the  Third  Principal   Jferldian; 
thence  south  twenty-four  miles;  thence  east  twenty- 
four  miles;  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning, 
shall  constitute   a  separate  county,    to  be    called 
"Jefferson,"  and  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  the  per- 
manent seat  of  justice  therein  the  following  persons 
are  appointed  Commissioners  :  Ambrose  Maulding, 
Lewis  Barker,  Robert  Shipley,  James  A.  Richard- 
.son  and  Richard  Graham,  which  said  Commission- 
ers, or  a  majoritj'  of  them,  being  duly  sworn  before 
some  Judge  or  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  this  State  to 
faithfully  take  into  view  the  convenience  of   the 
people,  the  situation  of  the  settlement,  with  an  eye 
to  future  population,  and  the  eligibility  of  the  place, 
shall  meet  on  the  2d  Jlonday  of  May,  at  the  house  of 
William  Casey,  in  said  county,  and  proceed  to  ex- 
amine and  determine  on  the  place  for  the  perma- 
nent seat  of  justice  and  designate  the  satne;  pro- 
vided:   The  proprietor  or  proprietors  of  the  land 
shall  give  to  the  county  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
public  buildings  a  quantity  of  land,  not  less  than 
twenty  acres,  to  be  laid  out  in  lots  and  sold  for  that 
purpose;  but  should  the  proprietor  or  proprietors 
I'efuse  or  neglect  to  make  the  donation  aforesaid, 
then  and  in  that  case  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  said 
Commissioners  to  fix  on  some  other  place  for  the 
seat  of  justice  as  convenient  as  may  be  to  the  in- 
habitants of  said  county,  which  place  fixed  and  de- 
termined upon,  the  said  Commissioners  shall  certify 
under  their  hands  and  seals  and  return  the  same  to 
the  next  Commissioners'  Court  in  the  county  afore- 
said, which  court  shall  cause  an  entry  thereof  to  be 
made  in  their  book  of  record,  and  until  the  public 
buildings  be  erected  the  courts  shall  be  held  at  the 
house  of  William  Casey,  in  the  said  county. 

Sec  2.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  Com- 
missioners aforesaid  shall  receive  a  compensation  of 
two  dollars  for  each  and  every  day  they  maj'  be 
necessarily  emploj'ed  in  fixing  the  aforesaid  seat  of 


"^CiA,^  ,1) .  /g .U^^OL^ 


LIBRARY 
■  THE 
ONiVERSITY  OF  ',U>NO!S 


HISTOllY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY- 


135 


justice,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  county  treasury  by  an 
order  from  the  Commissioners'  Court. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  tlie  citizens 
of  Jefferson  County  are  hereby  declared  entitled. 
in  all  respects,  to  the  same  rights  and  privileges 
a.s  are  allowed  in  general  with  the  other  counties 
in  this  State. 

Sec.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  county 
of  Jefferson  shall  vote  in  conjunction  with  White 
County  for  Representatives  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  State,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Clerks 
of  sai<l  counties  to  meet  at  the  court  house  in  White 
County,  within  ten  days  after  such  elections,  and 
make  a  certificate,  signed  by  both  Clerks,  to  the 
persons  duly  elected;  and  if  the  said  Clerks  shall 
fail  to  do  the  same  they  shall  forfeit  and  pay  the 
sura  of  one  hundred  dollars,  for  the  use  of  said 
counties,  to  be  recovered  l)y  action  of  debt  in  the 
countj'  in  which  such  delinquent  Clerk  may  reside. 

Six.  5.  Be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  county 
of  Jefferson  shall  be  and  compose  a  part  of  the  Sec- 
ond Judicial  Circuit,  and  the  courts  shall  be  holdcn 
therein  at  such  times  as  shall  be  specified  l)y  law. 

This  was  followed  by  a  supplemental  act, 
entitled  "  An  act  supplemental  to  an  act  for 
laying  off  a  new  county  out  of  the  counties  of 
Edwards  and  ^\'hite,"  approved  March  29, 
1819,  and  is  as  follows: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
reprenented  in  the  General  Aasemhly,  That  all  that 
tract  or  part  of  country  lying  nortli  of  the  county 
of  Jefferson  and  west  of  the  county  of  Wayne,  and 
not  included  within  Ihelimits  of  the  said  counties  of 
Jefferson  and  Wayne,  established  by  the  act  to 
whicli  this  is  a  supplement,  l)e  and  the  same  is 
liereby  attaclied  to  and  forms  a  part  of  the  said 
county  of  Jefferson,  and  that  tlic  inliabitants  there- 
of have  and  enjoy  all  the  rights  and  privileges,  as 
far  as  may  be,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  of 
.lelferson  have  and  enjoy. 

Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  county 
of  Jefferson  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  attached  to 
the  Fourth  Judicial  Circuit  of  the  State,  etc.,  etc. 

The  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Thomas 
Jefferson,  the  third  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  who  was  inaugurated  into  office 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1801.  He  was  born  at 
Shadwoll,  Albemarle  Co.,  Va.,  April  2,  1743, 
and  died  at  Monticello,  his  country  seat,  July 


4,  1826,  just  half  a  century  after  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  a 
document  penned  by  his  own  hand,  and 
which  has  rendered  his  name  immortal,  and 
dear  to  every  liberty-loving  citizen  of  the 
whole  country.  Jefferson's  administration 
was  very  popular,  and  he  was  elected  to  a 
second  term,  receiving  more  than  three- 
fourths  of  the  votes  in  the  electoral  college. 
During  his  first  term,  the  afterward  noto- 
rious Aaron  Burr  was  Vice  President,  and 
during  the  second,  George  Clinton  was  asso- 
ciated with  him  as  Vice  President. 

On  the  30th  of  March,  1819,  two  other 
acts  were  passed  by  the  Legislature,  pertain- 
ing wholly  or  in  part  to  Jefferson  County. 
Tlie  first  authorized  Lewis  Watkins  to  admin- 
ister the  required  oaths  to  all  officors  com- 
missioned for  the  county;  and  the  other  or- 
dered an  election  in  Wayne,  Jefferson.  .Clark 
and  Alexander  Counties,  to  be  held  on  the 
fom-th  Monday  of  April,  for  County  Commis- 
sioners, Sheriffs  and  Coroners.  The  Coroner 
then  was  an  important  officer,  as,  in  the  ab- 
sence or  inability  of  the  Sheriff  to  serve,  the 
Coroner  acted  in  his  stead  until  the  Sheriff 
resumed  his  duties. 

In  pursuance  of  the  last-mentioned  act, 
an  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  William 
Casey,  which  stood  where  the  brick  building 
recently  known  as  Taylor's  Commercial 
Hotel  now  stands.  Some  thirty  or  forty 
votes  were  cast;  and  Zadok  Casey,  Joseph 
Jordan  and  Fleming  Greenwood  were  elected 
Commissioners,  and  Lewis  Watkins,  Sheriff. 
The  Commissioners  met  at  William  Casey's 
on  Monday,  June  7,  for  the  purpose  of  or 
ganizing  the  county  court.  Their  certifi- 
cates of  election  were  signed  by  Oliver  Mor- 
ris and  Lewis  Watkins,  Justices  of  the 
Peace,  and  attested  by  Edward  Maxoy,  act- 
ing Clerk  of  the  Court;  they  were  then  duly 
sworn  into  office.     Edward  Maxey,  the  Clerk 

3 


136 


HISTORY  OF   JEFFERSON   COUXTY. 


pro  tempore,  resigned,  and  the  court  appoint- 
ed Joel  Pace  to  the  office  of  County  Clerk. 
He  gave  bond  in  the  sum  of  $1,000,  with 
James  Kelly  and  Isaac   Casey  as  securities. 

This  comjjleted  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  it  was  now  ready  for  business. 

The  Seat  of  Justice. — One  of  the  first 
matters  which  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
court  was  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice 
according  to  the  provisions  of  the  act  for  the 
formation  of  the  county.  As  soon  as  the 
court  convened,  the  Commissioners  appointed 
for  that  purpose  presented  the  following  re- 
port: 

According  to  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly, 
approved  March  26,  1819.  appointing  certain  Com- 
missioners to  meet  on  the  second  Monday  of  May. 
at  the  liouse  of  William  Casey,  for  the  purpose  of 
fixing  a  permanent  seal  of  justice  for  and  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  the  following  persons  met.  viz. ;  Lewis 
Barker.  Ambrose  Maulding  and  James  A.  Richard- 
son, who.  after  being  duly  sworn,  have  proceeded, 
determined  and  fixed  upon  the  southwest  quarter  of 
Section  29.  Range  3,  of  Township  2,  on  the  land 
owned  by  William  Casey,  the  town  to  be  laid  off  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  said  quarter,  to  commence 
near  the  timber,  on  a  point  not  far  distant  from 
Casey's  house,  and  thence  to  the  foot  of  the  de 
scent  on  a  point  on  which  Casey's  house  stands,  or 
in  such  a  manner  as  said  County  Commissioners 
shall  designate.  Given  under  our  hands  and  seals 
this  12th  day  of  May.  1819. 

J.A.MES    A.    RtCHARDSOS. 

Ambrose  Maulding. 
Lewis  B.a^rkek. 

This  report  was  accompanied  by  the  follow- 
ing paper,  confirmatory  of  Casey  having  com- 
plied with  the  require:n3nt3  of  the  twenty 
acre-clause  of  the  legislative  act: 

Personally  appeared  before  us  the  subscriber, 
William  Casej'.  and  made  a  donation  of  twenty 
acres  of  laud,  to  be  Liid  off  in  town  lots  and  sold  for 
the  purpose  of  paying  for  public  buildings  in  the 
county  of  Jefferson,  which  twenty  acres  of  land  shall 
be  laid  off  bj-  the  County  Commissioners  on  the  land 
designated  by  the  Commissioners  appointed  by  the 
State  Legislature  for  fi.Kiug  the  permanent  seat  of 
justice  for  said  Jefferson   County.     Whereof  the 


said  William  Casey  has  hereunto  set  his  hand  and 
seal  this  12th  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  nineteen. 

William  Casey. 

N.  B.  Provided  such  Commissioners  shall  lay 
off  said  town  so  as  not  to  include  said  Casey's  house 
and  farm. 

James  A.  Richardson, 
[Attest]  Ambrose  Maulding, 

Lewis  Barker. 

The  report  of  the  Commissioners  was  re- 
ceived, and  the  selection  made  by  them  be- 
cams  the  seat  of  justice  of  the  new  county, 
an  honor  which  it  has  retained  to  the  present 
day.  There  was,  as  is  always  the  case,  some 
little  dissatisfaction  at  the  selection  thus 
made.  Mr.  Isaac  Hicks  wanted  it  near  him, 
and  offered  a  site  known  as  "  Post  Oak  Hill," 
which  was  a  fraction  nearer  the  geographical 
center  of  the  county.  Another  "  eligible  lo- 
cation "  was  on  the  high  grounds  between 
Mrs.  Samuel  Casey's  and  Mrs.  Dodds'  resi- 
dence. But  Lewis  Barker,  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners, was  the  father-in-law  of  William 
Casey,  and  there  were  hints  at  the  time  that 
it  was  through  his  influence  the  present  site 
was  selected.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  loca- 
tion selected  is  a  beautiful  one  for  a  town, 
and  could  scarcely  be  surpassed  by  any  of  the 
other  sites  offered.  For  their  services  in 
"  fixing  the  permanent  seat  of  justice,"  the 
court  allowed  Maulding  S8,  and  Barker  and 
Richardson  §512  each.  Maulding  lived  in 
Hog  Prairie,  a  little  this  side  of  the  present 
town  of  McLeansboro ;  Barker  owned  the 
ferry  at  Cave-in-Kock,  and  Richardson  lived 
in  the  vicinity  of  Carmi.  Of  the  laying-out 
of  the  seat  of  justice,  and  its  growth  and  de- 
volopment  as  a  town,  the  reader  is  referred 
to  the  chapters  devoted  to  ilount  Yernon. 

The  Courts. — Thus  the  county  court  was 
organized,  the  seat  of  justice  established  and 
the    legal   machinery  of   the   newly    created 
municipality  put  in  motion.     The  first  ses 
sion  of  the  coui-t  was  taken  up   with    the  re- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFPEKSON  COUNTY. 


137 


port  of  the  Commissioners  for  locating  the 
seat  of  justice,  as  already  noticed;  James 
Kelly  and  Jacob  Barger  applied  for  a  writ 
to  condemn  a  "  mill  seat;"  license  for  retail- 
ing goods  was  fixed  at  $15,  and  the  Clerk  em- 
powered to  issue  them  when  called  on  for  the 
same;  the  laying  off  a  town  ordered,  also  the 
building  of  a  court  house,  etc.,  etc.  At  the 
second  session  of  the  coui-t,  held  June  25, 
1819,  James  Kelly  was  appointed  County 
Treasurer;  a  list  of  the  taxable  property  was 
ordered;  Lewis  Watkins  took  out  tavern 
license,  for  which  he  paid  a  fee  of  $-4.  At 
the  third  term  of  court,  held  September  6, 
among  other  business,  the  court  house  was 
received  and  the  survey  of  the  town  ordered 
to  be  recorded.  Also,  W.  Casey  and  J.  Pace 
were  ordered  to  "  stake  out"  the  town,  and 
several  roads  ordered  to  be  viewed  and  laid 
out.  In  this  humble  and  unpretentious  way, 
the  county  moved  along  quietly.  The  busi 
ness  coming  before  the  county  court  was  of 
a  general  character,  as  above  given,  and 
was  dispatched  without  much  debate  or 
wrangling.  The  last  session  held  by  this 
(the  first)  board,  tavern  keepers'  rates  of 
charges  were  fixed  as  follows:  A  single  meal, 
37i  cents;  lodging,  12|^  cents:  keeping  horse 
all  night,  50  cents;  a  single  feed,  25  cents. 
The  first  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  convened 
in  the  town  of  Mount  Yernon  (then  compris- 
ing but  four  cabins)  on  Monday,  October  28, 
1819,  Hon.  William  Wilson  as  Judge  and  F. 
A.  Hubbard,  State's  Attorney.  Joel  Pace  was 
sworn  as  Clerk,  and  gave  bond  in  the  sum  of 
$2,000.  Lewis  Watkins  was  Sheriff,  and 
gave  bond  in  the  sum  of  .?10,000,  with  Zadok 
Casey,  Joseph  Jordan  and  John  Wilkerson, 
secui'ities.  But  thirteen  men  could  be  found, 
outside  of  the  officers  of  the  court,  to  serve 
as  grand  jurors.  These  were  as  follows: 
Edward  Maxey,  F.  McBride,  J.  C.  Casey, 
W.  Jordan,    L,  Johnson,   A.  P.  Casev,  John 


Wilkerson,  H.  P.  Maxey,  Isaac  Casey,  James 
Johnson,  S.  Gaston,  J.  Lee  and  A.  Harris. 
After  receiving  the  usual  charge  from  the 
court,  they  repaired  to  the  jury  room,  which, 
in  this  case,  was  "G'id's  first  temples,"  and 
after  an  hour's  deliberation  returned  into 
court,  presented  the  indictments  and  were 
discharged.  The  next  term  of  court  was  held 
on  the  15th  and  16th  of  May,  1820,  Judge 
Wilson  again  presiding,  and  Henry  Eddy 
acting  as  State's  Attorney.  But  we  will  not 
follow  the  prooeadings  of  tho  courts,  as  our 
readers  would  find  them,  doubtless,  dry 
reading.  The  brief  extracts  have  been  made 
merely  to  show  the  commencement  and  or- 
ganization of  this  important  branch  of  the 
county's  machinery. 

Public  Buildings. — At  the  first  term  of  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court,  it  was  resolved 
to  build  a  court  house.  This  building  was 
unpretentious,  but  it  served  the  purpose  of 
those  early  days  when  we  were  not  as  proud 
as  we  are  now.  It  was  of  hewed  logs,  and 
was  18x30  feet  in  dimensions.  A  stray 
pound  was  ordered,  and  at  the  February  term, 
1820,  the  court  ordored  a  jail  to  be  built. 
These  early  public  buildings,  however,  will 
be  noticed  by  Mr.  Johnson,  in  his  sketch  of 
Mount  Vernon,  and  all  the  facts  pertaining 
to  them  and  their  successors  will  there  be 
given.  The  part  they  bear  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county  requires  some  reference  to 
them  in  this  connectiim,  but  this  brief  allu- 
,sion  must  suffice. 

Among  the  first  acts  of  the  court  was  laying 
off  the  county  into  civil  divisions.  At  first 
it  was  divided  into  two  districts,  or  town- 
ships, called  respectively  "  Moore's  Prairie" 
and  "Casey's  Prairie."  At  the  Juue  term 
of  the  court,  in  1820,  Walnut  Hill  Precinct 
or  Township  was  formed  It  included  all  of 
Jefferson  and  Marion  Counties  north  of  the 
line  dividing  Townships  1  and  2  south.    The 


138 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


next  change  in  the  civil  divisions,  of  which 
we  find  any  account,  is  in  June,  1832,  when 
Grand  Prairie  Precinct  was  formed.  It  was 
in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county,  and  was 
eight  miles  square.  The  voting  place  was 
fixed  at  Poston's  mill.  In  June,  1834,  Horse 
Creek  Precinct  was  laid  oif.  It  extended 
seven  miles  from  the  east  line  of  the  county, 
and  was  bounded  north  by  the  county  line 
and  south  by  the  Fairfield  road.  The  voting 
place  was  at  Frank  Haney's.  Gun  Prairie 
Precinct  was  formed  in  1835.  It  began,  the 
records  say,  where  the  "new  hurricane" 
crossed  the  west  line  of  the  county,  "  ran 
with  the  hiu'ricane  to  Morgan's  mill,  to  A. 
Toney's,  to  W.  Toney's,  to  the  edge  of 
Moore's  Prairie,  and  on  to  the  south  line  of 
the  county."  The  voting  place  was  to  be  at 
the  house  of  William  King.  The  next  pre- 
cinct was  formed  in  1845.  and  was  called 
Long  Prairie.  It  was  bounded  by  the  West 
and  Middle  Forks  of  Muddy  River  and  the 
Grand  Prairie  road,  with  the  voting  place 
at  the  house  of  H.  Hicks.  In  1846,  Elk 
Prairie  Precinct  was  formed.  Its  bounds 
were  from  the  mouth  of  Dodd's  Creek  to 
Mendenhall's  quarry,  west  to  Middle  Fork, 
down  it  to  the  county  line,  then  up  the  creek 
to  the  beginniag.  The  voting  place  was  fixed 
at  J.  Kelly's.  A.t  the  same  time.  New 
Moore's  Prairie  Precinct  was  formed,  includ- 
ing Township  4  and  Range  4,  with  voting 
place  at  Wilbank's.  With,  perhaps,  a  few 
other  changes  in  names  and  boundaries  and 
geographical  position,  the  county  moved  on 
for  several  decades,  under  the  old  precinct 
system. 

The  population  of  the  county  has  increased 
regularly  since  its  organization.  At  the  cen- 
sus of  1820,  the  first  taken  after  the  county 
was  formed,  it  had  a  population  of  691; 
in  1830,  2,555;  in  1840,  5,762;  in  1850, 
8,107;  in  1860,  12,965:  in  1870.  17,864:  in 


1880,  20,686.  If  it  has  not  increased  as 
rapidly  as  some  other  counties  in  population. 
its  growth  has  been  steady  and  good,  and  its 
class  of  citizens  will  compare  favorably  with 
those  of  any  portion  of  the  State. 

County  Officers. — As  a  matter  of  interest  to 
our  readers,  we  present  herewith  a  very  full 
and  complete  list  of  county  offcers,  from  the 
the  formation  of  the  county  to  the  present 
time.  It  has  cost  considerable  time  and 
labor  to  prepare  it,  and  it  is  believed  to  be 
substantially  correct. 

The  County  Commissioners  come  first,  and 
are  as  follows:  In  1819,  they  were  Zadok 
Casey,  Fleming  Greenwood  and  Joseph 
Jordan;  in  1820,  William  Casey,  Joseph  Jor- 
dan and  Barton  Atchison;  in  1822.  Samuel 
Gaston,  William  Hicks  antl  Barton  Atchison; 
in  1824,  W.  J.  Tunstall,  John  Jordan  and 
H.  B.  Maxey;  in  1826,  Edward  Maxey,  Arba 
Andrews  and  M.  Ham;  in  1828,  Edward 
■Maxey,  Arba  Andrews  and  M.  Ham:  in  1830, 
Edward  Maxey,  Arba  Andrews  and  M.  Ham; 
in  1832,  Arba  Andrews,  Barton  Atchison 
and  Willoughby  Adams;  in  1834,  Bai-ton 
Atchison,  George  W.  Watters  and  J.  M. 
Scott;  in  1835,  Noah  Johnston  succeeded 
Watters;  in  1836.  Willoughby  Adams.  Barton 
Atchison  and  A.  Bruce:  in  1838,  William 
Bullock,  James  Sursa  and  Barton  Atchison; 
in  1840,  James  Sursa,  B.  Atchison  and  James 
Kirby ;  in  1841,  Willoughby  Adams  succeeded 
Sursa;  in  1842,  Willoughby  Adams,  James 
Kirby  and  John  Breeze;  in  1844,  James 
Kirby,  F.  S.  Casey  and  A.  D.  Casey;  in  1845, 
E  D.  Andrews  was  appointed  to  fill  "out 
Kirby's  term;  in  1846.  A.  D.  Estes,  E.  D. 
Andrews  and  F.  S.  Casey;  in  1847,  W. 
Adams,  .John  Troutt  and  F.  S.  Casey;  in 
1848,  F.  S.  Casey,  Dr.  W.  Adams  and  John 
Troutt;  in    1849,*    W.    Dodda   was    elected 


*  Thp  law  was  now  cbanired,  and  the  board  was  composed  of  : 
County  or  Pribate  Justice  or  Jiidpe  and  two  Associates. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COtNTV. 


189 


Probate  Justice  or  Judge,  and  Dr.  W.  Adams 
and  F.  S.  Casey.  Associates;  in  1852,  W. 
Dodds.  Probate  Judge,  and  F.  S.  Casey  and 
Dr.  W.  Adams,  Associates.  Judge  Dodds 
resigned,  and  J.  R.  Satterfield  was  elected  to 
fill  out  his  term. 

Judge  J.  R.  Satterfield,  the  successor  of 
Judge  Dodds,  is  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of 
Jeiferson  County.  Ho  came  here  in  the  fall  of 
1818,  a  stripling  of  a  lad.  He  is  an  old  man 
now,  and  has  grown  gray  in  the  service  of  the 
people.  Indeed,  so  long  has  he  been  in  the 
official  harness,  that  he  is  almost  looked 
upon  as  a  prehistoric  relic.  His  official  in- 
tegrity is  above  reproach,  and  his  name  is 
the  synonym  of  fidelity  and  honesty.  He 
was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  Ky.,  and 
came  to  Illinois  when  but  nine  years  old. 
Here  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  here  he  has 
spent  an  active  life.  He  has  been  SherilT, 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  County 
Judge  or  Probate  Justice  for  over  twenty 
years,  C()unty  Recorder,  Deputy  Sherifl'  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  forty  years.  He  and 
Mr.  Bogan  have  been  in  office  so  long,  that 
they  could  not  survive  in  private  life.  They 
are  what  the  sage  has  termed  "  the  noblest 
works  of  God  " — honest  men. 

In  1853,  J.  R.  Satterfield,  Judge,  and  F. 
S.  Casey  and  A.  D.  Estes,  Associates;  in 
1857,  J.  R.  ^Satterfield,  Judge,  Dr.  W. 
Adams  and  S.  W.  Carpenter,  Associates;  in 
1861,  J.  R.  Satterfield,  Judge,  and  W.  Adams 
and  F.  S.  Casey,  Associates;  in  1865,  A.  M. 
Grant,  Judge,  and  W.  Adams  and  F.  S. 
Casey,  Associates;  in  1866,  J.  R.  Satterfield 
was  elected  to  fill  out  Grant's  term,  he  hav- 
ing resigned;  in  1869,  J.  R.  Satterfield, 
Judge,  W.  Adams  and  S  W.  Carpenter,  Asso- 
ciates. After  this  date,  township  organiza- 
tion came  into  efiect.  Since  the  Board  of 
Commissioners  have  been  superseded  by  the 
Board  of    Supervisors,    there   have  not  been 


many  changes  in  the  oflice  of  County  Judge. 
Jared  Foster  was  elected  County  Judge  in 
1878,  and  in  1877  was  succeeded  by  C.  A. 
Keller,  and  he,  in  1882,  was  succeeded  by 
William  B.  Anderson,  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

County  and  Circuit  Clerks — Joel  Pace  was 
the  first  County  and  Circuit  Clerk.  He  held 
both  offices  up  to  1837.  when  Noah  Johns- 
ton became  County  Clerk.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  E.  H.  Ridgeway,  in  1838,  who 
held  both  offices  until  1843,  when  J.  F.  Wat- 
son succeeded  him ;  in  1857,  W.  Dodds  came 
in;  in  1865,  C.  H.  Patton;  in  1869,  W. 
Dodds;  in  1871,  J.  N.  Satterfield;  in  1873, 
W.  H.  Smith;  in  1877,  J.  N.  Satterfield;  iu 
1880,  Allen  C.  Tanner,  the  present  incum- 
bent. E.  H.  Ridgeway  succeeded  Joel  Pace 
as  Circuit  Clerk  in  iS-tl,  and  in  1848  was 
succeeded  by  John  Wilbanks.  X-  B.  Tanner 
came  in  in  1852,  and  in  1854  was  succeeded 
by  J.  S.  Bogan,  who  is  still  in  the  office. 
It  is  a  striking  example  of  the  "right  man  in 
the  right  place. "  He  came  very  near  being 
defeated  once,  that  is,  he  lacked  but  three 
votes  of  carrying  the  county  unanimously. 
This  may  have  been  fun  for  Bogan,  but  it 
was  rough  on  his  opponent.  The  people  of 
Jefferson  County  show  their  good  sense  in 
retaining  Mr.  Bogan,  for  we  have  never  been 
in  a  more  neatly  kept  or  admirably  arranged 
office  than  his.  He  has  a  place  for  every- 
thing, and  IS  particularly  careful  to  keep 
everything  in   its  place — even  his  deputies. 

Sheriffs — Lewis  Watkins  was  the  first 
Sheriff,  and  was  appointed  in  1819;  the  next 
was  W.  L.  Howell,  who  was  appointed  in 
1821;  in  1823,  Howell  was  again  appointed 
to  the  office;  in  1824,  Nicholas  Wren  came 
in;  in  1828,  James  Bowman,  who,  it  seems, 
filled  the  office  to  1842,  when  W.  J.  Stephen- 
son became  Sheriff,  and  held  the  office  until 
1848,  and   was  sitcceeded  by  Elijah    Piper; 


140 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


in  I80O,  J.  R.  Satterfield  came  in;  in  1852, 
AV.  Dodds;  in  1854.  J.  R.  Allen;  in  1856, 
James  Westcott;  in  1858,  John  Bagwell; 
in  1860,  C.  G.  Vaughn:  in  1862,  J.  B. 
Goodrich;  in  1864,  C.  G.  Vaughn;  in  1866, 
William  Dodds;  in  1868,  W.  E.  Cofifey;  in 
1870,  1872,  1874,  J.  B.  Goodrich;  in  i876, 
1878, 1880,  George  W.  Yost;  in  1882,  Thomas 
M.  Gray. 

Treasurers — The  first  Treasurer  of  the 
county  was  James  Kelly,  who  was  appointed 
in  1819.  He  had  but  little  trouble  in  taking 
care  of  the  funds,  and  perhaps  spent  few 
sleepless  nights  through  fear  of  "  thieves 
breaking  through  and  stealing"  the  funds  of 
which  the  countj'  had  made  him  the  custodian. 
In  1821,  Edward  Maxey  came  in;  in  1826, 
John  Wilbanks;  in  1829,  Joseph  Pace;  in 
1833,  S.  Goddard,  in  1835,  J.  Livingston; 
in  1837,  G..P.  Casey;  in  1839,  H.  B.  New- 
by;  iu  1843,  A.  B.  Watson;  in  1850,  J.  H. 
Watson;  in  1851,  Elijah  Piper;  in  1857,  J. 
Q.  A.  Bay;  in  1861,  H.  G.  Goodrich;  in 
1863,  W.  M.  Hicks;  in  1867,  S.  W.  Jones; 
in  1869,  W.  H.  Smith;  in  1871,  S.  W. 
Jones;  in  1875,  C.  D.  Ham;  in  1877;  G.  L. 
Cummins;  in  1879,  C.  W.  Lindley. 

School  Commissioners — D.  Baugb  was  the 
first  School  Commissioner  of  whom  we  have 
any  account,  and  was  appointed  in  1836;  J. 
R.  Satterfield  was  the  next,  and  was  ap- 
pointed in  1845;  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  H. 
Pace  in  1847;  in  1850,  W.  H.  Lynch;  in 
1851,  J.  H.  Pace;  in  1859,  J.  R.  P.  Hicks; 
in  1861,  J.  M.  Pace;  in  1869,  G.  W.  John- 
son; in  1873,  J.  D.  Williams,  the  present 
incumbent. 

Miscellaneous — Of  the  early  Surveyors  we 
can  learn  but  little.  From  1850  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  they  have  been  as  follows:  L.  F. 
Casey,  1850  to  1854;  W.  B.  Anderson,  1854 
to  1865;  J.  D.  Williams,  1865  to  1871;  B. 
C.  Wells,    1871    to   1875;  W.    T.    Williams, 


the  present  incumbent.  The  first  Assessor 
was  James  Kelly,  and  the  next  Edward 
Maxey.  Among  the  early  Justices  of  the 
Peace  were  the  following,  in  their  order  of 
appointment:  O.  Morris,  Lewis  Watkins 
and  W.  Maxwell,  in  1819;  William  Maxey 
in  1820,  and  in  1822,  J.  Roberts,  James  Ab- 
bott, J.  Pace,  John  Jordan,  W.  L.  Howell, 
Barton  Atchison  and  Samuel  Gaston. 

The  votes  cast  at  the  November  election, 
1882,  by  townships,  were  as  follows:  Grand 
Prairie,  92;  Casner,  115;  Blissville,  139; 
Bald  Hill,  98;  Rome,  194;  Shiloh,  213; 
McClellan,  166;  Elk  Prairie,  176;  Field, 
193;  Mount  Vernon,  731;  Dodds',  182; 
Spring  Garden,  250;  Farrington,  105;  Web- 
ber, 174;  Pendleton,  304;  Moore's  Prairie, 
180;  total,  3,312. 

The  following  is  a  partial  vote  of  the 
county : 

For  Legislature — Varnell,  Democrat,  2, - 
775;  Jennings,  Democrat,  2,8351;  Crews, 
Republican,  3,241;  Judd,  Greenbacker,  779. 

County  Judge — Anderson,  Democrat,  1,- 
972;  Anglen,  Greenbacker,  1,239;  Ander- 
son's majority,  733. 

County  Clerk — Tanner,  Democrat,  2,010; 
Hobbs,  Greenbacker,  1,262;  Tanner's  major- 
ity,  748. 

Sheriff— Gray,  Democrat,  2,036;  Wall, 
Republican,  1,236;  Gray's  majority,  800. 

County  Treasurer  —  Carroll,  Democrat, 
1,931;  Legge,  Republican,  1,340;  Carroll's 
majority,  591. 

Township  Organization. — The  State  con- 
stitution of  1847-48,  contained  the  provision 
of  township  organization — a  provision  that 
was  to  be  voted  on  by  the  people  of  each 
county,  and  leaving  it  oprional  with  them  to 
adopt  or  reject  it  in  their  respective  counties. 
So,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  that 
constitution,  the  first  township  organization 
act  was  passed  by  the   Legislature.      But  the 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


141 


law,  in  attempting  to  put  it  into  practical 
operation,  disclosed  radical  defects.  It  was 
revised  and  amended  at  the  session  of  1851, 
substantially  as  it  existed  until  the  recent 
revision  in  1871.  The  adoption  of  township 
organization  marks  an  era  in  many  of  the 
counties  of  the  State.  The  northern  part  of 
the  State  adopted  it  first.  The  people  who 
had  settled  there  were  mostly  fi'om  the  East, 
and  were  familiar  with  the  township  system 
and  its  practical  workings.  The  people  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  State  were  much 
more  slow  to  take  hold  of  the  new  system. 

Jefferson  County  adopted  township  organ- 
ization in  1869  though  township  officers  were 
not  elected  until  the  following  year.  At  the 
time  of  the  change,  the  election  precincts  of 
the  county ,were  Blissville,  Elk  Prairie,  Gun 
Prairie,  Grand  Prairie,  Horse  Creek,  Horse 
Prairie,  Jackson,  Jefferson,  Jordan  Prairie, 
Knob  Prairie,  Long  Prairie,  Moore's  Prairie 
and  Mount  Vernon;  total,  thirteen.  The  new 
system  involved  a  few  changes,  and  the  civil 
and  Congressional  townships  were  made  to 
correspond,  and  the  following  are  their 
names  and  the  first  Supervisors  of  ea(;h  as 
elected:  Mount  Vernon  Township,  H.  War- 
ren, Supervisor;  Field,  John  C.  McConnell, 
Supervisor;  Shiloh,  John  R.  Moss,  Super- 
visor; Casner,  Elijah  B.  Harvey,  Supervisor; 
Pendleton,  William  A.  Jones,  Supervisor; 
Spring  Garden,  William  S.  Bumpua,  Super- 
visor; Rome,    Gilbert  L.  Cummings,    Super- 


visor; Webber,  S.  V.  Bruce,  Supervisor; 
Blissville,  Samuel  Johnson,  Supervisor;  Elk 
Prairie,  George  W.  Evans,  Supervisor;  Far 
rington,  M.  A.  Morrison,  Supervisor; 
Grand  Prairie,  Jacob  Breeze,  Supervisor; 
Moore's  Prairie,  J.  A.  Wilbanks,  Supervisor; 
Bald  Hill,  John  B.  Ware,  ^Supervisor;  Mc- 
Clellan,  William  A.  Davis,  Supervisor; 
Dodds,  Robert  D.  Roane,  Supervisor.  The 
following  are  the  Supervisors  at  present: 
Thomas  E.  Westcott  for  Mount  Vernon; 
Henry  Breeze  for  Grand  Prairie;  William  J. 
Bledsoe  for  Casner;  J.  B.  Norris  for  Bliss- 
ville; R.  T.  Wright  for  Bald  Hill;  Andrew 
Riley,  Jr.,  for  Rome;  John  C.  Tyler  ^for 
Shiloh;  Elijah  Collins  for  McClellan;  S.  H. 
Dolby  for  Elk  Prairie;  William  J.  Garrison 
for  Fields;  William  S.  Bumpus  for  Dodds; 
C.  M.  Brown  for  Sjiring  Garden;  Thomas 
F.  Mooi'e  for  Webber;  L.  E.  Jones  for  Pen- 
dleton: G.  W.  Clark  for  Moore's  Prairie; 
L.  B.  Gregory  for  Farringtou. 

The  township  system  of  Illinois  is  not 
closely  modeled  after  the  New  England 
States.  There,  a  representative  is  sent  from 
each  town  to  the  Lower  House  of  the  Legis- 
lature. In  New  York,  owing  to  her  vast  ex- 
tent of  territory,  this  was  found  to  be  im- 
practicable, and  a  county  assembly,  denom- 
inated a  Board  of  Supervisors,  composed  of  a 
member  from  each  township,  was  theti  estab- 
lished. This  ^modified  system  has  been 
copied  almost  exactly  in  this  State. 


142 


HlSTOKi:    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    V. 


SOME  OF  THE  PIONEER  FAMILIES  OF  THE  COUNTV-THE  CASEYS-THEIR  EMIGRATION  TO  AMER- 
ICA-HOW   THEY    SERVED    IN  THE    KEVOLUTION-FACTS    ANU  INCIDENTS    OF  THEIR 
RESIDENCE   HERE-TUE;MAXEYS,  ANOTHER  OLD  FAMILY-THEIR   WELSH 
DESCENT-WHERE  AND  WHEN  THEY  SETTLED-THE  .lOHNSONS- 
THEV  ARE  AN  OLD  FAMILY,  TOO-SOMETHING  OF  THEM 
AND  THEIR   DESCENDANTS-OTHER  PIO 
NEERS— INCIDENTS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


■•  How  wondrous  are  the  changes 
Since  sixty  years  ago, 
Wlien  girls  wore  woolen  dresses. 

And  boys  wore  pants  of  tow, 
When  shoes  were  made  of  calf-skin, 

And  socks  of  homespun  wool, 
And  children  did  a  halt-day's  work 
Before  the  hour  of  school." 

— Anonymous. 

ri^HE  early  settlers  of  Jefferson  County 
_L  were  mostly  from  the  States  south  of 
the  Ohio  Eiver.  The  great  majority  of 
them  were  poor  in  worldly  wealth;  they  were 
whai  was  termed  "  poor  white  trash"  in  the 
South,  in  old  slave  limes,  and  when  the  lirst 
of  them  came  here,  Illinois  was  still  a  Terri- 
tory, reposing  under  the  famous  ordinance 
of  1187.  Since  the  late  war  between  the 
States  has  forever  blotted  out  slavery,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  know  what  was  ^the  "  com- 
pact "  or  "  ordinance "  of  1787,  so  often 
quoted,  coneerning  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory.     It  was  as  follows: 

I.  No  person  in  peaceable  demeanor  was 
to  be  molested  on  account  of  his  mode  of 
worship  or  religious  sentiments. 

II.  The  inhabitants  were  guaranteed  the 
benefit  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and 
trial  by  jury,  a  proportionate  representation 
to  the  Legislature   and  judicial  proceedings 

*By  W.  H.  Pcriin. 


according  to  the  course  of  the  common   law. 
"All    persons   shall    be    bailable,   unless  for 
capital  offenses,  where  the  proof  shall  be  evi- 
dent   or    the   presumption    great.     All  tines 
shall  be  moderate,  and    no  cruel  or   unusual 
punishment  shall  be  inflicted;    no  man  shall 
be    deprived    of    his  liberty  or   his  property 
but  by   the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law 
of  the  land;  and  should  the  public  exigencies 
make  it  necessary  for  the  common  preserva- 
tion to  take  any   person's  property  or  to  de- 
mand his  particular  services, 'jfull  compensa- 
tion shall    be  made  for  the  same."     No  law 
ouo-ht  ever  to  be  made  or  have'^force   in    said 
territory  that  shall,  in  any  manner,  interfere 
with   or    affect    private    contracts  or  engage- 
ments made  in  good  faith  and  without  fi-aud. 

III.  Religion,  morality  and  knowledge 
being  necessary  to  good  government  and  the 
happiness  of  mankind,  schools  aod  the  means 
of  education  shall  forever  be  encouraged. 
Good  faith,  justice  and  humanity  toward  the 
Indians  was  to  be  observed;  their  lands  and 
property  not  to  be  taken  without  consent 
and  peace  and  friendship  to  be  cultivated. 

IV.  The  territory  and  States  to  be  formed 
therein  were  to  remain  forever  a  part  of  the 
United  States,  subject  to  her  law,  the  inhabit- 
ants to  pay  a  just  proportion  of  the  public 
debt,  contracted  or  to  be  contracted,    not  to 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


143 


tax  the  lands  of  the  United  States  nor  those 
of  non-residents  higher  than  those  of  resi- 
dents; the  navigable  waters  of  the  lakes  to 
remain  forever  free  to  all  citizens  of  the 
United  States. 

V.  The  Territory  was  not  to  be  divided  into 
less  than  three  States,  and,  at  its  option, 
Congress  might  "  form  one  or  two  (more) 
States  in  that  part  which  lies  north  of  an 
east  and  west  line  di-awn  through  the  south- 
erly bend  or  extreme  of  Lake  Michigan." 
With  60,000  free  inhabitants,  such  States 
were  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union  on  an 
equal  footing  with  the  original  States. 

VI.  "  There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor 
involuntary  servitude  in  the  said  territory, 
otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes, 
whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  con- 
victed," this  section  providing  also  for  the 
reclamation  of  fugitives  from  labor. 

Such  was  substantially  the  fundamental 
law  of  this  vast  territory,  which  has  ever 
had  a  controlling  influence  upon  the  destiny 
of  the  States  carved  out  of  it,  and  saved  some 
of  them  from  the  permanent  blight  of  slav- 
ery. Many  of  the  pioneers  of  Southern  Illi- 
nois have  left  upon  record  the  fact  that  they 
sought  homes  in  this  country  because  the 
land  would  not  be  blemished  by  Negro  slav- 
ery, or  that  civil  or  social  distinction  would 
be  yielded  only  to  those  who  owned  "  nig- 
gers." A  fat  soil  ready  for  the  plow,  "  land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,"  and  a  tem- 
perate climate  were  not  peculiar  to  Illinois 
or  Jefferson  County.  But  the  pioneers 
thought  not  of  this.  Their  grand  aim  was 
a  home — a  home  free  and  untrammeled  by 
arbitrary  rules  of  social  equality,  and  in- 
spired by  this  noble  purpose  they  plunged 
into  the  wilderness.  They  did  not  come 
in  great  rushing  crowds,  but  alone  or  in 
meager  squads,  and  they  settled  down  to  live 
where   polite  accomplishments    were  among 


the  lost  arts,  and  even  where  language  was 
almost  a  superfluity.  Rough  they  were,  un- 
cultivated, unrefined,  bixt  still  noble  in  a 
rugged  way  and  possessing  the  true  qualities 
of  heroism,  courage  and  humility.  They 
were  men  of  action,  and  whetted  their  in- 
stincts in  the  struggle  for  existence  against 
the  wild  game,  the  ferocious  beasts  and  the 
murderous  savage. 

In  a  preceding  chapter,  we  sketched  the 
principal  settlers  and  settlements,  so  far  as 
we  could  obtain  them,  up  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county.  In 'this  chapter  we  pro- 
pose to  tell  something  of  these  pioneer  fam- 
ilies, also  some  of  the  later  comers  to  the 
county,  who  they  were,  what  they  did,  how 
they  lived  and  what  became  of  them.  They 
found  the  soil  when  they  came  here  unbrok- 
en by  the  hand  of  husbandry  and  the  still- 
ness of  the  forests  undisturbed  save  by  the 
noise  ol  the  hunter's  tread  and  the  crack  of 
the  Indian's  rifle.  But  undismayed,  they 
went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  the  result 
amply  repaid  them  for  the  hardships  and 
dangers  they  endured. 

The  Casey  family  was  and  is  the  most 
numerous,  perhaps,  as  well  as  the  most  promi- 
nent, of  all  the  pioneer  families  of  Jefferson 
County.  Abner  Casey,*  the  progenitor  of  the 
family  in  America,  was  born  in  the  County 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  and  there,  upon  arriving  at 
the  years  of  matm-ity,  married  a  Welsh  lady, 
who,  like  himself,  possessed  great  physical 
and  mental  powers.  They  emigrated  to 
America  somewhere  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century  and  settled  in  Virginia, 
close  neighbors  to  Edmund  Randolph.  Their 
childi'en  were  all  born  while  they  lived  on 
the  Roanoke,  and  were  Levi,  Randolph  and 
a  daughter — Randolph  being  named  for 
their  illustrious  neighbor.  The  family  moved 
to  South  Carolina   about   the  year  1760,  lo- 

♦Compiled  from  Johnson's  iiioneer  sketches. 


144 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


eated  near  Spartansburg,  where  they  lived 
until  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
They  were  stanch  patriots  and  bore  an  act- 
ive and  honorable  part  in  the  war  for  lib- 
erty and  independence.  Levi  was  a  Colonel 
of  South  Carolina  troops  during  the  Revolu- 
tion; Moses  was  a  Cajatain  in  the  same  serv- 
ice and  Randolph  was  a  Sergeant  under 
Francis  Marion — the  "  Swamp  Fox  of  the 
Santee."  He  was  present  on  the  memorable 
occasion  when  Gen.  Marion  feasted  the  Brit- 
ish officer  on  sweet  potatoes,  roasted  in  his 
camp  fire.  He  was'  in  many  of  the  battles 
fought  in  the  Carolinas  and  in  Georgia  dur- 
ing the  war.  His  wife  was  Mary  Jane  Pen- 
nington, and  their  children  were  Levi,  Ran- 
dolph, Isaac,  Abraham,  Charity,  Hiram,  Sam- 
uel and  Zadok.  These  were  all  born  in  South 
Carolina  except  Zadok,  who  was  bom  in 
Georgia,  whither  the  family  had  removed 
about  the  year  1795,  and  where  they  remained 
until  about  1800,  when  they  removed  into 
Tennessee,  locating  in  Smith  County.  Here 
the  father,  Randolph  Casey,  died. 

Of  Randolph  Casey's  children,  all  eventu- 
ally came  to  Illinois  to  reside  except  Hiram. 
He  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  and  made  a 
visit  here  once,  and  while  in  the  county 
preached  to  the  pioneers  with  marked  effect 
Samuel  Casey  was  the  last  of  the  children 
to  remove  West,  and  came  in  1832,  locating 
in  the  edge  of  Grand  Prairie,  where  he  died 
in  1850,  his  wife  dying  only  a  few  years 
ago.  Zadok,  the  youngest,  came  in  1817. 
Of  him  we  shall  have  more  to  say  hereafter. 
Levi,  the  eldest  son,  came  to  Illinois  in  an 
early  day,  but  never  lived  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty. He  settled  in  what  is  now  -Johnson 
Coimty,  where  he  died.  Randolph,  the  sec- 
ond son,  located  on  the  Centralia  road,  about 
four  miles  from  Mount  Vernon.  He  after- 
ward moved  into  Clinton  County,  and  finally 
to  Iowa  and    died    there.      Isaac    Casey,  the 


third  Mon  of  Randolph  Casey,  came  to  Jeffer- 
son County,  as  noticed^in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter, in  the  spring  of  1817.  He  was  born  in 
1765,  and  in  1788  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Mackey.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  he  emi- 
grated to  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Barren 
County,  from  whence  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
1803,  locating  on  the  Ohio  River  a  short  dis- 
tance above  Cave-in-Rock.  His  wife  died 
in  1834  and  in  the  fall  of  1836,  he  married 
Jemima  Oard.  She  died  in  1846,  and  he 
then  made  his  home  with  his  children  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest 
integrity,  a  true  type  of  the  old-time  Chris- 
tian. He  helped  the  helpless,  aided  the  weak, 
fed  the  hungry,  was  a  friend  of  peace  and 
always  ready  to  work  to  promote  the  inter 
ests  of  the  church.  Honest  in  business, 
courteous  and  kind,  he  was  a  friend  to  all 
mankind  as  were  all  men  who  knew  him  a 
friend  to  him.  His  children  were  Rebecca, 
William,  Polly,  Abraham  T.,  Thomas  M., 
Brunetta  Catherine  and  Miranda.  Rebecca 
married  Isaac  Hicks;  Polly  married  Clark 
Casey:  Brunetta  married  Carter  Wilkey; 
Catherine  married  Henry  Tyler  and  Miranda 
married  George  Bullock. 

William  Casey,  the  eldest  son  of  Isaac 
Casey,  came  to  Jefferson  County  in  1817. 
About  1?36  or  1837,  he  moved  to  the  north 
part  of  the  State,  but  in  a  year  or  two,  came 
back  to  this  county  and  resided  here  until 
his  death  in  1854.  His  wife  was  Amy  Bar- 
ker; their  children  were  Blackford,  Maletna, 
William  "Buck,"  Abraham,  Drury  B., 
Thomas,  Melissa  and  Zadok.  Mr.  Casey 
was  a  compound  of  noble  and  generous  qual- 
ities, and  passions  dark  and  bitter  when 
aroused.  He  was  enterprising  and  indus- 
trious, and  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  richest 
men  in  the  county.  A  story  is  told  of 
him,  that  when  he  moved  back  from  the 
north  part  of  the  State,  where  he  had  lived 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


145 


a  short  time,  he  had  over  a  bushel  of  specie, 

and  there  are  those  who  believe  that  he  had 
large  sums  buried  at  the  time  of  his  death 
that  will  never  be  found,  unless  by  ac- 
cident. With  all  his  faults,  and  who  of  us 
but  has  fanlts  ?  he  ever  maintained  the  dig- 
nified bearing  of  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school. 

Abraham  T.  Casey,  the  nest  oldest  brother 
of  William,  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
He  married  Vylinda  Maxey  in  1819,  and  lo- 
cated on  the  Salem  road,  where  he  died  in 
1834.  He  was  a  faithful  minister  of  the 
Cross,  and  preached  through  all  the  surround- 
ing coantr}'.  His  children  were  Harriet,  who 
married  Dr.  W.  S.  Van  Cleve,  of  Centralia; 
Catherine,  who  married  M.  Morrow;  Belver- 
etta,  who  married  J.  R.  Walker;  Lafayette, 
an  itinerant  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church:  Sarah,  who  married  John 
Sproule;  Elizabeth,  who  mai-ried  Marion  Gal- 
braith;  and  Martha,  who  man-ied  Dr.  Shir- 
ley, of  Xenia. 

Thomas  M.  Casey,  the  third  son  of  Isaac 
Casey,  was  born  in  1801,  while  his  father 
lived  in  Barren  County.  Ky.,  and  hence  was 
but  sixteen  when  the  family  moved  to  this 
county.  He  married  Harriet  Maxey  in  Oc- 
tober, 1819.  Though  but  eighteens  years  of 
age,  he  was  possessed  with  a  spirit  of  inde- 
pendence, and  early  in  the  following  Janu- 
ary went  out  and  selected  a  place  on  his  own 
land  to  build  a  residence.  He  found  a  site, 
raked  away  the  snow,  put  up  a  rail  pen.  put 
his  roof  on,  using  rails  for  "  weight  poles," 
moved  in  and  set  up  housekeeping  on  his 
own  account.  This  was  near  where  the  two- 
story  dwelling  stands  in  which  his  last  years 
were  spent.  He  was  a  very  religious  man 
and  devoted  Christian.  He  was  licensed  to 
exhort  in  1831,  and  to  preach  in  1843;  ho 
was  ordained  a  Deacon  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  by  Bishop  Morris,  and  an 


Elder  by  Bishop  Janes.  He  arranged  all  of 
his  business  and  said,  "I  am  now  ready 
whenever  God  sees  fit  to  call  mo."  His  last 
words  were,  "  Peace,  all  is  peace."  He  had 
eleven  children— Clinton  M.,  Jane,  William 
M.,  Cynthia,  Caroline,  Mary  W.,  Barger, 
Rebecca,  Nanny  R.,  Abraham  and  Rhoda. 

Abraham  P.  Casey,  a  son  of  Randolph, 
younger  brother  of  Isaac  Casey,  settled  in 
the  county  in  1818.  In  a  few  years,  he 
moved  out  into  Grand  Prairie,  where  he 
built  the  first  house  in  that  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. He  did  not  remain  there  long,  however, 
but  came  back  to  the  neighborhood  of  his 
first  settlement.  He  was  a  kind  of  miarra- 
tory  character,  and  moved  around  considera- 
bly, remaining  but  a  short  time  in  a  place. 
True  to  the  proverb  that  "a  rolling  stone 
gathers  no  moss,"  he  did  not  accumulate  as 
much  property  as  some  of  the  other  pioneers 
of  the  county,  though  he  was  so  fond  of  hard 
money  as  to  obtain  the  sobriquet  of  "  Old 
Silver."  He  despised  a  paper  currency,  and 
if  he  lived  to-day  he  would  be  perhaps  a 
tireless  opponent  of  the  Greenback  party. 
He  finally  moved  to  Missouri  and  died  there 
about  1841  or  1842;  his  wife  died  about 
1866.  Their  children  were  JohnC,  Green 
P.,  Franklin  S.,  Martin  S.,  Isaac  and  two 
daughters,  Clarissa,  who  married  Uriah 
Hamblin,  and  Elizabeth  A.,  who  married 
Burrell  McConnell.  John  C.  married  Polly 
Casey,  and  finally  moved  to  Missouri,  but 
came  back  to  Jefferson  County,  where,  in 
1862,  he  died.  Green  P.  married  Margaret 
Watkins,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Watkins,  and 
died  in  1858.  at  his  home  on  the  Carlyle 
road.  Franklin  S.  married  Rhoda  Taylor. 
He  was  a  man  of  industrj'  and  of  business 
enterprise,  and  his  wife  was  an  excellent  and 
faithful  helpmeet.  He  was  First  Lieuten- 
ant in  Capt.  Bowman's  company  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war;  faithfully  served  his  coun- 


146 


HLSTORY   OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUNTY. 


try  during  that  short  but  vigorous  campaign. 
He  was  for  many  terms  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  county  court,  and  in  1847  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Constitutional  Convention.  He 
died  in  1871.  Martin  S.  lived  on  the  Rich- 
view  road,  near  Grand  Prairie,  and  died 
there. 

Charity  Casey  was  the  only  daughter  of  Ran- 
dolph and  Mary  Jane  Casey.  She  was  born  in 
South  Carolina,  and  married  William  De- 
priest  in  Tennessee,  whither  her  faciily  had 
moved.  They  came  to  Illinois  in  1819.  She 
was  a  very  large  woman,  weighing  some 
316  pounds  when  she  came  to  this  county. 
Illinois  seemed  to  agree  with  her  health,  and 
she  weighed  before  she  died  nearly  350 
pounds.  Her  sons  were  Green  and  Isaac, 
who  lived  for  awhile  in  the  county,  but  af  ter- 
wai-d  went  to  Missouri,  and  finally  died  there. 
Lucinda,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Char- 
ity Depriest,  married  Elijah  Joliflf,  who  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  county. 

This  comprises  a  brief  sketch  of  the  Casey 
family  and  their  settlement  in  Jefferson 
County,  with  the  exception  of  Gov.  Casey, 
whom  we  reserve  for  a  subsequent  chapter. 
The  Caseys  were  a  rather  remarkable  family, 
and  produced  some  rather  remarkable  men 
and  women.  The  old  ones,  the  pioneers,  are 
dead  and  gone,  some  of  them  many  years 
ago,  but  this  brief  sketch  will  recall  a  type 
and  character  of  that  early  day.  The  family 
was  and  is  still  a  numerous  one,  as  we  have 
said,  and  numbers  among  its  members  some 
of  the  best  and  most  distinguished  citizens 
of  the  county. 

The  Maxey  family  comes  next  in  historical 
importance  in  the  early  settlement  of  the 
county.  Edward  Maxey,  the  first  of  the 
name  of  whom  we  have  any  account,  was  a 
native  of  Wales.  He  emigrated  to  America  long 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  settled  in 
Virginia.       Of  him  or  his  family  but  little  is 


known,  except  that  a  son,  Walter  Maxej',  waa 
the  father  of  Jesse,  who  was  boru  and  reared 
in  Virginia,  where  he  married,  and  after- 
ward removed  to  Sumner  County,  Tenn.  He 
was  once  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  him  and  left  him  for 
dead.  He  recovered,  however,  and  lived 
twenty  years  after  the  event.  His  children 
were  William,  Edward,  Walter,  John  and 
I  Elizabeth.  William  Maxey,  the  eldest  son 
■  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1770,  and  married 
Mary  Emily  Allen,  a  daughter  of  Rhoda 
Allen.  In  1818,  they  removed  to  Illinois, 
and  Maxey  built  a  horse-mill  in  the  fall  of 
1820,  which  proved  a  great  blessing  to 
the  people  of  the  county.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  Justices  of  the  Peace,  hav- 
ing been  appointed  in  1821,  and  filled 
that  office  for  a  number  of  years.  Many 
jokes  and  anecdotes  were  told  of  his  of- 
ficial life,  of  which  the  following  will  serve 
as  a  sample:  Being  naturally  difBdent.  the 
marriage  ceremony  was  a  cause  of  great 
embarrassment,  and  its  performance  among 
the  most  difficult  acts  he  was  called  on  to 
execute.  Cases  of  debt  or  assault  and  bat- 
tery he  could  dispose  of  in  short  order,  but 
when  it  came  to  tying  the  nuptial  knot,  he 
was,  to  quote  a  slang  phrase  of  modern  in- 
vention, "  all  broke  up."  His  first  attempt 
was  in  uniting  in  marriage  Ransom  Moss 
and  Anna  Johnson.  Their  marriage  took 
place  on  the  6th  of  July,  1821,  and  he  had 
carefully  prepared  for  it.  He  thought  he 
"knew  his  piece,"  but  when  the  couple  came 
before  him  he  lost  his  cue  and  broke  down 
completely.  Some  say  he  commenced  to 
recite  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in- 
stead of  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  discov- 
ering his  mistake,  went  back  and  started  over 
again,  and  this  time  drifted  into  the  consti- 
tution of  the  United  States.  Gov.  Casey 
used  to  accuse  him  of  informing  the  happy 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


147 


couple  by  way  of  prelude  that  the  Lord  in- 
stituted matrimony  in  the  days  of  man's  igno- 
rance instead  of  "innocence."  Finally, with 
the  aid  of  a  Methodist  book  of  discipline  and 
Clark's  Commentaries,  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting through  the  ceremony  and  concluded 
with  an  invocation  to  the  "Lord  to  have 
mercy  on  their  souls."  Mr.  Maxey  has  now 
been  dead  for  many  years,  but  his  influence 
for  good  was  long  felt  in  the  community. 
His  wife  died  in  1837  and  he  in  1838.  They 
are  described  as  an  honest,  industrious, 
pious  old  couple,  full  of  kindness  and  sim- 
plicity of  heart,  and  great  lovers  of  children. 
Their  whole  lives  were  but  the  teaching  of 
the  sublime  lesson  about  the  cup  of  cold 
water  to  the  little  one,  and  their  influence 
upon  their  immediate  circle  is  not  yet  ob- 
literated. They  had  eleven  children — Cla- 
rissa, Henry  B.,  Bennett  N.,  Elihu,  Harriet, 
Vylinda  A..  Charles  H. ,  Joshua  C,  Hostil- 
lina  (who  died  in  childhood),  William  M.  A. 
and  Jehu. 

Henry  B.,  or  Burchett  Maxey,  was  born  in 
1795, in  an  old  block-house  erected  during  the 
Indian  troubles,  soon  after  the  Revolution. 
He  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  what  was 
called  Maxey's  Prairie.  At  the  sale  of  lots 
in  Mount  Vernon  in  September,  1819,  he 
bought  one,  on  which  he  erected  the  first 
house  built  in  the  town.  He  was  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence,  and  hold  numerous 
offices;  also  built  several  houses  at  ditferent 
times.  Additional  to  his  other  accomplish- 
ments, he  was  a  great  hunter,  and  oace 
killed  eight  bears  in  half  a  mile  of  his  own 
house.  He  was  shi-ewd,  active,  alert  and 
rich  in  animal  life  and  vigor,  with  many  of 
his  natural  faculties  cultivated  almost  to  the 
perfection  of  the  Siberian  bloodhound.  He 
once  walked  from  Brownsville,  a  distance  of 
seventy  or  eighty  miles,  through  an  unbrok- 
en  wilderness    full    of    wild    animals.       He 


slept .  at  night  in  the   woods,  and  when  the 
sun  was  clouded  he  had  only  the  moss  on  the 
trees  to   guide   him  in  his  course.      He  mar- 
ried Peggy  Taylor,  and  their  children  were 
Eliza    R.,  who   married    S.  G.  Hicks;  Will- 
iam P.,  who  died  in  1818 — the  first  death  in 
the  county;  Thomas  B.,  now  living  at  Xenia 
Elizabeth    A.,    who    married    John    Breeze 
Elihu  K,   who  died   in  Missouri;  John  H 
who  died  in  1846,  on  his  way  from  St.  Louis 
James  C,  who  married  Nancy  J.  Moss;  Ed 
ward  M.  K.,    living   in    Missouri:    Jehu  J. 
Henry  B.,  who  died  in   1865;    Franklin  C, 
who  moved  West,  and  Harvey  M. 

Bennett  N.  Maxey  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  was  with  Gen.  Jackson  at  New 
Orleans.  He  was  one  of  Col.  Coffee's 
mounted  men,  and  when  those  troops  mistook 
an  order  and  retreated,  he  alone  of  the  entire 
command  stood  his  ground  until  the  men 
rallied  and  retui-ned  to  their  position.  His 
comrades  called  him  "  Broadhorns,"  on  ac- 
count of  his  broad  shoulders  and  prodigious 
strength.  His  wife,  like  many  of  the  j^ioneer 
women,  was  about  as  "  good  a  man  "  as  he 
was  himself,  and  did  her  full  part  in  the  bat- 
tle of  life.  Their  children  were  Emily, 
William  H. ,  James  J.,  Charles  H  ,  Joshua  C-, 
Eliza  and  Thomas  J.  Their  oldest  dausfh- 
ter,  Emily,  married  Andrew  Ray  and  died 
in  a  few  years.  William  and  James  were 
preachers;  Charles  was  a  Captain  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment  during 
the  late  wai',  and  came  home  in  1863-64 
and  died;  Joshua  died  of  a  wound  in  .Louis- 
ville; Eliza  married  John  N.  White;  Thomas 
served  through  the  late  war,  and  now  lives 
near  Ashley. 

Elihu,  the  fourth  son  of  William  Maxey, 
married  Eveline  Taylor  in  1819.  He  owned 
one  of  the  early  mills  of  the  county,  and 
hence  was  a  benefactor  of  the  early  settlers. 
His    first   wife    died,  and  he  married    Sarah 


148 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFEiiSON   COUNTY. 


Guthrie.  He  met  with  death  accidentally  in 
October,  1853.  He  rode  out  into  the  woods 
one  morning  to  "  hunt  the  cows,"  but  was 
absent  so  long  his  family  became  uneasy,  and, 
his  horse  coming  home  without  a  rider,  ex- 
cited their  serious  apprehensions  The 
neighbors  were  notihed  and  search  made. 
His  body  was  found  two  or  three  miles  from 
home,  cold  in  death.  It  was  supposed  he 
had  been  kicked  by  his  horse.  He  had  ten 
children,  five  sons  and  tive  daughters:  Ta- 
lina  married  Mervil  Smith;  Perigan  T.  died 
on  Puncheon  Camp;  Henry  lives  near  Wal- 
nut Hill;  Parmelia  married  Samuel  Walker; 
William  C.  is  dead;  Elizabeth  married  a 
man  named  Penix;  Margaret  married 
Thomas  Maddox,  and  Eliza  married  James 
Maddox;  Thomas  married  Eliza  Smith,  and 
E.  Phelps  died  at  Nashville  during  the  late 
war. 

Charles  H.  Maxey  married  Sal  lie  Bruce  in 
1824  He  was  the  fifth  son  of  William 
Maxey,  and  was  a  man  of  great  physical 
power.  His  children  who  lived  to  maturity 
were  Caroline,  Mary,  Martha,  Susan  and 
Drucilla.  The  first  married  S.  F.  Parker; 
Mary  married  Joseph  Burke;  Martha  married 
C.  Frost;  Susan  married  George  A.  Collins 
and  Druoilfa  married  James  Swift. 

Joshua  C.  Maxey,  the  sixth  son  of  William, 
was  born  in  1807,  married  Susan  Criswell  in 
1881,  and  at  present  lives  on  the  old  Maxey 
homestead.  He  is  a  Methodist  preacher, 
and  several  times  has  had  charge  of  circuits 
by  special  appointment.  He  is  a  truly 
Christian  man  and  an  enthusiastic  Sunday 
school  worker.  He  raised  but  two  children, 
two  dying  in  childhood.  William  T.  married 
Mary  A.  Cummins,  and  Martha  married 
John  C.  Tyler. 

Dr.  William  M.  A.  Maxey,  the  youngest 
son  but  one  of  William  Maxey,  married 
Edda  Owens  in    1830.     He  is  a   practicing 


physician  and  a  local  preacher.  His  chil- 
dren are  Simeon  W.,  who  served  in  Stratton's 
company  in  the  late  war;  Samuel  T.,  a 
Methodist  preacher,  also  served  in  the  army; 
Harriet  J.,  who  married  Frank  Satterfield; 
William  C,  who  married  Gertrude  Lane 
and  served  three  years  in  the  late  war;  Sarah 
C,  married  Sanford  Hill;  and  Nelson,  who 
married  Miss  Berger. 

Jehu  G.  D.  Maxey  is  the  youngest  son  of 
William  Maxey.  He  married  Mary  A. 
Bruce,  and  their  only  child,  James  H. ,  died 
when  he  was  but  two  years  old.  Mr.  Maxey 
is  an  exhorter  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Sunday 
school. 

Edward  Maxey,  a  brother  to  William 
Maxey,  and  the  second  son  of  Jesse  Maxey, 
moved  to  Allen  County,  Ky.,  and  from  thence 
to  Jefferson  County,  111.  He  mai'ried  Eliza- 
beth Pitner  in  Tennessee,  but  they  never 
had  any  children.  They  raised  several 
adopted  children,  among  them  Judge  Satter- 
field. He  was  a  man  of  high  honor  and  in- 
tegrity; was  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  twenty 
years.  County  Commissioner,  a  pioneer 
school  teacher,  a  preacher  and  a  man  in 
whom  there  was  no  guile.  He  died  about 
1850,  and  his  wife  soon  after. 

John  Maxey,  the  youngest  son  of  Jesse 
Maxey,  came  to  Illinois  in  1823,  in  company 
with  William  and  Jonathan  Wells.  He,  too, 
was  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  after  living 
eight  or  ten  years  in  the  county,  removed  to 
Wayne  County,  where  he  died.  He  raised 
but  one  son,  Stephen,  who  died  many  years 
ago,  and  three  daughters.  Theodosia  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Joseph  Heliums:  Elizabeth 
married  Greenbury  Wells,  and  Katie  married 
Jesse  Breeze,  of  Walnut  Hill.  Such,  in 
brief,  is  the  record  of  the  pioneer  Maxeys, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Jeffer- 
son County,  and  who   contributed   largely  to 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


149 


its  development  and  improvement.  In 
other  chapters  will  be  found  sketches  of  the 
younger  generations  of  the  name. 

The  Johnsons,  perhaps,  might  nest  be 
mentioned  in  the  catalogue  of  pioneer  fami- 
lies. Like  the  Caseys  and  JNIaseys,  they  are 
a  numerous  family,  and  have  been  a  promi- 
nent one  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the 
county. 

Benjamin  Johnson,  the  ancestor  of  the 
Johnsons  living  here,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, but  removed  to  Hanover  Coiinty,  Va., 
where  he  died.  John  Johnson,  a  son  of  his, 
was  the  father  of  the  pioneer  Johnsons  who 
came  to  Jefferson  County.  He  married  Han- 
nah Medlock,  who  died  early,  leaving  three 
children.  He  afterward  married  Betse}' 
Tyler,  a  widow,  who  had  (rhree  children  by 
her  first  husband.  By  this  second  marriage 
Mr.  Johnson  had  four  children — Lewis, 
James,  Betsey  and  John.  After  his  death 
(about  1803),  his  widow  and  her  family  moved 
to  Sumner  County,  Tenn.  The  Tylers, 
Mrs.  Johnson's  children  by  her  first  hus- 
band, were  also  early  pioneers  in  Illinois. 

Lewis  Johnson,  the  eldest  son  of  John 
Johnson  by  his  second  marriage,  was  among 
the  early  settlers  in  Jefferson  County.  He 
married  Mrs.  Winn,  formerly  Miss  Stone,  by 
whom  ho  had  nine  children — Milly,  Anna, 
Lucy,  James  E.,  John  T.,  Nicholas  S., 
Elizabeth,  Nancy  and  Susan.  Mr.  Johnson 
was  licensed  to  preach  in  Tennessee  in  1812; 
was  ordained  Deacon  there  by  Bishop  Rob- 
erts in  1816,  and  Elder  by  the  same  Bishop 
in  Illinois  in  1827.  He  was  a  pious  man, 
and  lived  a  purely  Christian  life.  It  is  said 
that  for  a  period  of  fifty  years  ho  held  prayers 
in  his  family  regularly  three  times  a  day. 
He  died  in  January,  1857,  at  the  age  of 
eighty,  and  his  wife  in  December  following 
at  the  age  of  eighty -three  years.  Of  his  chil- 
dren,   Milly   married    Asahel    Bateraan    in 


Tennessee,  but  removed  to  Illinois  in  an 
early  day.  Anna  married  Ransom  Moss  in 
1821  and  has  numerous  descendants  fin  the 
county.  Lucy  married  Launcelot  Foster. 
He  died  early  from  a  peculiar  disease 
brought  on  from  exposure  while  hunting. 
Their  house  was  burned  a  year  or  so  after 
their  marriage  and  their  month-old  infant 
burned  to  death  in  it  James  E.  was  the 
oldest  son  of  Lewis  Johnson.  He  was  con- 
verted in  1821  and  soon  after  began  to  ex- 
hort. He  went  back  to  Tennessee,  where  he 
attended  school  dui-ing  the  winter  and  then  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  commenced  preaching. 
He  preached  throughout  Southern  Illinois, 
Missouri  and  Arkansas,  as  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  health 
gave  way  and  he  was  forced  to  cease  regular 
j)reaching.  He  came  here  and  improved  a 
farm  where  John  T.  Johnson  now  lives,  or 
recently  lived.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty years.  John  T.,  the  next  oldest  brother 
to  James,  was  also  licensed  to  preach,  when 
but  twenty-one  years  old.  He  joined  the 
Illinois  Conference  (Methodist  Episcopal 
Chm-ch)  and  for  many  years  preached  in 
this  State  and  Indiana.  In  1843,  he  located 
in  this  county  on  a  farm,  but  still  continued 
preaching.  He  has  always  been  considered  a 
lucid,  interesting  preacher,  a  successful  farmer 
and  a  useful  man.  The  next  brother,  Nicholas 
S.,  married  Minerva  HoUiday.  He  lived  in 
Grand  Prairie  some  years,  where  he  finally 
died.  Elizabeth  married  T.  B.  Afflack  and 
moved  to  Grand  Prairie  and  then  to  Kich- 
view.  Nancy  married  James  Bai-nes  and  also 
lives  in  Richview.  Susan  married  U.  G. 
Witherspoon,  of  Kentucky.  They  finally 
removed  back  to  Kentucky  after  living  here 
for  a  time,  and  now  reside  in  Crittenden 
County. 

James  Johnson,  the  second  son  of  the  pio- 
neer,   John    Johnson,    was    born    in  Louisa 


150 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


County,  Va.,  about  the  year  1778.  He  mar- 
ried Clarissa  Masey  in  Tennessee,  and  in 
1818  came  to  Illinois  with  five  children. 
His  wife  died  in  1847,  and  he  afterward 
married  Mrs.  Livingston.  He  was  a  man  of 
the  most  unswerving  honesty,  and  was  a  re- 
spected and  upright  citizen.  He  died  in 
1860  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Sii- 
teen  children  were  born  to  him,  one  of  whom 
died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months,  another 
at  nine  years,  while  the  rest  lived  to  matur- 
ity. His  eldest  son,  John  N.  Johnson,  mar- 
rie  Sarah  Hobbs  in  1834.  He  was  a  stir- 
ring and  enterprising  man,  and  built  several 
houses  in  Mount  Vernon,  among  them  the 
City  Hotel,  which  was  known  as  the  Johnson 
House.  He  was  a  physician,  and  graduated 
in  the  healing  art  in  Cincinnati,  but  did  not 
follow  the  profession  through  life.  He  died 
in  1858,  leaving  a  wife  and  five  children. 
James  D.  and  A.  Curtis,  his  sons,  are  among 
the  prominent  citizens  and  business  men  of 
Mount  Vernon.  Others  of  James  Johnson's 
children  are  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

John  Johnson,  the  youngest  brother  of 
Lewis  and  James  Johnson,  came  to  Illinois 
in  1834,  and  hence  can  scarcely  be  reckoned 
among  the  pioneers  of  Jefferson  County.  He 
was  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  in  discharge  of  his  ministerial 
duties  traveled  over  a  large  portion  of  Ohio, 
Kentucky,  Illinois,  Tennessee  and  Missis- 
sippi for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  power  in  debate  and  in 
the  pulpit,  and  his  fervent  piety  and  patient 
endurance  were  unexcelled  by  any  minister  in 
the  conference  to  which  he  belonged.  He 
died  in  Mount  Vernon  in  1858,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  His  children  were  Dr.  T.  B. 
Johnson,  who  died  in  Kentucky  in  1870; 
the  wife  of  Blackford  Casey;  J.  Fletcher, 
Washington  S.,    G.    Wesley,    J.    Benson,    a 


girl  and  boy  who  died  in  childhood,  and 
Adam  C,  the  faithful  historian  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Jefferson  County,  and  whose  sketch 
of  Mount  Vernon  forms  several  interesting 
chapters  of  this  volume. 

Among  other  pioneer  families  of  the  coun- 
ty who  will  receive  adequate  mention  as  we 
proceed  with  oui-  work,  we  may  note  the 
following  who  came  in  a  few  years  after  the 
organization  of  the  county:  The  Hickses, 
the  Wilkersons,  the  Jordan  family,  Overton 
Harlow, the  Baldridges,  Fleming  Greenwood, 
Thomas  D.  Minor,  the  Maxwells,  Mathew 
Cunningham,  and  a  number  of  others. 

We  have  now  given  in  this  and  in  the 
chapter  on  the  early  settlement  a  record  of 
some  of  the  pioneer  families.  The  sketches 
as  they  appear  in  this  book  are  drawn  by 
those  who  never  saw  the  originals,  and  who 
can  know  of  them  only  by  much  talking 
with  those  who  did  know  them  long  and 
well,  and  while  they  were  here  and  playing 
their  part  in  life,  and  from  the  brief  sketches 
that  have  hitherto  been  written  of  them. 
To  pick  out  the  representative  peojale  of  all 
the  different  classes  of  a  community  and 
draw  a  true  representation  of  them — so  true 
that  any  reader  can  gather  an  actual  person- 
al acquaintance  with  those  who  were,  per- 
haps, dead  before  he  was  bora,  is  no  easy 
task,  yet  one,  if  done  well  and  truly,  will 
give  him  a  just  and  correct  idea  of  those 
about  whom  he  is  studying  history  for  the 
purpose  of  learning.  For  a  certain  quality 
of  society  will  produca  a  certain  kind  of  men 
or  a  certain  kind  of  character — a  leading 
character,  with  strong  marks  and  signs,  that 
arrests  attention  and  fixes  upon  him  the  duty 
of  furnishing  posterity  the  key  to  the  whole 
mass  of  his  fellow-men  who  were  his  neigh- 
bors and  cotemporaries. 

The  sketches,  as  we  have  said,  ai-e  not 
drawn   by    those   who  personally   knew  the 


M< 


A4.  M'-iYc^ 


l\ 


Ol^WtRSV 


,/o'f  aoHO)S 


HI.STOKY   OF   JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


153 


original.  This  is  best,  for  then  thons  ia  less 
danger  of  prejudices,  either  for  or  against 
the  subject  that  constitutes  the  picture,  and 
false  colors  are  not  liable  to  slip  in.  There 
is  less  incentive  (there  should  be  none)  to 
suppress  here  and  overdraw  there;  in  short, 
less  of  prejudice,  and  consequently  more  of 
truth.  But  men  who  write  are  affected  by 
much  the  same  prejudices  of  color  of  vision 
in  viewing  transactions  of  which  they 
formed  a  part,  as  other  men,  and  for  this  rea- 
son, history  is  written  by  strangers  or  the 
sons  and  dausrhters  of  strangers,  who  live  in 
the  long  years  and  ages  after  the  actors  and 
their  immediate  descendants  have  passed 
away. 

So  far,  we  have  attempted  to  give  the 
names  and  settlement,  as  already  stated,  of 
the  first  actual  settlors  of  the  county,  together 
with  some  of  the  old  and  prominent  and 
numerous    families  who  came  here  over  half 


a  century  ago.  These  notices  and  sketches 
have  been  necessarily  brief.  Many  of  those 
already  mentioned  will  receive  further  no- 
tice in  connection  with  works  upon  which 
they  were  actively  engaged,  and  with  sub- 
jects wherein  they  bore  important  parts.  In 
the  chapters  devoted  to  the  history  of  the 
different  townships,  many  other  pioneers 
hitherto  unnoticed  will  be  written  up  and 
receive  full  justice  according  to  their  merits. 
That  their  works  are  confined  to  divisions  so 
small  as  townships  does  not  imply  that  they 
are  of  no  moment  or  interest.  Men,  at 
most,  are  but  as  coral,  feeble,  insignificant, 
working  out  of  sight,  but  they  transmit  some 
occult  quality  o-  power,  upheave  society  un- 
til, from  the  moral  and  intellectual  plateau, 
rises,  as  Saul  above  his  fellows,  a  Shakes 
peare,  a  Phidias  or  a  Hamilton,  the  royal  in- 
terpreters of  the  finest  sense  in  poetry,  in 
art  and  statesmanship. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR— SUPRE.ME    COURT— ITS    LOCATION  AT    MOUNT    VERNON— THE  JUDGES  OF 

THE  SAME— BREEZE  AND  SCATES— OTHER   LUMINARIES— THE    APPELLATE  COURT— SOME 

OF  ITS  GREAT    LIGHTS— CIRCUIT   COURT— JUDGE   TANNER   AND  OTHERS— EARLY 

CASES  TRIED    IN    THE    COURTS— MARSHALL,  BAUGH,    ETC.— PRESENT 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  BAR,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"The  ethics  of  the   bar  comprehends  the  duties 
of  each  of  its  members  to  himself." 

TO  write  a  history  of  the  bench  and  bar 
of  this  or  any  other  place  is  to  write  the 
history  of  that  department  which  absolutely 
guarantees  the  freedom  and  safety  of  our 
government.  The  perpetuity  of  our  liberties 
depends  more  upon  an  honest  and  intelligent 
judiciary  than  upon  anything  else,  and  to  ac- 

*By  George  M.  Haynea,  Esq. 


complish  the  noble  purposes  for  which  it  is 
created  it  must  be  supported  by  an  honest 
and  intelligent  bar.  It  is  by  the  courts  of 
the  land  and  the  powers  in  them  vested  that 
criminals  are  apprehended  and  punished;  it 
is  through  them  that  all  wrongs  are  re- 
dressed; it  is  by  them  that  the  wrongly  im- 
prisoned are  given  th(>ir  liberty;  it  is  through 
them  that  the  minister  is  permitted  to  occupy 
his  pulpit.     In  fact,  our   government   could 

4 


154 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


not  exist  without  its  judiciary.  It  is  the  "jew- 
el that  from  the  cluster  riven  woiild  leave 
all  a  dark  and  hopeless  chaos."  Localizing, 
we  can  say  that  Mount  Vernon  and  Jefferson 
County  may  well  be  termed  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice and  the  home  of  Judges.  Since  1848, 
the  Supreme  Court  has  been  located  here, 
during  which  time  the  State  has  spent  large 
sums  of  money  in  a  building  and  its  equip- 
ment. The  library  here  is  the  largest  and 
most  valuable  in  the  State.  There  is  noth- 
ing written  upon  the  law  that  has  passed  to 
the  dignity  of  authority  that  may  not  be 
found  here,  and  few  finer  collections  can  be 
found  in  the  United  States.  Perhaps  few 
towns  of  its  size  can  boast  of  more  Judges 
taken  from  its  bar  than  can  Mount  Vernon. 
So  marked  has  this  been  that  it  has  almost 
became  a  proverb  to  say  "  Mount  Vernon,  the 
home  of  Judges."  Although  the  county 
had  been  organized  for  fifteen  years  before 
we  had  a  resident  lawyer,  the  bar  here  has 
ever  since  stood  high  in  line  with  the  pro- 
fession of  the  State.  Since  1864,  the  Mount 
Vernon  bar  has  been  represented  upon  the 
bench.  In  that  year,  the  Hon.  James  M. 
Pollock  was  elected  from  this  county.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Tanner,  and  he  by  Casey, 
the  present  incumbent.  Mount  Vernon  has, 
since  the  county's  organization,  furnished 
Baugh  and  Scales,  in  addition  to  those  of 
later  date  already  mentioned. 

Supreme  Court. — Under  the  Constitution 
of  1848,  the  State  was  divided  into  three 
grand  divisions,  the  people  in  each  division 
electing  one  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
The  divisions  were  known  as  the  First,  Sec- 
ond and  Third:  this  county  was  placed  in 
the  First,  and  after  a  strong  and  bitter  strug- 
gle. Mount  Vernon  was  selected  as  the  seat 
of  the  court  for  the  First  Grand  Division, 
which,  through  biennial  tights,  she  has  con- 
tinued to  retain  until  the  present. 


The  first  term  of  the  court  held  in  this 
place  convened  in  December,  1848,  with 
Samuel  H.  Treat,  Chief  Justice,  and  J.  D. 
Caton  and  Lyman  Trumbull,  Associates; 
Finny  D.  Preston,  Clerk.  There  were  sev- 
enteen cases  on  the  docket.  The  first  case 
WHS  Meridith  Hawkins  vs.  Silas  N.  Berry, 
error  to  Franklin.  Jefferson  County  fur- 
nished one  case,  William  B.  Thorn  against 
Joel  F.  AVatson,  administrator  of  the  estate 
of  James  Ham.  Thorn  had  a  claim  against 
the  estate  which  Watson  thought  had  been 
filed  too  late,  and  consequently  barred  by  the 
statutes.  Watson  defeated  him  in  the  lower 
courts  and  Thorn  took  it  up  and  was  again 
beaten.  The  second  term  convened  in  No- 
vember, 1849,  with  twenty-three  cases,  one 
from  this  county.  Governor,  etc.,  vs.  E.  H. 
Ridgway  et  al.,  Eidgway  being  successful. 
The  court  remained  the  same  until  November, 
1853,  when  Trumbull  resigneil  and  Scates 
was  made  his  successor. 

In  November,  1854,  Preston  resigned  as 
Clerk  and  Maj.  Noah  Johnston  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  court  to  succeed  him  In 
1855.  Treat  resigned  and  O.  C.  Skinner  was 
elected  in  his  stead,  and  Scates  became  Chief 
Justice. 

In  1857,  J.  D.  Caton  became  Chief  Jus- 
tice; Scates  resigned  and  Sidney  Breeze  was 
elected,  and  as  such  he  continued  until  his 
death. 

In  1857,  Skinner  resigned  and  Pinkney 
H.  Walker  was  elected,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  regularly  re-elected,  and  is  at^pres- 
ent  one  of  the  Judges.  In  January,  1864, 
Caton  resigned,  and  Corydon  Beckwith  was 
appointed  and  served  until  June  of  the  same 
year,  when  Charles  B.  Lawrence  was  elected. 
By  the  constitution  of  1870,  the  judicial  de 
partment  of  the  State  was  reconstructed,  th- 
three  Grand  Divisions  retained,  but  tht^ 
Court  increased  to  seven  Judges,   instead  of 


i 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


)n5 


thref.  The  State  was  divided  into  seven 
districts  and  one  Judge  elected  from  eacti 
district.  After  the  election  under  this  sys- 
tem, the  court  consisted  of  Lawrence,  Walk 
er,  Breeze,  Thornton,  Seates,  Sheldon  and 
McAllister,  and  it  is  no  reflection  to  say  that 
at  no  time  since  the  organisation  of  the 
court  was  it  ever  stronger.  Its  opinions  were 
cited  and  recognized  during  this  period  as 
of  the  first  of  American  authorities.  In  1873, 
Alfred  M.  Craig  succeeded  Judge  Lawrence 
and  John  Schotield  went  on  in  the  place  of 
Thornton.  In  December,  1875,  T.  Lyle 
Dickey  succeeded  McAllister,  who  resigned. 

June  28,  1878,  Judge  Breeze  died  and 
David  J.  Baker  was  appointed  to  succeed 
him  by  the  Governor,  and  on  the  2d  of  June, 
1879,  John  H.  Mulkey  was  elected  to  succeed 
Baker,  since  which  time  there  has  been  no 
change,  leaving  the  court  now  consisting  of 
Sheldon,  Schotield,  Craig,  Dickey,  Walker, 
Scott  and  Mulkey.  June  3,  1867.  R.  A.  D. 
Wilbanks  was  elected  Clerk,  succeeding  Maj. 
Johnston,  and  so  continued  until  November, 
1878,  when  he  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  J. 
O.  Chance,  the  present  incumbent.  From 
1848  until  November,  1853,  the  court  met  in 
the  old  Odd  Fellows  Hall  on  Main  street,  pay- 
ing an  annual  rent  of  $75.  From  November, 
1853,  until  the  court  house  was  completed  in 
about  1856,  it  met  in  the  Masonic  Hall,  over 
Joel  Pace's  store,  at  the  same  rent  paid  the 
Odd  Fellows.  • 

In  1854,  an  appropriation  was  obtained 
from  the  Legislature  of  §0,000  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  court  house.  T.  B.  Tanner,  Maj. 
Johnston,  Zadok  Casey,  William  J.  Stephens 
and  Dr.  John  N.  Johnson  were  appointed 
Commissioners  to  take  charge  of  the  build- 
ing and  superintend  its  construction.  Plans 
were  obtained,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
fund  was  iusuflBcient,  but  finally  parties  in 
St.  Louis  were  found  who  contracted  to  in- 


close it  for  the  money,  which  was  done,  and 
in  1854,  T.  B.  Tanner,  who  had  been  elected 
a  member  of  the  Legislature,  obtained  an 
additional  appropriation  of  $10,000,  with 
which  the  building  was  completed  accordintr 
to  the  original  design.  In  1874,  an  addi- 
tional appropriation  was  obtained  for  the 
purpose  of  remodeling  the  building,  and 
the  nor^h  and  south  wings  were  added,  and 
the  building  left  in  its  present  condition, 
an  oi-nament  to  the  county  and  a  credit  to 
the  State. 

Judge  Sidney  Breeze. — Illinois  has  pro- 
duced some  very  great  men — men  whom  all 
the  world  has  been  proud  to  honor— men 
who  will  go  down  in  the  national  history, 
yes,  in  the  history  of  the  world,  as  truly 
gre<it.  In  wai',  the  Illinois'  soldiers  are  said  to 
be  the  gi-eatest  now  living;  in  State-craft  we 
sent  Douglas  and  Lincoln-men  prominent 
in  statesmanship,  men  to  whom  the  world's 
history  must  accord  befitting  space.  But, 
great  as  they  are,  none  have  been  greater  in 
their  particular  line  than  has  Judge  Breeze  in 
his — a  jurist  quoted  in  every  civilized  coun- 
try, logical,  analytical,  just  and  blunt,  se- 
vere, yet  impartial.  Judge  Breeze  was  born 
in  New  York  on  the  15th  day  of  July,  1800 
— born  at  the  beginning  of  the  most  brill- 
iant century  the  world  ever  saw — born  fitted 
and  destined  to  bear  a  most  prominent  part 
in  the  many  overshadowing  achievements  of 
the  world's  history.  He  received  a  classical 
education  at  Union  College,  New  York,  and 
at  a  very  early  age  started  with  the  star  of 
empire  westward.  The  year  1818  found 
Judge  Breeze  at  Illinois'  first  capital,  Kas- 
kaskia,  as  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  to 
Elias  Kent  Kam — his  old  friend.  During 
this  employment,  the  State  capital  was  re- 
moved to  Yandalia.  The  responsibilty  of 
removing  the  Secretary's  office  was  left  to 
Judge  Breeze;  he  accomplished  the  task  with 


156 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


a  yoke  of  oxen  and  the  old  two-wheeled  cart, 
and  thus  were  the  great  State  documents  re- 
moved from  the  old  to  the  new  capital. 

In  1822,  he  was  appointed  State's  Attorney; 
in  1827,  he  was  made  United  States  DiMtrict 
Attorney  for  Illinois  by  President  John  Q. 
Adams.  In  1831,  he  published  Breeze's 
Reports,  to  be  found  in  every  well-appointed 
law  library,  and  the  first  book  ever  published 
in  Illinois.  In  1835,  he  first  went  ujion  the 
bench  as  Judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  Cir- 
cuit. In  1842,  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
State  Senate  and  served  as  such  for  six  years. 
His  career  in  the  Senate  was  not  barren  of 
results.  Then  Clay,  Webster,  Benton  and 
Calhoun  were  there.  In  the  forum  c>r  in  the 
committee.  Senator  Breeze  ranked  with  those 
giants. 

While  his  mind,  perhaps,  was  not  em- 
ployed in  the  more  active  and  exciting  ele- 
ments of  politics  and  State  craft,  yet  he  was 
never  idle,  his  giant  intellect  reached  out 
into  the  great  unknown  future;  he  read  its 
hidden  pages;  he  saw  the  future  wants  of 
this  then  young  republic;  he  saw  a  few  years 
in  the  distance  the  great  chains  of  iron  that 
were  to  bind  this  continent  into  indissoluble 
union;  he  saw  the  rapid  strides  of  commerce; 
he  realized  its  demands.  He  saw  that  in  the 
great  and  rich  valleys  and  prairies  of  the 
West  was  to  spring  the  attributes  of  prosper- 
ity and  wealth  to  this  Government.  He 
saw  the  great  agricultural  districts  bending 
beneath  the  rich  harvests,  asking  for  trans- 
portation. 'Twas  then  his  practical  sagacity 
and  comprehensive  mind  discovered  and 
brought  for  the  first  time  to  the  light  of  the 
nation  the  necessity  of  railroad  connection 
between  the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic.  He 
availed  himself  of  his  opportunity  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands  in 
the  United  States  Senate  in  1840,  elaborated 
in  detail  and  brought  in  the  first  report  ever 


made,  advocating  and  anticipating  the  con- 
struction of  the  Pacific  Railroad  twenty-three 
years  in  advance  of  its  commencement.  His 
friends  were  incredulous;  his  enemies 
thought,  for  the  time,  at  least,  that  he  had, 
by  his  own  blunder,  succeeded  in  throwing 
ridicule  on  himself.  But  no;  he  only  lived 
as  many  great  men  before   his  time. 

It  has  so  happened  that  no  man  has  left  to 
his  age  or  his  country  a  more  enduring  mon- 
ument by  which  he  is  to  be  known  to  poster- 
ity. This  one  act,  had  he  done  no  other, 
would  hand  him  down  in  history  as  long  as 
the  whistle  of  the  engine  and  the  rumbling 
of  the  cars  are  heard  ujion  oiu"  great  plains. 
But  this  was  not  all  that  Judge  Breeze  did 
in  the  Senate.  He  was  a  continual  worker 
for  the  development  of  his  adopted  State  and 
the  resources  of  the  nation,  but  to  write  of 
his  activities  and  public  services  while  in  the 
Senate  would  of  itself  make  a  volume.  The 
building  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was 
under  consideration  while  he  was  in  the  Sen- 
ate, and  in  Judge  Breeze  that  enterprise 
found  a  strong  and  valuable  champion. 

He  was  defeated  in  1848  for  reelection  to 
the  Senate  by  the  hero  of  Cerro  Gordo,  Gen. 
Shields,  who  had  just  returned  from  the 
Mexican  war,  covered  all  over  with  glory. 
The  military  sentiment  ran  riot,  as  it  has 
many  times  before  and  since,  and  a  greai 
mind  was  forced  to  retire  for  the  advance- 
ment of  one  who,  while  brilliant  and  brave 
on  the  field,  yet  had  no  qualification  to  rep- 
resent the  rising  State  of  Illinois  in  the  na- 
tion's councils.  And  again  we  have  illustrated 
the  senitmeut,  "Put  a  man  on  a  charger,  call 
him  a  warrior,  and  the  American  people  are 
ready  to  blindly  follow  him  they  know  not 
whither,  neither  do  they  care;  so  long  as  the 
shouts  of  the  '  General '  are  heard  they  go." 
A  few  military  gentlemen  have  been  called 
to  the    White    House    from  the   same  senti- 


t 


HISTORY  or  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


157 


ment,  and  the  experiment  has  in  almost  every 
instance  shown  the  folly  of  such  a  selection. 
The  better  the  soldier,  the  poorer  the  states- 
man. But  we  are  digressing.  After  his 
retirement  from  the  Senate,  Judge  Breeze 
remained  in  private  life  until  1850,  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  Seventh  General  Assem- 
bly, of  which  he  was  elected  Speaker  of  the 
Lower  House,  defeating  Gov.  Z.  Casey  of 
this  county.  In  June,  1855,  he  was  again 
elected  Judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  Circuit, 
and  from  this  time  it  may  be  said  he  began 
that  course  of  life  which  has  handed  him 
down  as  the  greatest  jurist  this  State  has 
ever  produced,  and  the  peer  of  any  in  the 
nation.  This  marked  his  final  retirement 
from  politics,  not,  perhaps,  from  his  own 
inclination,  for  he  early  evinced  a  strong 
desire  for  political  preferment,  and  for  years 
cherished  his  political  aspirations,  but  his 
defeat  by  Shields  so  mortified  him  that  he 
never  afterward  pressed  his  claims  or  wishes. 
In  1857,  he  resigned  the  Circuit  Judgeship 
to  accept  a  seat  upon  the  Supreme  Bench, 
nevermore  to  leave  it  until  the  final  sum- 
mons, and  it  is  as  such  that  he  achieved  his 
highest  honors.  He  was  upon  the  Supreme 
Bench  in  1841,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate.  He  died  June  28,  1878,  a 
member  of  the  court.  We  know  of  no  more 
fitting  words  by  which  his  judicial  life  may 
be  reviewed  than  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Justice 
Scott,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  at  Ottawa, 
upon  the  presentation  of  resolutions  an- 
nouncing Judge  Breeze's  death.  He  says: 
"  Judge  Breeze  was  a  man  of  gi'eat  learn- 
ing in  the  best  and  broadest  sense  of  that 
term.  To  the  studies  prescribed  by  the  col- 
ege  of  which  he  was  graduate,  he  added  a 
life-time  of  study.  Notwithstanding  his 
constant  employment  in  public  life,  he  found 
time  for  the  study  of  classic  literature,  both 
in  Latin  and  in  English.     After  the  close  of 


the  labors  of  the  day,  extending  to  a  late 
hour  of  the  evening,  I  have  often  known 
him,  in  his  private  room,  before  retiring,  to 
spend  hours  in  reading  standard  works  on 
literatm*e  or  scientific  subjects.  It  was  his 
constant  habit.  It  is  a  marvel  the  amount 
of  intellectual  labors  he  could  endure.  What 
relates  to  his  personal  history  will  soon  fade 
from  the  recollections  of  the  living  and  be 
forever  forgotten.  He  will  only  be  remem- 
bered by  his  public  works. 

"  In  two  particulars  Judge  Breeze  will  stand 
out  prominent  in  history.  First,  in  his 
character  as  a  statesman,  and  second  as  a 
jurist. 

^  9ft"  T^t  ^Jt  t|c  fl|c  9jr  ^  5fc  ifr  ^  ■3^t 

"  Few  men  have  influenced  in  so  large  a 
measure  the  jurisprudence  of  this  State  or 
nation  in  which  they  lived  as^Judge  Breeze. 
Every  one,  to  some  extent,  creates  the  oppor- 
tunities for  success  in  life.  The  means  he 
possessed  were  within  the  reach  of  others, 
had  they  possessed  the  ability  to  combine 
them.  Genius  makes  opportunities  as  well 
as  employs  those  at  hand  for  successful  i 
achievements.  We  call  men  great  only  in 
comparison  with  othei's.  and  hence  we  are  al- 
ways looking  to  see  what  others  have  done 
in  the  same  field  of  labor.  When  the  real 
does  not  exist  we  may  conceive  the  ideal,  and 
institute  comparisons.  As  no  one  appears 
anywhere  in  judicial  history  who  conforms 
exactly  to  the  ideal  of  the  true  Judge,  it  is 
no  easy  task  to  express  the  conception  of  such 
a  character.  Some  few  of  the  essential  qual- 
ities readily  suggest  themselves.  *  *  * 
While  we  may  not  expect  to  find  in  him 
whose  character  we  are  considering,  nor  in 
that  of  any  other  Judge  of  the  present  or  past 
ages,  all  that  we  might  conceive  to  belong  to 
the  ideal  Judge,  yet  some  of  the  grand  es- 
sentials do  appear  in  his  character.  Although 
making  no  parade  of   it,    he   possessed  in  a 


158 


HISTOUY    OF   JEFFEHSON   COUNTY. 


full  measure  that  absolute  incorruptibility 
that  insures  purity  in  the  administration  of 
the  law — qualities  which  belong  to  the  true 
Judge.  His  judgments  were  always  dis- 
tinctly marked  with  impartiality  and  even- 
handed  justice.  He  believed  in  those  fun- 
damental principles  embodied  in  our  organic 
law — that  every  person  ought  '  to  obtain  by 
law  right  and  justice  freely  and  without  be- 
ing obliged  to  purchase  it,'  and  that  he 
ought  to  '  find  a  certain  remedy  in  the  laws 
for  all  injuries  and  wrongs  which  he  may 
receive  in  his  person,  property  or  reputation.' 

"He  had  not  that  degree  of  self-conlideuce 
possessed  by  many,  yet  he  was  free  from 
that  hesitancy  that  so  embarrasses  many 
Judges,  as  to  destroy,  in  a  marked  degree, 
their  efficiency.  Although  he  wrote  with  un- 
usual facility,  fet  so  careful  was  he  in  pre- 
paring his  opinions,  I  have  known  him  when 
he  deemed  the  case  of  importance,  to  write 
the  same  over  as  many  as  three  or  four  times. 

"  His  style  was  singularly  perspicuous — as 
specimens  of  line  writing,  it  is  my  judgment 
that  his  opinions  will  suffer  nothing  in  com- 
parison with  the  best,  the  most  distinguished 
jurists  of  this  country  and  of  England. 

"In  clearness  of  expression  and  splendor  of 
diction,  they  are  fashioned  after  the  best 
models. 

"  Chief  Justice  Marshal  was  on  the  bench 
for  a  period  of  thirty-fom-  years.  His  opin- 
ions, with  the  other  members  of  the  court, 
are  comprised  in  thirty  vohimes,  exclusive  of 
his  decisions  on  the  circuit,  many  of  which 
were  written  and  published.  Judge  Breeze 
was  a  member  of  our  Supremo  Court  not 
quite  twenty-three  years,  and  yet  his  opin- 
ions, with  those  of  the  other  Justices,  compose 
seventy  volimies,  including  the  opinions  now 
in  manuscript.  Some  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  his  labors  may  be  obtained  when  it  is 
stated  as  the  truth,  he  did  his  full  share  of 


the  work,  aad  that  for  the  grea'^er  portion  of 
the  time  he  was  on  the  bench  the  court  was 
composed  of  three  Justices. 

"  If  wo  except  one  of  his  associates  still  on 
the  bench,  he  has,  perhaps,  written  more 
opinions  than  any  Judge  who  ever  occupied 
the  bench  in  any  of  the  American  States. 
The  exception,  if  any,  is  Chancellor  Kent, 
and  it  is,  perhaps,  quite  correct  to  say  that 

so  many  opinions  do  not  appear  to  his  name. 

***      ********* 

"  There  is  scarcely  a  question  that  concerns 
the  public  welfare  or  the  jurisprudence  of 
this  great  State  upon  which  he  has  not  writ- 
ten, and  almost  always  with  great  clearness 
and  accuracy. 

"  More  enduring  than  a  monument  of  solid 
granite  are  the  official  reports  of  the  State  to 
his  learning  and  ability  as  a  jurist.  laclud- 
ing  the  opinions  now  in  manuscript,  in 
which  he  participated,  we  will  have  eighty 
more  volumes  of  reports,  with  every  one  of 
which  his  name  is  connected,  either  as  a  re 
porter,  counsel  or  as  a  Justice  delivering  the 
opinions. 

"The  questions  discussed  in  the  sixty  years 
he  was  in  some  way  connected  with  the 
court  are  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  are 
such  as  would  naturally  be  expected  to  arise 
in  that  formative  period  of  a  rapidly  grow- 
ing State,  and  especially  in  one  that  has  so 
suddenly  risen  to  the  proportions  of  an  em- 
pire in  itself. 

"  He  rests  from  his  labors,  but  how  truly 
can  it  be  said  of  him  his  works  do  follow 
him.  His  fame  as  a  judicial  wi'iter  will  en- 
dure as  long  as  the  common  law  is  adminis- 
tered anywhere  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth;  and  the  beneficent  princples  his  learn- 
ing and  ability  assisted  to  maintain  will  aid 
in  establishing  right  and  justice  in  behalf 
of  the  humblest  as   well   as  the  most  exalted 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


159 


of  our  race,  so  long  as  our  civilization  shall 
stand." 

He  was  a  jurist  of  clear  and  keen  per 
ceptions,  surpassed  by  none  and  equaled  by 
few.  In  polities,  Judge  Breeze  in  early  life 
was  a  Whig.  He  was  a  bitter  opponent  of 
Andrew  Jackson,  and  never  lost  an  opportu- 
nity to  strike.  He  afterward  took  a  different 
view  and  became  a  zealous  Democrat,  and 
as  such  he  died. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  writer  hereof  to 
paint  with  pen  the  true  character  of  this 
man  He  was  too  great  for  any  but  great 
men  to  write.  He  was  at  times  cross  and 
sensitive,  at  times  kind  and  pleasant;  when 
he  felt  like  it,  he  was  one  of  the  most  com- 
panionable men,  well  versed  in  literature, 
always  entertaining  in  conversation.  His 
knowledge  of  Illinois  and  the  men  and  par- 
ties of  the  State  was,  perhaps,  superior  to 
that  of  any  other  man.  and  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  he  did  not  find  time  from  his 
labors  to  put  his  recollections  in  history.  He 
made  Hon.  Melville  W.  Fuller  his  literary  ex- 
ecutor, and  among  his  effects  it  is  hoped 
that  much  valuable  manuscript  may  be 
found. 

He  was  extremely  sensitive  about  his  age, 
and  seldom  permitted  an  inquiry  upon  that 
subject.  Upon  one  occasion  a  few  years 
before  his  death,  when  asked  by  an  old  citi- 
zen of  this  county,  who  had  known  him  for 
years  and  had  grown  old  with  him,  how  old 
he  was,  he  replied  by  saying,  "  I  may  be 
fifty,  sir,  and  I  may  be  one  hundred  and 
fifty;  it  is  none  of  your  d — d  btisiness."  I 
have  heard  of  but  one  instance  where  he 
volunteered  his  age.  In  1872,  he  was 
pressed  by  his  friends  for  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  Presidency,  and  had  ho  been 
elected,  he,  no  doubt,  would  have  made  an 
administration  that  would  have  been  at  once 
strong,  honest,  wise  and  popular.      But,  like 


Clay  and  Webster,  he    was    too  great    to  be 
President. 

Shortly  before  his  death,  he  was  called 
upon  by  Maj.  Johnston,  who,  in  the  course 
of  the  conversation  asked  the  Judge  if  he 
would  be  a  candidate  for  re-election.  The 
Judge's  reply  was :  "  I  want  to  die  in  the 
harness,"  and  so  he  did  die,  working  up  to 
the  very  last,  and  thus  died  one  of  the  three 
great  men  of  Illinois. 

Walter  B.  Scates. — The  eminent  character 
of  this  gentleman  requires  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice;  in  fact  a  history  of  the  State 
would  be  imperfect  without  an  extended 
notice  of  him  and  his  many  public  services. 
j  For  more  than  fifty  years,  his  life  has  been 
closely  interwoven  with  the  public  affairs  of 
the  State,  and  we  very  much  doubt  if  there  is 
another  man  of  Judge  Scates'  years  that  has 
rendered  more  public  service  than  he. 

Walter  B.  Scates  was  born  January  18, 
1808,  at  South  Boston,  Halifax  Co.,  Va.  He 
came  from  Revolutionary  stock,  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Walter  Bennett,  for  whom  he 
j  was  named,  being  a  Surgeon  in  the  war  of 
independence.  In  April,  after  his  birth  in 
January,  his  parents  removed  to  Tennessee, 
and  after  a  short  residence  in  that  State  re- 
moved, and  finally  settled  upon  a  farm  near 
Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  where  Walter  B.  grew  to 
manhood.  The  Indians  had  btit  recently 
been  driven  from  that  country,  the  car  of  civ- 
ilization had  scarcely  entered,  and  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  what  now  would  be  termed 
"brought  up  in  the  woods."  The  principal 
amusement  of  the  young  men  of  that  day  was 
in  riding  the  old.  gentle  horse,  with  a  "turn 
of  corn,"  some  miles  to  the  old  mill,  and  the 
associations  found  upon  these  occasions  were, 
perhaps,  about  the  extent  of  his  mixing  with 
the  outside  world  until  he  left  home.  His 
parents  being  poor,  and  living  on  what  would 
now  be  termed  the  "  borders,"  he  had  not  the 


160 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


opportunities  of  school,  yet  Lis  mind  dis- 
pelled the  cloud,  and  looked  beyond  for  more 
educational  advantages  than  was  afforded  him 
at  home.  By  continued  effort,  and  that  same 
energy  which  has  marked  his  whole  life,  he 
acquired  sufficient  education  to  enable  him 
to  read,  and  from  this  time  forwai-d  it  may 
be  said  that  his  book  was  his  constant  com- 
panion. At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  broke 
loose  from  the  attachments  of  home,  and 
without  his  family's  permission  or  knowledge 
he  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  apprenticed 
himself  to  a  Mr.  Wilson,  editor  and  publisher 
of  a  newspaper.  WHson  had  a;good  library, 
and  young  Scates  had  it  stipulated  in  the 
articles  of  apprenticeship  that  he  should  have 
the  use  of  the  library-.  When  he  first  went 
to  Nashville,  it  was  his  intention  to  study 
medicine,  but  having  no  money  and  but  little 
education,  he  was  unable  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements,  hence  his  engagement 
with  Wilson,  the  printer.  He  continued  with 
Wilson  for  about  three  months  when  his  father, 
ascertaining  his  whereabouts,  went  to  him 
and  proposed  that,  if  he  would  return  home, 
he  would  lind  some  way  to  send  him  to  school. 
This  proposition  was  accepted,  and  Walter 
went  with  his  father  back  to  the  home  he  had 
three  months  before  left. 

Upon  his  return,  he  attended  the  neighbor- 
hood school  for  about  one  year,  the  latter  part 
of  which  he  received  some  instructions  in 
Latin  and  Greek  from  a  Mr.  Moore.  It  was 
the  intention  of  himself  and  father  that  he 
should  study  medicine,  and  an  arrangement 
was  made  with  a  Dr.  Webber,  of  Hopkins- 
ville,  Ky. ,  for  Walter  B.  to  enter  his  office  as 
a  student,  but  being  unable  to  make  satisfac- 
tory arrangements  about  board,  the  engage- 
ment with  Dr.  Webber  was  abandoned.  In 
182S,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Charles 
Morehead,  afterward  Governor  of  Kentucky, 
and    became    a    student    of  Blackstone.      In 


1831,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in 
Mari.'h  of  that  year  started  on  horseback  to 
go  to  St.  Louis  to  locate.  On  arriving  at  Old 
Frankfort,  then  the  county  seat  of  Franklin 
County,  111.,  he  found  his  money  matters  get- 
ting short, only  having  $12  in  depreciated  cur- 
renc)  of  the  old  Commonwealth  Bank  of  Ken- 
tucky. Being  thus  depleted  in  his  finances, 
he  concluded  he  could  not  maintain  him- 
self in  St.  Louis,  and  at  once  settled  in  Old 
Frankfort  To  this  place  he  brought  his 
clothes  and  books  in  his  saddlebags.  His 
father  had  obtained  100  acres  of  land  near 
Belleville,  this  State,  which  he  gave  him. 
He  went  to  Belleville,  sold  or  traded  the  land 
for  some  old  horses,  shipped  them  to  New  Or- 
leans, working  as  a  deck  hand  to  pay  the 
freight.  Judge  Scates  remained  at  Old 
Frankfort  five  years,  in  the  practice  of  the 
law  in  Franklin  and  fourteen  other  counties 
— a  territory  SO  by  120  miles.  During 
this  period,  he  came  in  contact  with  many  of 
the  strongest  men  of  the  State,  many  of  whom 
afterward  attained  distinction  in  their  pro- 
fession; among  them  were  Breeze.  Eddy, 
Gatwood,  Hardin,  David  J.  Baker  (father  of 
the  present  Judge  Baker,  of  the  Appellate 
Court) — in  fact,  the  bar  of  that  circuit  was 
the  strongest  in  the  State.  In  1885,  Judge 
Scates  was  elected  County  Surveyor  of  Frank- 
lin County.  He  participated  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war;  was  at  the  battle  of  Kellogg" s 
Grove.  In  1835,  he  was  also  a  candidate  be- 
fore the  Legislature  for  the  office  of  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  of  the  Third  Judicial  Dis- 
ti-ict,  but  was  defeated  by  Alexander  Grant. 
In  1836,  he  was  appointed  Attorney  General 
for  the  State  and  moved  to  Vandalia,  then 
the  capital.  About  this  time,  November  21, 
1836,  he  was  man-ied  to  Miss  Mary  Ridgway, 
at  Shawneetowm,  111.  In  about  1837,  Scates 
was  elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  by 
the  Legislature,  in  place  of  Hardin,  resigned, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


161 


and  removed  to  Mount  Vernon.  He  held  his 
first  court  in  McLeansboro.  In  1840,  a  law 
was  passed,  legislating  all  Circuit  Judges  out 
of  office,  and  imposing  circuit  duties  upon 
the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court.  The  Su- 
preme Bench  was  increased  by  the^election 
of  five  new  Judges.  Under  this  law,  Judges 
Douglas,  Ford,  Treat  and  Scates  were  elected. 
He  occupied  the  Supreme  Bench  until  1847, 
when  he  resigned,  and  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  from  the 
counties  of  Hamilton,  Jefferson  and  Marion. 
He  was  Chairman  of  the  Judiciary  Committee 
of  that  body.  In  the  convention,  he  was  ac- 
tive, industrious  and  able.  He  advocated  the 
'2-mill  tax,  an  elective  judiciary,  universal 
suffrage,  prohibition  of  special  legislation, 
prohibition  of  banking,  limited  sessions  of 
the  Legislature  and  strongly  opposed  the  poll 
taz. 

In  1853,  Judge  Lyman  Trumbull,  of  the 
Supreme  Bench,  having  resigned  his  seat  for 
the  purpose  of  accepting  the  office  of  United 
States  Senator,  Judge  Scates  was  elected  to 
the  vacancy,  and  continued  as  such  until 
1857,  when  he  resigned  and  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, and  entered  into  the  practice  of  the  law 
with  William  K.  McAllister,  John  N.  Jewett 
and  Francis  B.  Peabodj'. 

In  1858,  Mr.  Peabody  withdrew  from  the 
firm,  leaving  the  firm  of  Scates,  McAllister  & 
Jewett — perhaps  as  strong  a  legal  combina- 
tion as  then  existed  in  the  State.  McAllister 
afterward  became  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Bench,  and  is  now  on  the  Circuit  bench  in 
Chicago.  The  firm  continued  in  a  growing 
and  lucrative  practice  until  August,  1862, 
when  Judge  Scates,  thinking  his  country 
needed  his  services  in  its  hour  of  apparent 
darkness,  retired  from  the  law  firm  of  which 
he  was  the  head,  and  although  beyond  that 
age  in  life  when  such  a  sacrifice  could  be  de- 
manded, volunteered  his  services  to  the  army, 


and  wag  at  once  assigned  to  duty  as  Adjutant 
on  Gen.  McClernand's  staff,  and  so  continued, 
in  camp  and  in  field,  doing  brave  and  gallant 
service  for  the  land  of  his  birth  until  he  was 
mustered  out  in  January,  1806.  He  was 
brevetted  Brigadier  General  for  bravery  and 
faithfulness  in  the  line  of  duty.  Of  Gen. 
Scates,  it  is  but  just  to  history  to  say  that  he, 
in  every  post  assigned  him,  was  vigilant,  ac- 
tive, faithful,  brave  and  zealous.  He  was  a 
true  and  tried  soldier,  prompt  in  the  per- 
formance of  every  duty,  undaunted  in  the 
hour  of  danger,  and.  although  comparatively 
an  old  man,  full  of  fire,  courage  and  energy. 
Upon  his  return  from  the  army,  he  re-entered 
the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Chicago,  as 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Scates, 
Bates  &  Towslee;  but  he  was  not  permitted 
to  remain  long  in  the  piu-suit  of  his  private 
business;  he  had  proven  himself  so  faithful  a 
servant,  and  in  the  same  year  of  his  return 
from  the  army,  President  Johnson  appointed 
bim  Collector  of  Customs  at  Chicago,  vice 
Havan,  deceased,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
proved  himself  the  same  efficient  and  faithful 
officer  that  had  characterized  him  throughout 
life.  Of  his  integrity  and  ability  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  his  duties,  his  regular  reports 
to  the  department  bear  the  strongest  evidence, 
each  showing  an  increase  of  receipts  and  a 
decrease  of  expenses.  Judge  Scates  served 
his  time  as  Collector  of  the  Port  with  honor 
to  himself  and  credit  to  the  department,  and 
it  mar  well  be  said  that  with  more  men  of 
the  Judge's  ability  and  integrity  to  superin- 
tend and  handle  the  revenue  there  would  not 
be  heard  so  often  the  cry  of  fraud  and  em- 
bezzlement. After  bis  retirement  from  public 
service,  he  again  entered  the  law,  and  is  still 
so  engaged,  although  on  account  of  his  age 
(seventy-five  years)  and  feebleness,  he  at  pres- 
ent is  not  attempting  the  practic(>  extensively, 
and  is  perhaps  only  engaged  in  some  few  mat- 


162 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ters  in  which  he  has  a  personal  interest.    He 
recently  told  the  writer  that  he  expected  to 
visit  Mount  Vernon  at  the  next  session  of  the 
.yuj)reme  Coui't,  in  November,  and  there  make 
an  argument  in   an   important  case.     Judge 
Scates  was    Chief    Justice    of  the    Supreme 
Court    several    terms,  and   it    is,  jierhaps,  as 
such  that  he  shines   brightest.     He  has  writ- 
ten in  many  leading  cases,  and  ably  written. 
His  opinions    are   recognized   to-day    by  the 
courts  and  the  bar  as  of   the  highest  author- 
ity— the  peer  of  any,  and    second    to  none; 
for  clearness    and    analytical    force,  learned 
and   soundness   of  law,  his  opinions  are  re- 
markable.     To    Judge    Scates,  together  with 
Gov.  Casey,    Jefferson    County    and    Mount 
Vernon  to-day    owe    a  debt  of  gratitude  that 
they  will,  perhaps,  never  be  able  to  pay.      It 
was  owing    to    their    efforts,  as  members  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1848,  that 
the  Supreme   Court    was    established    there. 
All  of  the  towns  in  this  division  were  appli- 
cants, and  pressed  their  claims  with  energy; 
but  by  the  skill    of    Judge    Scates,  who  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Bench,  and  of 
Gov.   Casey    and   Maj.   F.   S.    Casey,   Mount 
Vernon    was    selected,  and  has   so    far  been 
able  to  retain  it.     Perhaps    if    Judge  Scates 
was  to  be  measured  by  the  standard  of  great- 
ness that  is  so  prevalent   to-day — so    unjust, 
so  short-sighted — he  would  not  bear  the  test. 
We    allude   to    the    test    of    "  means "  —of 
"  money."     Judge    Scates    lived    in    a    day 
when    l)rains,    not   money-bags,    constituted 
worth.     He  engaged   in  a  few  business  vent- 
ures, but    they    were   not  successful,  and  to- 
day he  IS  a  poor  man    in  money,  but  rich  in 
mental  results,  which   will  remain-  an  honor- 
able monument  to  him  long   after  a  world  of 
money  has  passed  away.      In  fact,  no  higher 
compliment    can   be  paid  the  public  servant 
who  has    spent    a    lifetime  in  office  than  to 
truthfully  say,   "  He  closed  his  career  a  poor 


man. "  It  is  a  sure  record  of  honesty,  and  it 
might  be  added  that,  in  the  present  day,  it  is 
a  compliment  too  I'arely  deserved. 

David  J.  Baker  was  Associate  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  appointed  by  Gov.  Cul- 
lum  to  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death 
of    Judge  Breeze. 

Judge  Baker  was  born  in  Kaskaskia,  on 
the  20th  of  November,  1834,  and  was  the 
third  son  of  the  late  Judge  D.  J.  Baker,  of 
Alton.  He  graduated  at  Shurtleflf  College  in 
1854,  carrying  off  the  prize  of  the  Latin  ora- 
tion. He  read  law  with  his  father,  and  was 
admitted  in  1856.  In  the  same  year,  he  cast 
his  first  vote,  for  John  C.  Fremont  for  Pres- 
ident, and  from  that  day  to  the  present  there 
has  been  no  perceptible  change  in  his  poli- 
tics. Yet  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  bummers 
and  corruptionists  that  have  so  neariy  wrecked 
the  Eepublican  party  find  no  sympath}  in 
Judge  Baker.  In  1864,  he  was  elected  Mayor 
of  Cairo,  and  in  1869  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Nineteenth  Judicial  Circuit. 

In  July,  1864,  h*  was  mai-riedtoMiss  Eliz- 
abeth White,  daughter  of  John  C.  White,  of 
Cairo.  He  was  re-elected  Judge  in  187-3;  re- 
signed, to  accept  the  appointment  of  Judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  in  1878;  was  again  re- 
elected to  the  Circuit  Bench  in  1879,  and 
was,  by  the  Supreme  Court,  assigned  to  Ap- 
pellate Com't  duty — which  position  he  now 
holds. 

As  a  Judge, he  is  logical, discriminating  and 
just;  in  private  life,  he  is  social,  kind  and 
genial. 

Judge  John  H.  Mulkey,  who  now  occupies 
the  Supreme  Bench  from  this  division,  is  a 
man  who  has  long  been  known  to  the  bar  of 
Southern  Illinois. 

He  was  born  about  1823,  in  Kentucky,  and 
with  his  father's  family  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Franklin  County.  The  family, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Judge,  were  farm- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUXTY 


1B3 


ers.  He  soon  discovered  that  he  was  not 
specially  adapted  to  farm  life.  He  obtained 
a  fair  education,  and  by  persistent  reading 
soon  stored  his  mind  with  a  fand  of  general 
information. 

At  twenty- five  years  of  age,  he  entered  the 
commercial  world,  and  opened  a  cross-roads 
store  in  Franklin  County,  but  he  did  not 
continue  long  in  this  business.  The  "  dogs 
of  war  "  were  beginning  to  growl,  and  the 
military  spirit  was  pervading  the  country 
with  irresistible  force,  and  Judge  Mulkey 
did  not  escape  its  attack.  He  volunteered  as 
a  private  of  Company  E,  Second  Illinois 
Regiment,  and  took  up  the  line  of  march  for 
the  land  of  the  "  Montezumas."  He  was 
afterward  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  of 
his  company.  Upon  his  return  from  war, 
he  taught  school  and  began  the  study  of  the 
law,  reading,  as  some  of  his  friends  have 
said,  in  "  the  brash."  He  afterward  read 
some  at  Benton,  Franklin  County,  after  which 
he  tried  farming,  but  was  not  a  success,  and 
again  became  a  merchant  for  a  short  time. 
His  career  in  this  direction  was  brought  to 
a  sudden  close,  however,  by  an  unfortunate 
adventure;  he  invested  largely  in  lumber 
(hoop  poles),  loaded  them  on  a  flat-boat  and 
started  for  the  market,  but  danger  was  ahead 
of  him.  His  craft  struck  a  snag,  and  down 
into  the  waters  of  the  Mississif)pi  wont  bciat, 
hoop  poles,  and  about  all  of  the  Judge's  earth- 
ly effects,  and  left  him  in  a  seriously  damaged 
condition;  in  fact,  he  was  a  "  busted  mer- 
chant." He  then,  with  ax  and  hoe,  under- 
took to  subdue  the  wild  forest  and  make  him 
a  home;  but  again  he  failed. 

In  1857,  he  removed  to  Perry  County,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  It  was  not  long  un 
til  he  and  his  friends  discovered  that  he  at 
last  had  drifted  to  his  element.  He  soon  at- 
tained a  high  rank  in  his  profession — "  rode 
the  «ircuit,"  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days. 


It  is,  perhaps,  not  out  of  place  to  say  that  his 
father,  a  prominent  minister  in  the  Christian 
Church,  long  cherished  the  hope  that  his  son 
should  follow  his  footsteps  and  likewise  enter 
the  ministry,  and  made  some  effort  to  prepare 
the  Judge  for  clerical  duties.  And  no  doubt 
the  son  made  strong  effort  to  comply  with  his 
father's  wishes  in  this  particular,  and  while 
he  was  noted  for  his  early  and  exemplary 
piety,  this  enterprise  was  no  more  successful 
than  his  farming  and  merchandising.  He  was 
plain,  unassuming  and  fun-loving  in  his 
young  manhood,  and  yet  he  must  have  been 
a  close,  hard-working  student  in  order  to 
carve  out  the  bright  and  honorable  career  that 
lay  before  him.  In  186l),  he  located  at  Cairo, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  the  present 
Judge  D.  J.  Baker,  and  from  this  time  we 
may  date  his  rapid  rise  to  the  head  of  the  bar 
in  Southern  Illinois. 

April  2,  1864,  he  was  commissioned  Circuit 
Judge  of  the  Third  Circuit;  but  previous  to 
this  he  was,  for  opinion's  sake,  made  one  of 
the  victims  of  arbitrary  arrest,  and  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  authorities,  for  a  time  took 
up  his  residence  at  the  old  capitol  in  Wash- 
ington— a  hotel  conducted  exclusively  by  the 
Government — and  while  the  accommodations 
were  not  altogether  of  a  desirable  nature,  yet 
they  were  regular,  and  all  the  bills  paid  by 
the  Government.  On  June  2,  1879,  he  was 
elected  to  the  Supreme  Bench,  vice  Baker, 
and  is  at  present  tilling  the  high  position. 

Judge  Mulkey  owes  nothing  to  fortunate 
circumstances  or  sui'roundings.  He  has  not 
been  favored  with  the  aid  of  strong  and  in- 
fluential friends;  but  alone,  and  by  his  own 
inherent  strength  of  mental  jjower,  he  has 
achieved,  apparently  without  effort,  the  prize 
for  which  so  many  ambitious  men  have  toiled 
and  struggled. 

Appellate  Court.  — The  Constitution  of 
1870  provided  for   the  creation  of  Appellate 


164 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Courts,  after  the  year  1874,  <jf  uniform  or- 
ganization and  jurisdiction  in  districts  cre- 
ated for  that  purpose,  to  which  such  appeals 
and  writs  of  error  as  the  General  Assembly 
may  provide  may  be  prosecuted  from  Circuit 
and  other  coui'ts,  and  from  which  appeals 
and  wi'its  of  error  may  lie  to  the  Supreme 
Court  in  all  criminal  cases  and  oases  in  which 
a  franchise  or  freehold  or  validity  of  a  statute 
is  involved,  and  in  such  other  cases  as  may  be 
provided  by  law.  Such  Appellate  Courts  to  be 
held  by  such  number  of  Judges  of  the  Circuit 
Coui'ts,  and  at  such  times  and  places  and  in 
such  manner  as  might  be  provided  by  law; 
but  no  Judge  shall  sit  in  review  upon  cases 
decided  by  him,  nor  shall  said  Judges  receive 
any  additional  compensation  for  such  serv- 
ices. Under  this  provision  of  the  constitu- 
tion, the  Legislatiu-e,  in  1877,  created  four 
Appellate  Courts  in  the  State;  the  first  to 
consist  of  Cook  County,  the  second  to  include 
all  of  the  counties  of  the  Northern  Grand 
Division  of  the  Supreme  Court  except  Cook, 
the  third  to  include  all  of  the  Central  Grand 
Division,  and  the  f oui'th  to  include  all  of  the 
Southern  Grand  Division.  The  Judges  of 
these  Appellate  Courts  to  be  assigned  by  the 
Supreme  Court  from  the  Circuit  Courts  of 
the  State,  and  each  court  to  consist  of  three 
Judges  thus  assigned.  Two  terms  each  are 
held  every  year. 

On  the  organization  of  the  court  in  this, 
the  Fourth  District,  Judges  Tazewell  B.  Tan- 
ner, James  C.  Allen  and  George  W.  Wall 
were  assigned  by  the  Supreme  Court  to  Ap- 
pellate Coui't  duty.  Judge  Tanner  became 
the  first  Presiding  Justice  of  the  coui-t,  and 
R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks  was  its  first  Clerk,  by  vir- 
tue of  his  offices  as  Clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court. 

In  June,  1879,  Judges  Wall,  David  J. 
Baker  and  Thomas  S.  Casey  were  assigned  to 
the  Appellate  Court,  and  now  constitute  that 


court.  While  this  branch  of  the  new  judicial 
machinery  of  the  State  has  only  been  in  prac- 
tical operation  since  1877,  yet  it  is  in  good 
favor  by  the  bar  of  the  State.  Its  efifect  has 
been  to  greatly  relieve  the  Supreme  Court  in 
the  then  rapidly  accumulating  business.  It 
insures  more  promptness  and  greater  dispatch 
in  the  law  than  could  have  possibly  been  ob- 
tained without  it  or  some  other  relief  meas- 
ure. T 

Judge  Tazewell  B.  Tanner. — Perhaps  no 
member  of  the  bar  of  this  county  became  so 
thoroughly  identified  with  every  material  in- 
terest as  did  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

He  was  born  in  Henry  County,  Va.,  :ind 
died  at  his  residence  in  this  place  on  the  25th 
day  of  March,  1880.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
ty in  IS-tG  or  1847,  and  took  charge  of  the 
public  schools,  after  which  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  Jeffersonian,  a  Democratic 
newspaper  then  published  here.  In  1848  or 
1849,  he  was  taken  with  the  gold  fever,  and 
crossed  the  plains  in  search  of  wealth.  He 
met  with  some  success,  retm-ned  in  1850  or 
1851,  was  elected  Clerk  of  Circuit  Court, 
served  two  years  and  resigned.  He  had  taught 
school  in  Belleville  before  he  came  here,  and 
while  there  read  law  with  Gov.  Matteson. 
While  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  he  contin- 
ued the  study,  and  upon  his  resignation  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  at  once  entered 
upon  the  practice  with  the  now  Judge  Thomas 
S.  Casey.  In  1854,  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  and  while  there  secured  an  ap- 
propriation for  the  building,  at  this  place, 
of  the  Supreme  Court  House,  and  was  made 
one  of  the  Commissioners  to  superintend  its 
construction.  In  1862,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention. 
He  early  attained  a  high  standing  in  the  pro- 
fession as  a  lawyer,  and  while  "  riding  the 
circuits"  always  had  his  share  of  the  busi- 
ness.   In  1867,  he  was  a  candidate  for  Judge 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


165 


of  this  circuit,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Hon. 
James  M.  Pollock.  In  1873,  he  was  again  a 
candidate,  and  was  elected  over  Judge  Pol- 
lock and  Col,  John  M  Crebbs,  of  White 
County.  In  1877,  upon  the  organization  of 
the  Appellate  Court,  he  was,  by  the  Supreme 
Court,  assigned  to  the  Appellate  Bench,  and 
became  its  first  presiding  officer.  In  June, 
1879,  he  was,  for  a  time,  a  candidate  for 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  withdrew 
before  the  election.  Upon  his  retirement 
from  the  bench,  he  again  engaged  in  the  ac- 
tive practice,  and  so  continued  until  stricken 
down  by  the  disease  which  terminated  his 
life.  It  is  not  our  purpose  to  give  an  extend- 
ed sketch  of  Judge  Tanner  in  this  chapter  — 
his  full  biographical  sketch  will  be  found 
elsewhere — biit  a  history  of  the  bar  would 
not  be  complete  without  something  of  him. 
He  was  a  kind,  social  gentleman,  full  of  in- 
teresting anecdotes,  and  always  fond  of  relat- 
ing them.  There  are  many  good  stories  told 
of  him,  one  of  which  the  writer  hereof  well  re- 
members: He  was  defending  a  man  charged 
with  shooting  at  some  negroes.  The  prc>se- 
cuting  witness  wiis  a  colored  gentleman  known 
here  as  George  orCapt.  Scott.  The  Captain 
had  sworn  very  positively  to  the  shooting,  and 
had  made  a  rather  strong  case  against  the 
Judge's  client  ;  but  the  cross-examination 
came,  and  Tanner  took  the  Captain  in  hand 
txD  break  the  force  of  his  evidence,  if  possi- 
ble. He  commenced  by  asking  him  if  he 
was  in  the  house  at  the  time  the  shooting 
occurred. 

Scott  answered,  "No." 

"  Were  you  out  doors?"   asked  Tanner. 

"  No,  sah." 

"Were  you  under  the  bed'?" 

"No,  sah," 

"  Were  you  in  the  loft?  " 

"  No.  sah." 

"  Were  vou  under  the  floor?" 


"  No,  sah." 

"  Were  you  in  the  chimney  X" 

"No,  sah." 

Tanner,   now    thinking  he    had    him   fast: 

"  Well,  sir,  if  you  were  not  in  the  house, 
out  doors,  under  the  bed,  in  the  loft,  under 
the  floor  nor  in  the  chimney,  where  were 
you,  sir?  Now,  answer  me  that,  sir;  "  and 
he  di'ew  down  his  eyebrows  and  closed  his 
eyes,  as  was  his  custom  when  he  thought  he 
had  his  man  fast,  and  paused  for  the  answer. 

The  answer  came  with  promptness:  "I 
was  a-standing  in  the  door,  sah;  that's  whar 
I  was,  sah." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  examination 
proceeded  no  further. 

Judge  Tanner  was  a  profoimd  lawyer  ; 
well  read  in  all  the  books.  In  practice,  as 
well  as  ou  the  bench,  he  went  to  the  bottom 
of  every  case  presented.  Ho  brought  to  his 
aid  an  intelligent  industry,  that  made  him  a 
better  lawyer  at  the  end  of  each  year  than  he 
was  at  the  beginning.  To  young  men  just 
enteriug  the  profession,  he  was  most  kind:  he 
always  had  words  of  encouragement  for  them. 
It  was  the  good  fortune  of  the  writer  to  study 
law  with  the  Judge,  and  no  man  was  ever 
kinder  to  a  student;  he  always  had  a  good 
word.  To  his  client  he  was  honest  and  just. 
If  the  client  did  not  have  a  case,  the  Judge 
did  not  hesitate  to  tell  him  so;  and  fre- 
quently has  he  lost  clients  because  he  did 
not  advise  success;  but  his  principle  and 
theory  was  that  if  the  client  did  not  have  a 
case,  to  frankly  tell  him  so. 

On  the  bench  he  was  most  painstaking. 
He  sifted  every  case  and  brought  to  the 
front  the  equities.  Of  unimpeachable  integ- 
rity, a  purer  man  never  sat  in  judgment. 

"A  judge — a  man  so  learned 
So  full  of  equity,  so  noble,  so  notable; 
In  the  process  of  life  so  innocent; 
In  the  management  of  his  office  so  incorrupt; 


166 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


In  the  passages  of  rights  so  wise;   in 
Affection  of  his  country  so  religious: 
In  all  his  services  to  the  State  so 
Fortunate  and  exploring,  as  envy 
Itself  cannot  accuse,  or  malice  vitiate." 

Jndge  G.  W.  Wall,  at  preseni  member  of 
the  Appellate  Court  and  its  presiding  officer, 
was    born    in    Chillicothe,    Ohio,   April    22, 
1839;  came  with  his  family  to  Illinois  in  the 
latter  part  of  183'J  and  located  in  Perry  Coun- 
ty, where  he  grew  to  manhood.     For  a  time 
was   a  student    at   McKendree  College,  but 
graduated  at   the    Michigan    University     in 
1858.     He   read    law  with  C.  I.  Simons,  in 
Cairo,  and   afterward  graduated  at  the  Cin- 
cinnati Law  School  in  1859,  and  was  at  once 
admitted   to  the   bar.     In    1866,  he   was    a 
member  of  the  law  firm  of   Mulkey,  Wall  & 
Wheeler,  of  Cairo,  which  continued  for  many 
years,  and  until  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court.      He  was  attorney  for  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad,  and  while  thus  acting 
a  good  story  is  told  of  him.     He  was  called 
upon  to  attend    a  case  at  Effingham  for  the 
railroad,  which  had    been    sued    by  a  citizen 
for  the  value  of    stock  killed  by  defendants' 
train.     The   venerable  and  ever  ready  O.  B. 
Ficklin   was    prosecuting  the  company,   to- 
gether with  some  other  attorney  whose  name 
is  not  now  remembered.     The  evidence   was 
heard,  and  counsel  went  to    the    jury.      The 
plaintiff's  case  was  opened  by  Ficklin's  asso- 
ciate, who  indulged  in  considerable  bunkum 
and  bombast  about   giant   corporations,  etc. 
After  he  clo'^ed.  Wall  replied  for  the  defense, 
and  during  the  course    of  his  remarks  com- 
pared the  gentleman  who  had  preceded  him 
to  Dickens'   famous  character  of  "  Sergeant 
Buzfuz,"  and,  as  he  thought,  completely  an- 
nihilated the  gentleman,  and  left  nothing  to 
be  done  but  for  the  jury  to  retiu-n  a  verdict 
for  the  defendant,  and    thus  closed  his  case. 
It  was  now  time  for  Ficklin  to  make  the 
closing  argument  for  the  plaintiff,  and  after 


speaking  to  the  testimony  and  the  law,  he 
concluded  in  the  following  vein  of  pathetic 
and  injured  innocence: 

"And  now,  gentlemen    of    the   jury,  it  be- 
comes my  painful  duty  to  reply  to  the  malig- 
nant and  uncalled-for  attack  uj)on  one  of  the 
best  men  this  country  ever  produced;  a  man 
who  has    long   since  slept   with  his  fathers, 
and  upon  whose  character  no    man,  until  to- 
day, has  dared  to  cast  the  shadow  of  suspic- 
ion.     I    allude,   gentlemen   of  the   jury,    to 
the  attack  of  my  young  friend  Wall  upon  the 
memory  of  that  good  and  kind  man.  Sergeant 
Buzfuz.     Gentlemen,    it    was    not,   perhaps, 
yoiu-  privilege,  as  it-was  mine,  to  have  known 
him  personally.     I   remember   him    well,  in 
the  early  and  trying  times  of    this    country. 
He  first  assisted  to  cut  out  the  roads  through 
this  county.      He  was  the  early  pioneer;  who 
was  ever  ready  and  willing,  with  honest  heart 
and  active  hand,  to   aid   a    friend  or  brother 
in  distress.      In  fact,  gentlemen  of    the  jury, 
there  are    few  men,  living  or  dead,  that  this 
country  owes  more  to  than  it  does  to  my  old 
friend  Sergeant  Buzfiiz.      It  is  true,  gentle- 
men, that   he    was    somewhat    uncouth    and 
blunt  in  his  way,  but  his  every  action,  T  assure 
you,  was    prompted    by    a  noble  and  honest 
motive.      He  was  not  blessed  with  the  brill- 
iant   and    accomplished     education    of    my 
young  friend.      He,  gentlemen   of    the    jury, 
wore  no    starched  shirt,  or' fine  neckties;  he 
was  humble  and  retired.      In  his  leather  leg- 
gins    and    hunting   shirt    he  went  about  the 
country,  not  as  a  representative  of  a  rich  rail- 
road monopoly,  but  as  an  humble  citizen  do- 
ing good  to  his  fellow-man.      His  bones  have 
long  since  moldered  into  dust ;  the  sod  gi-ows 
green  over  his  grave;    his    work  is  done,  and 
he  is  gone  from  among  us  to  return  no   more 
forever;  and  I  was  sm-prised  to  hear  his  just 
and  amiable  character  attacked  in  the  man- 
ner it  has  been  upon  this  occasion;  and  it  is 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


161 


impossible  for  me,  his  last  remaining  friend, 
to  permit  it  to  go  by  unnoticed.  And  to  you, 
sir  [turning  to  Wall,  who  was  by  this  time 
completely  dumb-founded],  I  say,  no  better 
man  ever  lived  than  he  whom  you  have  so 
unjustly  abused.  Youth,  sir,  should  have 
more  respect  for  the  men  who  have  made  life 
pleasant  for  those  who  come  after  them,  than 
to  assail  their  character  in  the  manner  you 
have  done;"  and  thus  he  continued  until  his 
close,  with  great  earnestness  and  the  utmost 
apparent  sincerity.  At  its  close,  the  jury 
could  hardly  wait  uotil  they  could  write  their 
verdict  for  the  full  amount  of  damages 
claimed  by  the  plaintiff,  and,  it  is  said,  so 
worked  up  were  they  that  Wall  had  difficulty 
in  escaping  personal  violence. 

In  1802,  Judge  Wall  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention;  in  1864, 
he  was  State's  Attorney  for  the  Third  Judi- 
cial Circuit,  and  in  1870  was  again  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention. 

In  August,  1877,  he  was  elected  Jvidge  of 
the  Third  Judicial  Circuit,  which  position  he 
still  holds.  In  September.  1877,  he  was 
assigned  to  the  Appellate  Court  for  the 
Fourth  District,  and  has  so  remained  to  the 
present  time.  As  a  -Judge,  he  is  clear,  con- 
cise and  sound,  of  unimpeachable  integrity; 
and  for  ability  and  legal  learning  he  takes 
front  rank  in  the  State's  judiciary.  Yet,  it 
is  said,  he  has  never  referred  in  a  disparag 
ing  manner  to  any  of  the  early  settlers  since 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of    Judge  Ficklin. 

Hon.  Thomas  S.  Casey,  one  of  the  Circuit 
Judges  of  this  judicial  district,  and  also  one 
of  the  Appellate  Judges,  was  born  in  Jeflfer- 
son  County,  111.,  April  6,  1832,  and  is  a  son 
of  Gov.  Zadok  Casey.  He  was  educated  at 
McKench-ee  College,  Lebanon,  111.,  and  after 
completing  his  allotted  course  of  studies  and 
securing  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  he 
applied  himself    to    the    study  of  law  under 


the  preceptorship  of  Hugh  B.  Montgomery, 
with  whom  he  remained  as  a  student  for 
three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time, 
he  was  (in  1854)  admitted  to  .the_bar.  In 
I860,  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  the 
Twelfth  Judicial  District,  having,  up  to  this 
time,  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  In  1864,  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  position.  In  1862,  he  entered  the  army 
of  the  United  States  as  Colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment  of  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  during  the 
succeeding  eleven  months.  He  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and  took  part, 
also,  in  many  other  minor  engagements.  On 
his  return  from  the  field,  he  resumed  his  pro- 
fessional labors,  and  until  1868  filled  the 
position  of  States  Attorney.  In  1870,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Lower  House  of  the  Leg- 
islature, and  while  a  member  of  that  body 
delivered  a  powerful  Free-trade  speech,  which 
is  noted  as  being  the  first  speech  of  its  kind 
ever  delivered  in  the  Legislature  of  Illinois. 
In  1872,  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate, 
and  served  for  four  years.  In  1879,  he  was 
elected  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  ,  Second 
Jud/cial  Circuit  Court,  and  immediately 
thereafter  was,  by  the  Supreme  Court,  as- 
signed to  duty  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Appellate  Court  of  the  Fourth  District;  which 
positions  he  still  holds.  In  politics,  he  has 
always  been  an  "  Ironside  Democrat."  He 
was  married,   in   October,    1861,   to  Matilda 

,   S.  Moran,  of  Springfield,  111. 

Judge  Edwin  Beecher,  one  of  the  Judges 
of  thiscircuit,  was  born  in  Herkimer  County, 

i  N.  Y. ,  September  11,  1819.  He  received  a 
collegiate  education,  and,  in  September,  1837, 
removed  to  Licking  County,  Ohio;  and  at 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  he  i-ead  law  with  the  Hon. 

j  Henry  Stansbury.  In  1844,  he  settled  in 
Fairfield,  Wayne  Co.,  111.,  and  entered  at 
once  upon  the  duties  of  his  profession.     At 


168 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


that  lime,  there  was  but  one  lawyer,  a  Mr. 
Ward,  in  the  county,  and  he  died  the  spring 
after  Judge  Beecher's  arrival.  J  udge  Beecher 
at  once  took  a  front  rank  in  the  profession, 
and  in  1840  was  elected  Probate  Justice  of 
Wayne  County.  He  was  elected  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  for  this  circuit  in  1855, 
and  held  the  office  for  six  years.  In  1860, 
he  edited  the  second  edition  of  Breeze's 
Reports,  and  made  the  volume  more  valuable 
by  additional  notes  and  citations.  He  was 
appointed  Paymaster  in  the  United  States 
Army  in  November.  1862,  aad  continued  as 
such  until  1869. 

Judge  Beecher  has  always  been  regarded 
as  a  profound  lawyer  and  a  wise  counselor; 
he  made  an  excellent  Judge — and  in  what- 
ever position  he  has  been  called,  he  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  required  of  him  faith- 
fully and  honestly  He  is  still  residing  at 
Fairfield,  where  he  first  settled,  and  although 
he  is  now  in  his  sixty-fourth  year,  he  is 
hale  and  vigorous,  and  enjoying  a  lucrative 
practice. 

Circuit  Court. — The  first  term  of  Circuit 
Court  held  in  this  county  was  convened  on 
the  8th  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1819,  with 
William  Wilson  as  Judge;  Joel  Pace,  Clerk; 
Lewis  Watkins.  Sherifif,  and  Frederick 
Adolphus  Hubbard,  Prosecuting  Attorney. 

The  grand  jury,  after  a  laborious  (session 
of  about  two  hours  in  the  woods  north  of  the 
public  square,  about  where  the  livery  stable 
of  Walker  &  Pattison  now  stands,  returned 
two  indictments,  one  against  William  Casey 
and  one  against  Lewis  Watkina,  Sheriif,  both 
for  assault  and  battery.  Watkins  confessed 
the  soft  impeachment,  and  a  fine  of  $2  and 
costs  was  imposed. 

May  term,  1820,  Wilson  presided  and 
Henry  Eddy  was  appointed  Prosecuting  At  ■ 
torney  for  the  term.  Two  civil  cases  appeared 
on  the  docket,   both  dismissed  by   plaintift', 


six  indictments  for  assault  and  battery  and 
five  for  selling  liquors  without  a  license, 
from  which  we  gather  that  the  early  settlers 
came  here  with  the  impression  that  a  good 
knock-down  was  a  luxury  to  be  sought  after 
by  those  who  would  have  distinction  linger 
around  their  names.  This  sentiment,  accom- 
panied with  a  bit  of  the  "  elixir  of  life,"  or 
"corn  juice,"  as  it  may  have  then  been  called, 
was  well  calculated  to  make  things  interest- 
ing and  not  a  few  sore  heads. 

At  the  October  term,    1820,  Hon.   Thomas 
C.  Brown  presided.     At  this  term  an   indict- 
ment was  returned  againsl  Ferdinand  Herrin 
for  countorfeiting,  and    for  the  first  time  the 
county  found  itself   in  need   of    a  jail;  but 
none  was  at  hand,  and  the'prisoner  was  taken 
to  the  White  County  Jail,    from   whence  he 
proceeded  to  make    his    escape,  but    after   a 
while  he  was  recaptured   and   lodged  in  jail 
at  Old  Covington,  Washingon  County,  where 
he  remained  until  the  June  term  of  the  com-t, 
1821,  Judge  Joseph  Phillips  presiding.      On 
the  19th     day    of    June,    1821,    Herrin    was 
placed  on  trial,  and  as    it  was   the  most  im- 
portant criminal  trial   that  had  been  called, 
considerable    interest    was    manifested,    and 
after  due  legal  forms,  a  jury  was  called  and 
testimony  heard.    After  due  and  careful  con- 
sideration, the    jui-y    returned   a   verdict    of 
guilty,  and  the  court  immediately  proceeded 
to  pronounce   the  following  sentence:     "  It 
is   therefore    considered  by  the    court    that 
the  defendant  pay  a  fine  to  the  people  of  the 
county  aforesaid  in  the  sum  of  $20  and  costs 
of   this  prosecuticm,  and  that  he  be  whipped 
thirty-nine  stripes   on  his  bare  back,  which 
the   Sheriff  of  the  county  is  ordered  to  in- 
flict   at    half    past    6    o'clock    this    evening, 
and   it   is  further  ordered  that  he  be  com- 
mitted   until    fine    and    costs    are     paid." 
Speedy  justice,  indeed!    It  was  the  first  time 
an  opportunity  had  presented  itself  to   give 


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LIBR  ..r 

V  "I  HE 

JNIVERSriY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


171 


to  the  citizens  a  practical  illustration  of  the 
"terrors  of  the  law,"  and  it  could  not  be  Inst. 
The  whipping  part  was  executed  at  tlie  ap- 
pointed hour,  and  considering  the  number  of 
inhabitants  in  the  county  at  that  time,  no 
larger  number  of  the  fair  daughters  and  stal- 
wart sons  of  Jefferson  County  were  ever 
gathered  together.  He  was  committed  under 
the  order  of  the  court,  but  wages  being  low 
and  payments  poor  in  jail,  he  did  not  accu- 
mulate very  rapidly,  and  after  awhile  he 
was  released  and  the  tine  and  costs  are  still 
unpaid.  .4.  little  management  in  the  way  of 
gate  fees  might  have  paid  it,  but  it  was  a 
free  show. 

At  the  November  term,  1822,  Hon.  Thomas 
Reynolds  presided  and  William  Wood  sued 
John  M.  Pace  for  false  imprisonment.  Par- 
ties not  being  ready,  the  cause  was  continued 
until  the  May  term,  1823,  at  which  term  the 
Hon.  John  Reynolds  presided.  The  case  of 
Woods  against  Pace  was  called  and  tried  by 
jury,  and  the  following  verdict  retui-ned: 
"  We  the  jury  lind  damages  in  favor  of 
plaintiff  $38.37|^  in  paper  of  this  State." 
Judgment  was  accordingly  rendered. 

October  term,  1823,  Thomas  Reynolds 
presided  and  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
the  history  of  the  county,  the  Grand  Jury 
adjourned  without  finding  any  indictments. 
Peace  and  good  will  seems  to  have  reigned 
throughout  the  entire  county. 

At  the  May  and  October  terms,  1824:, 
Thomas  Reynolds  presided.  In  April, 
1825,  James  Hall  was  upon  the  bench;  Oc- 
tober, 1825,  James  Wattles  wore  the  title 
and  James  Hall  was  here  again  in  April  and 
October,  1826. 

March,  1827,  court  opened  with  Thomas 
Brown  on  the  bench.  The  grand  jury  at 
this  time  in  hunting  for  violators  of  the  law, 
discovered  that  Joel  Pace,  the  Clerk  of  the 
court,  had  been  a  little  pugnacious,  and  they 


returned  a  bill  against  him  for  assault  and 
battery.  Defendant  first  thought  the  indict- 
ment was  bad  and  entered  his  motion  to 
quash.  The  court,  however,  was  inclined  to 
be  satisfied,  and  overruled  the  motion.  Defend- 
ant b}'  this  time  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  was  not  guilty,  and  so  entered  his  plea 
and  called  for  a  jury.  A  jury  came,  and 
after  full  investigation  of  the  case,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  defendant  was  again 
mistaken  in  his  plea,  and  returned  a  verdict 
of  guilty  as  charged,  whereupon  defendant  was 
required  to  contribute  the  sum  of  $1  to  the 
school  fund  and  also  to  pay  the  costs  of  the 
prosecution. 

Judge  Brown  continued  to  hold  the  courts 
until  the  March  term,  1835. 

In  March,  1835,  Alex  F.  Grant  came  to 
the  bench. 

March  and  August  terms,  1836,  Jeptha 
Hardin  presided.  About  this  time  Judge 
Hardin's  brother-in-law  killed  a  man,  and  the 
Judge  resigned  his  seat  to  prosecute  him, 
and  in  doing  so  said  he  would  rather  be  the 
owner  of  a  tub  mill  in  Kentucky  than  a  Cir- 
cuit Judge  in  Illinois. 

After  Hardin  came  Scates,  who  held  court 
from  1837  to  1846. 

At  the  August  term,  1838,  Downing  Baugh 
was  indicted  for  retailing  clocks  without 
having  first  obtained  a  license  therefor. 
Defendant  entered  his  plea  of  not  guilty,  as 
inferred  from  the  following  order  entered  in 
the  case:  "  Now  on  this  day  came  the  peo- 
ple by  Marshall,  State's  Attorney,  and  the  de- 
fendant in  his  own  proper  person,  and  the 
said  defendant  for  plea  says  he  is  not  guilty 
and  for  trial  puts  himself  upon  the  country 
and  State's  Attorney  does  the  like,  whereup- 
on let  a  jury  come,  and  thereupon  a  jury 
came,  to  wit:  James  Montgomery.  Samuel 
Cummins,  John  R.  Allen,  Joseph  Dorrel, 
Granville  Jones,  James  Bennett,   John  Dod- 


172 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY 


son,  William  R.  Little  and  Uriah  Wither- 
spoon,  who  beiug  elected,  tried  and  sworn, 
well  and  truly  to  try  the  issues  joined,  upon 
their  oaths  do  say,  we,  the  jury,  find  the 
defendant  guilty.  It  is  considered  by  the 
coui-t  that  the  plaintiff  recover  of  the  defend- 
ant the  sum  of  $5  and  costs  of  this  proceed- 
ings." 

We  conclude  that  the  proceedings  had  in 
this  case  did  not  materially  affect  the  de- 
fendant's popularity,  because  he  was  after- 
ward made  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court. 

With  this  one  exception,  nothing  of  spe- 
cial interest  seems  to  have  come  before  the 
coiu-t  until  the  April  term,  1S41,  when  the 
first  indictment  for  mui'der  was  returned 
into  court  against  Rollin  Bradley,  charging 
him  with  killing  and  murdering  one  Elijah 
P.  King.  Nothing  was  done  at  this  term  in 
the  case  except  to  recognize  the  witnesses 
and  continue.  The  witnesses  were  Robert 
A.  D.  Wilbanks,  father  of  the  present  Clerk 
of  the  Appellate  Court;  William  H.  Short, 
John  Browning,  James  W.  Garrison.  Nathan 
Kirk,  A.  D.  W.  Williams.  Elijah  Piper, 
George  Black,  Bershall  Black  and  James  A. 
Hamilton. 

At  the  special  November  term,  1841,  the 
case  was  called  and  the  trial  entered  upon. 
But  in  order  that  the  case  may  be  fully  un- 
derstood, we  will  give  the  circTimstances  of 
the  killing  as  we  have  gathered  them  from  a 
history  of  the  county  by  Dr.  A.  Clark  John- 
son, published  in  the  Free  Press  a  few 
years  ago: 

Elijah  P.  King,  the  victim,  lived  near 
the  east  side  of  Elk  Prairie.  Bradley  lived 
on  the  west  side,  was  an  industrious  man, 
kept  a  barrel  of  whisky,  and  was  gaining 
property  as  rapidly  as  was  common  in  that 
day.  He  was,  however,  always  a  determined 
and  dangerous  man. 

King  came  to  Bradley's   for  some  whisky; 


before  he  left  a  quarrel  arose,  and  King,  be- 
ing a  large,  stout  man,  and  rather  anxious 
for  a  fight,  took  a  chair,  knocked  Bradley 
down,  and  gave  him  a  very  severe  beating, 
and,  leaving  him,  got  on  his  horse  and  went 
home.  Wesley  Hicks  came  in  a  few  minutes 
afterward,  and  finding  Bradley  insensible 
and  the  floor  all  bespattered  with  blood,  pro- 
nounced him  a  murdered  man.  But  by  the 
help  of  Hicks'  dressing  and  good  attention, 
he  was  able  to  be  up  next  day  and  swore  he 
would  kill  King  on  sight. 

The  next  moi'ning  King  concluded  he 
would  go  to  Bradley's  and  make  friends  with 
him  and  get  some  more  whisky.  When  he 
rode  up,  Bradley  met  him  with  his  gun. 
King  said,  "  Bradley,  you  are  not  going  to 
shoot  me,  are  you?"  Bradley  replied, 
"Yes,  by  — ,  I  am."  King  dismounted  on 
the  opposite  side  of  his  horse,  exclaiming, 
"  For  God's  sake  don't  shoot  me."  Bradley 
stepped  around  the  horse,  placed  the  gun  to 
King's  side,  fired,  and  King  died  in  a  few 
minutes.  Bradley  then  fled.  Ho  was,  how- 
ever, captiu'ed,  indicted,  and  trial  set  for  the 
special  November  term,  1841,  Scates  was 
on  the  bench;  Willis  Allen  was  Prosecuting 
Attorney;  Henry  Eddy,  W.  J.  Gatewood,  S. 
G.  Hicks  and  E.  Jones  represented  the  de- 
fense. After  an  examination  of  about  fifty 
men,  a  jury  was  impaneled,  consisting  of 
Coleman  Smith,  W.  M.  Fuller,  J.  H.  Wat- 
son, S.  B.  Shelton,  B.  McConnell.  Jesse 
Phillips.  D.  Baugh,  John  Holt,  D.  McLaugh- 
lin, Joel  Smith,  Edward  Owens  and  W.  Gib- 
berson.  The  examination  of  witnesses  began 
on  November  30,  and  December  7,  the  argu- 
ment opened,  continuing  until  December  8, 
when  the^case  went  to  the  jury.  In. a  short 
time,  however,  the  jury  retmmed  a  verdict 
of  guilty. 

Motion  for  new  trial    and    arrest  of  judg- 
ment being  overruled,  the  court  pronounced 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUNTY. 


173 


sentence  of  death  on  Bradley  and  fixed  the 
3d  day  of  January,  1842,  between  the  hoiu's 
of  12  and  2  o'clock,  for  his  execution.  Judge 
Scates  is  said  to  have  evinced  considerable 
feeling,  but  Bradley  listened  with  much  in- 
diflerence  and  at  the  conclusion,  got  up  and 
took  a  di'ink  of  water  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

A  gallows  was  erected  somewhere  near 
where  the  machine  shop  now  stands,  and 
every  arrangement  made  for  the  execution; 
but  Bradley  had  friends,  and  they  were  not 
idle.  A  petition  was  at  once  circulated,  ask- 
ing for  his  pardon.  Bluford  Hayes  took  it 
to  Springfield,  obtained  the  pardon  and  re- 
turned just  in  time  to  disappoint  one  of  the 
largest  crowds  that  ever  assembled  in  the 
county,  many  of  them  leaving  mad  and  hot 
at  their  disappointment. 

Thus  we  give  the  history  of  the  first  mur- 
der ever  committed  in  this  count)',  and  the 
only  one  where  the  sentence  of  death  was 
passed. 

Judge  Scates  was  on  the  bench  from  1837 
until  1846,  when  the  Hon,  William  A.  Den- 
ning was  elected,  and  continued  to  hold 
court  until  the  election  of  Judge  Marshall  in 
1851,  when  he  resigned, and  Downing  Baugh 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Edwin 
Beecher  followed  Baugh  in  1855,  and  in 
1861  Marshall  came  back,  remained  vintil 
February,  1865,  when  he  again  resigned  to 
accept  a  seat  in  Congress,  and  James  M. 
Pollock  was  elected  and  served  until  1872, 
when  he  was  succeded  by  T.  B.  Tanner,  and 
in  187S  he  gave  way  to  Thomas  S.  Casey, 
the  present  incumbent.  Thus  have  we  given 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  Circuit  Coiut. 

William  Wilson  was  born  in  Loudoun 
County,  Ya.,  in  1795.  At  eighteen,  be 
studied  law  with  Hon.  John  Cook,  a  lawyer 
of  much  prominence  at  the  Virginia  bar  and 
who  was  aftei'ward  Minister   to  the  court  of 


France.  In  1817,  young  Wilson  came  West 
in  search  of  fame  and  success.  He  settled 
near  Carmi,  White  County.  In  1818,  he 
was  a  caudidate  for  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  before  the  Legislature,  but  was  de- 
feated by  six  votes;  but  within  less  than  one 
yeai'  he  was  appointed  to  a  vacancy  and 
served  as  Justice,  when  he  was  made  Chief 
Justice,  then  in  his  twenty-ninth  year.  He 
was  not  a  politician  in  any  sense  of  the 
word;  he  did  that  which  he  conceived  to  be 
his  duty  regardless  of  consequences,  and 
this  trait,  together  with  some  considera- 
ble legal  knowledge  and  ability,  kept  him  on 
the  Supreme  Bench  for  thirty  years.  His 
composition  was  clear,  distinct  and  to  the 
point.  He  possessed  an  analytical  mind; 
his  judgment  as  a  lawyer  was  discriminating 
and  sound,  and  upon  the  bench  his  learning 
and  impartiality  commanded  respect,  while 
his  own  dignified  deportment  inspired  decor- 
um in  others.  He  was  greatly  esteemed  by 
the  members  of  the  bar. 

In  politics,  Judge  Wilson  was  a  AVhig. 
He  was  an  amiable  and  accomplished  gentle- 
man in  his  private  life,  with  manners  en- 
gaging and  friendship  strong.  His  hospi- 
tality was  of  the  "  Old  Virginia  "  order,  and 
during  his  summer  vacations  he  almost  al- 
ways had  many  friends  and  men  of  distinc- 
tion visit  him  at  his  home  on  the  banks  of 
the  Little  Wabash  near  Carmi. 

With  the  re-organization  of  the  judicial 
system  of  the  State  in  1848,  Judge  Wilson 
retired  to  private  life.  He  died  April  29, 
1857,  at  his  home  near  Carmi,  in  his  sixty- 
third  year,  one-half  of  his  life  having  been 
spent  upon  the  bench  of  the  highest  court 
of  his  State. 

Samuel  S.  Marshal],  a  native  of  Illinois, 
has  spent  his  whole  life  in  this  State.  He 
was  born  in  Gallatin  County,  near  Shawnee - 
town,  on  the  12th  day  of  March,  1821,  and 


174 


HISTOKY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUXTY. 


there  grew  to  manhood,  during  which  time 
he  obtained  a  fair  education.  He  entered  the 
law  office  of  Henry  Eddy,  of  Shawneetown, 
one  of  the  then  prominent  lawyers  of  the 
State.  In  1S44,  Judge  Marshall  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar,  and  shortly  after  located  at 
McLeansboro,  where  he  still  presides,  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  not  long  permitted  to  remain  in  private 
life.  He  already  began  to  develop  traits  of 
character  and  ability  which  pronounced  a 
leader,  and  in  1846  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  where  he  at  once  took  a  front 
rank  in  the  councils  of  the  State.  Dm-ing 
his  term  as  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  he 
was  elected  by  that  body  Prosecuting  Attor- 
ney of  this  judicial  circuit,  then  comprising 
the  counties  of  Jefferson,  Marion,  Hamilton, 
Franklin,  Williamson,  Jackson,  Union, 
Alexander,  Pulaski,  Massac,  Pope,  Hardin, 
Gallatin  and  Saline,  fourteen  in  all,  extend- 
ing from  what  is  now  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi 
Eailroad  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
State  at  Cairo;  and  from  the  Ohio  River  on 
the  east  to  the  Mississippi  on  the  west.  In 
those  days,  it  will  be  remembered  that  no 
railroads  were  in  this  county,  and  the  trav- 
eling accommodations  were  not  as  good  as  at 
present.  The  court  and  bar  "  rode  the  cir 
cuit"  from  county  to  county,  sometimes  in  a 
stage,  sometimes  in  a  wagon,  then  on  horse- 
back and  again  on  foot,  with  a  rail  on  their 
shoulder  to  pry  the  stage  out  of  the  nest  mud 
hole.  Those  were  trying  times  on  the  bar, 
and  yet  many  pleasures  were  had  that  are 
not  to-day  enjoyed;  telling  stories  and  crack- 
ing jokes  was  the  pastime  on  the  way.  At 
court,  four  or  five  would  be  stowed  away  in 
a  small  room  at  the  best  hotel,  which  was 
nothing  to  speak  of.  But  whisky  was  cheap, 
and  the  trials  were  bravely  endm^ed.  For 
two  years  Judge  Marshall  "  rode  the  circuit" 
in  this  manner  as   Prosecuting  Attorney,  on 


a  salary  of  $250  per  year,  and  really  though 
he  was  on  the  road  to  prosperity.  To-day, 
each  county  has  a  prosecutor,  at  an  average 
salary  of  SI, 000  per  year,  amounting  in  the 
aggregate  to  S14,000,  for  the  same  territory 
in  which  Judge  Marshall  received  S250.  At 
the  time  the  Judge  was  elected  Prosecutor, 
he  had  been  in  court  but  little,  but  by  a 
persistence  which  is  characteristic  of  him, 
he  soon  learned  the  harness  and  taught  the 
violators  of  the  law  that  their  acts  would  re- 
ceive due  and  ample  consideration.  At  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  he  declined 
a  re-election  and  returned  to  the  practice, 
but  in  1851  he  was  again  called  to  public 
life,  and  elected  Judge  of  this  judicial  cir- 
cuit over  the  Hon.  ,^ Charles  H.  Constable, 
then  of  Wabash  County.  He  continued  upon 
the  bench  until  1S54,  when  he  was  elected  to 
Congress  as  the  Democratic  candidate  from 
this  district  He  was  re-elected  in  1856, 
and  declined  to  be  a  candidate  in  1858,  and 
was  succeeded  by  John  A.  Logan. 

In  March,  1861,  Judge  Marshall  was  again 
elected  to  the  bench  and  served  as  Judge  of 
the  Circuit  Court  until    1864,  when    he  was 
1  again  called  by  his  party  to  bear  its  standard 
'>  for  Congress,  and    was   regularly   re-elected 
I  in  1866,  1868,  1870  and  1872:  was   a  candi 
j  date  in  1874,  and  was  defeated  by  Hon.  W. 
,  B.  Anderson,  of  this  county,  who  had  become 
1  the  leader  in  this  district  of  that   short-lived 
tidal    wave,    the    farmers'    club    movement 
Judge  Marshall  had.  daring  his  entire  life, 
adhered  strictly  to  the  Jeffersonian  Democ  - 
racy,  and  refused  to  pander  to  the  caprices  of 
the  occasion  for  the  sake  of  present  political 
preferment.     Time  has  only  proved  the  wis 
dom  of  his  course,  for    the  mushroom  hallu- 
cination which  placed  Gen.    Anderson   and 
many  others  for   a   time    at   the   front   was 
scarcely  born  ere  it  began    to   die,    and  has 
long  since  been  numbered  with  things  that 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


175 


were,  "  a  schoolboy's  tale,  the  wonder  of  an 
hoiir."  and.  in  its  receding,  has  left  many  of 
its  followers  stranded  ufion  the  shores  of  the 
uncertain  and  dangerous  sea   of  politics. 

Since  Judge  Marshall's  retirement  from 
Congress,  he  has  not  been  in  public  service. 
As  a  prosecutor,  he  was  faithful,  feai-less  and 
unflinching;  as  a  Judge,  he  was  upright, 
just  and  able:  as  a  legislator  in  both  State 
and  nation,  he  was  strong,  forcible  and  con- 
vincing, and  in  every  conflict  he  was  found 
watching  and  battling  faithfully  and  hon- 
estly for  the  people  whom  he  represented. 
Judge  Marshall  has  ever  enjoyed  the  full  con- 
fidence of  his  party;  at  one  time  he  received 
the  vote  of  the  Democrats  in  Congress  for 
Speaker  of  the  House. 

Space  will  not  permit  us  to  enter  his  Con- 
gressional life:  it  would  be  a  history  within 
itself.  Sutfice  to  say  that  he  was  the  peer  of 
any  member,  recognized  as  a  man  of  strong 
ability  and  great  industry.  As  before  stated, 
from  his  youth  he  has  been  an  unalterable, 
uncompromising  Democrat  of  the  Jefferson 
school,  ever  believing  that  within  the  Demo- 
cratic principles  are  found  the  elements  of 
the  most  good  to  the  most  people,  and  in 
every  conflict  to  which  our  State  and  nation 
is  subject  Judge  Marshall  may  be  heard 
where  the  battle  is  hottest  advocating  the 
political  questions  in  an  able  manner  from  a 
Democratic  standpoint.  In  his  official  life, 
he  was  always  found  at  the  post  of  duty, 
and  it  is  remai'ked  of  him  that  although  in 
poor  health,  he  was  never  absent  from  the 
court  room  when  by  law  it  was  his  duty  to 
be  there.  Talented  and  cultm-ed,  of  vmim- 
peachable  integrity,  has  been  the  life  of  Sam- 
uel S.  Marshall,  a  man  known  to  the  State 
and  nat'on  and  one  who  has  not  lived  in  vain. 

Downing  Baugh  was  born  April  22,  1798; 
is  still  living,  hale  and  hearty.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of    Barren    County,     Ky.,    from    which 


State  many  of  Illinois'  early  great  men  came. 
He  moved  to  this  State  in  about  1820,  lived 
a  short  time  in  Bond  County,  and  finally  set- 
tled in  Mount  Yernon.  He  married  Milly 
Pace,  the  youngest  child  of  Joel  Pace,  sen- 
ior sister  of  the  late  Joel  and  Joseph  Pace, 
of  this  county.  Judge  Baugh' s  father  was 
a  man  of  some  education,  and  was  a  school 
teacher  in  the  early  days.  The  Judge  ac- 
quired some  education,  and  when  a  young 
man  also  taught  school.  In  those  days  the 
scholar  who  could  study  the  loudest  was 
considered  the  best;  quite  a  contrast  with 
the  present  system.  Could  we  step  into  one 
of  the  Judge's  old  time  schools  to-day,  we 
would  hear  every  student  studying  his  lesson 
"  out  loud,"  if  he  studied  at  all.  After 
teaching  school  awhile,  he  went  to  mer- 
chandising, in  which  business  he  was  not  suc- 
cessful. He  was  Postmaster  here  for  many 
years.  At  the  age  of  forty-seven,  he  began 
the  study  of  law.  which  he  finally  completed, 
and  for  some  yeai's  pursued  the  practice  with 
success.  In  1854,  he  was  appointed  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court  by  Gov.  Joel  A.  Matte- 
son,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Judge  Mar- 
shall, who  had  been  elected  to  Congress. 
Judge  Baugh  presided  as  Circuit  Judge  for 
the  nine  remaining  months.  He  was  honest 
and  upright  and  performed  his  duties  with- 
out reproach  to  the  judiciary  or  to  himself. 

In  1840  and  1841,  he  was  Enrolling  and 
Engrossing  Clerk  of  the  Twelfth  General  As- 
sembly. He  was  Probate  Justice  of  this  coun- 
ty for  a  time,  and  many  years  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace.  In  1857,  he  removed  to  McGreg- 
or, Iowa,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Shortly  after  his  removal  to  Iowa,  he  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  City  Court,  and  so  acted 
until  the  Supreme  Court  declared  the  law 
creating  the  City  Coui'ts  unconstitutional. 

He  has  for  many  years  been  an  enthusias- 
tic Mason;  is    now    Grand    Chaplain    of  the 


176 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Grand  Chapter  of  Iowa  and  Grand  Prelate 
of  the  Grand  Gommandery.  He  has  lived  a 
consistent  Christian  life,  and  always  com- 
manded the  respect  of  those  among  whom  he 
has  lived. 

For  years,  Judge  Baugh  has  been  entirely 
blind.  He  is  now  in  his  eighty-sixth  year, 
yet  his  mind  is  as  clear  and  vigorous  as  ever. 
He  may  be  termed  one  of  those  pioneers  who 
helped  to  form  and  mold  the  early  senti- 
ment of  this  country  and  get  it  started  off  on 
the  right  foot. 

He  has  two  children  living  in  Mount  Ver- 
non— J.  VV.  Baugh  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fly. 

William  H.  Green  is  among  those  once 
members  of  the  bar  of  this  county,  who  have 
attained  distinction  in  their  profession  and 
in  politics.  None,  prehaps,  stand  more 
prominent  in  the'  profession  than  Judge 
Green.  He  was  born  in  Danville,  Boyle 
Co.,  Ky.,  December  8,  1830,  and  was  the  son 
of  Dr.  Duff  Green  and  Lucy  Green  (n6e 
Kenton). 

His  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Virginia  and  extensive  land-owners 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  They  came 
originally  from  the  province  of  Leinster, 
Ireland,  about  the  year  1730.  His  mot'  er 
was  a  niece  of  Simon  Kenton,  the  celebrated 
pioneer  and  Indian  lighter  of  Kentucky,  and 
was  of  Scotch  parentage. 

Judge  Green  was  educated  at  Center  Col- 
lege, Danville,  Ky. ,  and  without  graduating 
became  a  fair  classical  scholar,  and  has  all 
his  life  been  an  extensive  reader  of  history 
and  belles- letters,  and  kept  pace  with  the  mod- 
ern investigations  of  scientists.  His  range 
of  thought  and  study  has  been  upon  the 
higher  plane. 

In  1846,  he  came,  with  his  father's  fam- 
ily, to  Mount  Vernon,  where,  after  teaching 
school  for  a  time,  he  entered  upon  the  study 
of    the    law   under   the   direction  of  Judge 


"Walter  B.  Scates,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1852,  and  for  one  year  pursued  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  Mount  Vernon.  Then 
he  moved  to  Metropolis,  where  he  remained 
in  active  practice  for  ten  years  and  then  re- 
moved to  Cairo,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  has  served  two  tej-ms  in  the  lower  branch 
of  the  State  Legislature,  1858  to  1862,  and 
one  in  the  Senate.  In  1865,  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  for  the  district 
in  which  he  lived,  and  since  1861  he  has 
been  the  attorney  for  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  except  during  the  times  his  official 
positions  made  it  inconsistent  for  him  to  be 
so. 

He  attended  the  foiu-  National  Democratic 
Conventions  as  a  delegate,  at  Charleston, 
Chicago,  Nesv  York  and  Cincinnati;  has  for 
years  been  a  member  of  the  State  Democratic 
Central  Committee,  and  for  twenty-two  years 
has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 
Education,  the  only  Democrat  upon  it. 

Judge  Green  is  now  in  he  prime  of  intel- 
lectual life,  and  already  has  he  tilled  the 
measiu'e  of  a  just  ambition,  not  so  much  by 
the  eminence  of  the  politics.1  or  judicial  po- 
sitions he  has  tilled,  as  by  the  unalloyed  re- 
spec:  and  confidence  he  has  inspired  in  all 
men  by  his  able  and  upright  bearing  to  all. 

Lewis  F.  Casey  was  bom  on  the  23d  day 
of  April,  1821,  in  this  county.  By  persever- 
ance and  industry,  he  acquired  a  fair  educa- 
tion and  was  elected  County  Surveyor  in 
1841.  In  1843-44,  he  read  law  together 
with  Eobert  F.  Wingate  in  the  law  ofdce  of 
Judge  Scates.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1845.  In  1846,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  and  voted  for  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las for  the  United  States  Senate.  In  about 
1848,  he  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Judge  Breeze,  which  continued  for  two 
years.  In  1852,  he  removed  to  Texas,  and 
in  eighteen    months    after   his    arrival    was 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


177 


elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the  district 
in  which  he  lived,  and  was  also  made  the 
financial  agent  of  the  State. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Casey  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  of  Texas  for  four  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Senate  at  the  time  the 
State  passed  its  ordinance  of  secession,  voted 
for  Lewis  T.  Wigfall  for  member  of  the  Sen- 
ate of  the  Confederate  Government,  aud  of 
covirse  voted  for  Jefferson  Davis  for  Presi- 
dent of  the  Confederate  States.  He  returned 
to  the  State  of  Illinois  in  1806,  and 
located  in  Centralia,  where  he  has  since 
practiced  law.  As  a  lawyer,  he  is  able  and 
ready;  in  argument  he  is  forcible  and  always 
has  the  attention  of  the  court  he  addresses. 
He,  in  connection  with  Capt.  S.  L.  Dwight, 
enjoys  a  large  practice  in  Marion,  Clinton, 
Washington  and  Jefferson  Counties.  He  is 
a  nephew  of  the  late  Gov.  Casey,  and  pos- 
sesses much  of  the  ability,  energy  and  other 
characteristic ,  which  so  marked  the  Governor. 

Richard  S.Nelson.  Among  the  members  of 
the  bar  of  early  days  no  man  figured  more 
conspicuously  than  did  Richard  S.  Nelson. 
He  was  born  June  12,  1815,  in  the  city  of 
Douglas,  on  the  Isle  of  Man.  His  father  was 
an  eminent  divine  in  the  Established 
Church  of  England,  and  it  was  his  desire 
that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  should  follow 
in  his  footsteps  and  take  the  pulpit,  but  as 
he  gi'ew  to  manhood  the  young  man's  tastes 
diflered  from  his  father's,  aud  he  chose  that 
other  profession  that  is  next  of  kiu  to  the 
clergy — the  law.  He  completed  his  studies 
and  at  ouce  turned  his  face  to  America,  and 
at  twenty  years  of  age  he  landed  in  New  Or- 
leans and  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He,  however,  did  not  remain  there 
long,  bat  soon  removed,  coming  directly  to 
Southern  Illinois.  He  landed  at  Shawnee- 
town  and  opened  an  office,  but  not  meeting 
with  the  success  he  desired,    he  removed  to 


Old  Frankfort,  Franklin  County,  and  from 
thence  to  Mount  Vernon.  After  a  few  years' 
residence  at  this  place,  he  i-emoved  to  Me- 
tropolis, Massac  County,  and  there  remained 
for  eight  year.s.  During  his  residence  there, 
he  passed  through,  perhaps,  the  most  excit- 
ing scenes  of  his  life. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  the  Regula- 
tors aud  Flatheads  inaugurated  what  has 
passed  into  history  as  the  "  Massac  war. " 
Mr.  Nelson  was  strongly  identified  with  the 
law  and  order  party,  who  were  known  as  the 
"  Flatheads."  Exciting  and  active  demon- 
strations were  had  by  both  sides,  until  at 
last  the  opposing  factions  met  in  battle  line, 
and  on  the  7th  day  of  December,  184:6,  in 
front  of  Mr.  Nelson's  house,  proceeded  to 
tight  it  out.  The  Regulators  finally  won  the 
day  and  the  Flatheads  were  put  to  flight. 
Mr.  Nelson  made  his  escape  by  flat-boat  to 
Cairo  and  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  to 
Springfield.  The  Regulators  after  their  vic- 
tory held  control  of  things  for  some  months, 
and  until,  at  the  earnest  entreaties  of  Mr. 
Nelson,  Gov.  French  sent  between  400  and 
500  militia  to  the  scene  of  the  troubles.  Mr. 
Nelson  returned  with  them  aud  did  all  in 
his  power  to  sustain  the  soldiers.  In  two 
weeks  his  table  furnished  316  meals,  and  he 
fed  and  stabled  200  horses,  for  ^  which  not  1 
cent  was  ever  paid  to  him  or  his  family. 
This  should  receive  the  early  attention  of 
our  State  authorities,  and  restore  to  this 
family  the  long  delayed  justice.  Mr.  Nelson 
never  resumed  the  practice  in  Metropolis, 
but  left  his  desolated  home,  which  had  been 
reduced  to  ashes,  and  moved  again  to  Mount 
Vernon,  where  he  at  once  entered  upon  a 
large  and  remunerative  practice.  He  soon 
reached  a  high  standard  in  his  profession. 
In  1862,  amid  the  demoralizing  influences  of 
the  late  war,  he  removed  to  Centralia,  where 
ho  remained  until  his  death,  on  the  19th  day 


178 


HISTORY  OF   JEFFERSOX  COUXTY. 


of  August,  1865.  He  was  attending  covurt  at 
this  city  when  he  was  attacked  by  apoplexy, 
and  soon  died. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary intellect.  He  applied  himself  with  much 
assiduity  to  his  pi'ofession,  and  soon  became 
widely  and  favorably  known  thi'oughout  the 
southern  part  of  the  State.  He  was  what 
might  be  termed  a  self-made  man,  and  rose 
to  prominence  in  his  profession  by  his  own 
exertions.  He  occupied  such  a  position  only 
as  his  own  talents  and  moral  worth  com- 
manded. He  rose  to  distinction  not  only 
without  the  patronage  of  influential  friends, 
but  in  opposition  to  a  degree  of  prejudice 
which  is  encountered  by  every  foreigner. 
His  success  was  due  to  native  talent  and  to 
the  energy  with  which  he  devoted  himself  to 
his  profession.  His  native  energy  of  intel- 
lect, his  legal  erudition  and  his  imbending 
integrity  commanded  respect  and  confidence 
wherever  he  was  known. 

Hon.  S.  F.  Crews  was  boru  in  1845,  in 
"Wayne  (bounty,  111.,  and  came  to  Jefferson 
County  in  1872  and  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship with  George  M.  Haynes.  In  1876,  he 
was  elected  State's  Attorney,  and  in  1882  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature.  Upon  the  ad- 
journment of  the  Legislature,  ilr.  Crews  re- 
moved to  Chicago,  where  he  is  at  present  en- 
joying a  reasonably  good  practice. 

Of  the  present  members  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  bar,  we  shall  but  briefly  speak,  leav- 
ing the  histories  of  their  triumphs  and  their 
glories  to  the  writers  who  shall  come  after  us, 
saying,  however,  in  a  general  way  that  the 
bar  of  Jefferson  County  will  compare  f avora 
bly  with  that  of  any  county  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State. 

Robert  H.  Carpenter  was  bom  September 
30,  1837,  studied  law  and  was  admitted  in 
1871. 

A.  M.  Green   was    born   in    1846,  studied 


law  in  Mount  Vernon,  attended  at  Ann  Ar- 
bor, Mich.,  and  was  admitted  in  1870.  In 
1872,  he  was  elected  State's  Attorney  and 
served  four  years.  In  1877,  he  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature. 

W.  N.  Green,  born    in ,  1858, 

read  law  and  was  admitted  in  1878.  In  1877, 
he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  and 
served  two  years. 

C.  A.  Keller  was  bom  November  24,  1851; 
read  law,  and  was  admitted  in  1873.  In  1877, 
he  was  elected  County  Judge,  serving 
acceptably  as  such  for  four  years.  A  more 
extended  sketch  of  his  career  will  be  found 
in  the  biographical  department  of  this  vol- 
lune. 

George  B.  Leonard  was  bom  December  16, 
1849,  and  was  admitted  in  1876. 

Norman  N.  Moss  was  born  March  25, 1856, 
and  admitted  May  5,  1882. 

C.  H.  PattoQ  was  born  May  9,  1834,  came 
to  Illinois  in  185-  ,  taught  school,  was  elect- 
ed County  Clerk  and  admitted  to  the  bar  on 
March  21,  1862.  For  further  particulars 
the  reader  is  referred  to  otu-  biographical 
department. 

Hon.  James  M.  Pollock  was  born  in ; 

came  to  Moimt  Vernon  in  185- ;  in  1864,  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Covirt  and  re- 
elected in  1866.  His  life  and  histcry  will 
also  be  found  in  the  biographical  department 

W.  C.  Pollock  was  born  July  12,  1853, 
and  admitted  in  Jime,  1877. 

James  L.  Pollock  was  born  March  1, 1859, 
and  admitted  February  — ,  1881, 

James  M.  Pace  was  born  in  Mount  Ver- 
non on  the  29th  day  of  November,  1826,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  the  city.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  County  School  Superintendent, 
and  tipon  the  organization  of  the  city  gov- 
ernment was  elected  the  first  Mayor.  He  was 
admitted  in  1870. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


179 


W.  T.  Pace  was  born  December  22,  1853, 
and  was  admitted  June  6,  1878. 

Norman  A.  Pearcy  was  born  January  4, 
1856,  and  admitted  in  1SS2. 

E.  V.  Satterfield  was  born  January,  1836, 
and  admitted . 

W.  N.  White  was  born  October  17,  1856; 
was  admitted  in  1879,  and  elected  State's  At- 
torney in  1880,  which  position  he  still  holds. 

Albert  Watson  was  born  April  15,  1857, 
and  was  admitted  in  September,  1880. 

George  M.  Haynes  was  born  August  27, 
1847,  and  was  admitted  in  1870. 


Robert  A.  D.  Wilbanks,  born  in  1846, 
was  admitted  in  1867;  for  twelve  years  was 
Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  this  grand 
division  ;  is  now  Clerk  of  the  Appellate 
Court. 

There  were  and  have  been  many  other 
members  of  the  bar  of  this  county,  among 
them  Gen.  R.  F.  Wingate,  F.  D.  Preston, 
and  others,  of  whom  we  have  been  unable  to 
obtain  sufficient  data  from  which  tu  write 
them.  Also  Col.  S.  G.  Hicks,  whose  history 
and  life  is  fully  given  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. 


CHAPTEK   VII.* 


POLITICAL  HISTORY— BIRTH  OF  THE  WHIG  AND  DEMOCRAT  ORGANIZATIONS— PARTY  STRIFE  AND 
SCRAMBLE  FOR  OFFICE— JOEL  PACE,  FIRST  CLERK  OF  THE  COUNTY— POLITICIANS  OF 
THE    TIMES— ZADOK    CASEY— HIS    LIFE    AND    OFFICIAL  SERVICES— GOV. 
ANDERSON— SKETCH  OF  HIS  PUBLIC  CAREER— NOAH  JOHNSTON 
AND  OTHER  DISTINGUISHED  CHARACTERS— SENA- 
TORS AND  REPRESENTATIVES,  ETC. 

over  the  elder  Adams.     At  this  election  (1824), 
the  candidates    were  Gen.  Jackson,   with  the 


"The  greutest  frii-nd  of  Truth  is  Time; 
Her  greatest  enemy  is  Prejudice." 

IN  the  early  history  of  Jeflerson  County,  there 
was  but  little,  if,  indeed,  any,  party  strife.  The 
exciting  events  of  the  war  of  1812,  which  had 
closed  a  few  years  prior  to  the  organization  of 
the  county,  had  wiped  out  the  old  Federal  par- 
ty— a  party  that  had  bitterly  opposed  President 
Jeflierson  and  his  official  acts.  The  war  meas- 
ures of  President  Madison,  and  the  dominant 
party  in  Congress  were  very  generally,  and  even 
earnestly,  supported  by  the  people  throughout 
the  country.  The  Presidential  election  of  1824, 
the  second  after  the  formation  of  Jefferson 
County,  was  attended  with  unusual  excitement, 
probably  with  more  than  any  election  that  had 
ever  taken  place  in  the  Republic,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Presidential  election  of  1800, 
which  resulted  in  the  success  of  Mr.  Jefferson 

»Bj  W.  U,  Perrin. 


laurels  of  New  Orleans  still  blooming  upon  his 
brow;  Henry  Clay,  the  sage  of  Kentucky;  John 
Quincy  Adams,  a  born  statesman,  and  William 
H.  Crawford,  of  Georgia,  all  intellectual  giants, 
truly.  Each  of  these  distinguished  gentlemen 
had  his  friends,  who  supported  their  favorite 
candidate  from  personal  preference  and  not 
from  party  predilection.  None  of  them,  how- 
ever, had  a  majority  of  the  votes  in  the  elec- 
toral college,  and  under  the  Constitutional  rule, 
upon  the  House  of  Representatives,  for  the  first 
and  the  last  time  in  the  history  of  the  country,* 

*OriginaiIy,  It  was  the  law  for  the  candidate  receiving  the  high- 
est n'lmberof  Totesin  the  Electural  f^oliegeto  Ik.  declared  President. 
an  1  the  one  receiving  the  next  highest  to  bo  declared  Vice  Presi- 
dent. In  1800,  Thomas  .letTen*on  and  Aaron  Rnrr  received  the  same 
number  of  votes,  and  thy  question  wont  to  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives for  its  deciBion,  where  it  was  hotly  contested  by  Burr  but 
finally  decided  in  favor  of  Jefferson.  The  law  was  afterward 
changed,  and  candiilates  nominated  for  President  and  Vice  Presi- 
dent, which  rule  is  still  followed,  and  the  election  of  IS'li  is  theonly 
cne  in  which  the  House  of  Representatives  had  to  deride  between 
the  Presidential  candidates  atone,  and  make  a  President. 


180 


HlSTOKl'    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


devolved  the  dutj-  of  making  choice  of  Presi- 
dent, each  State,  bj-  its  delegation  in  Congress, 
casting  one  vote.  Gen.  Jackson  led  Mr.  Adams, 
in  the  Electoral  College,  by  a  small  plurality; 
Mr.  Crawford  was  the  third  on  the  list  of  can- 
didates, and  Mr.  Clay,  who  was  the  hindmost 
man,  was  dropped  from  the  canvass.  Mr. 
Adams  was  chosen  President  by  the  casting 
vote  of  the  State  of  Kentuck}-.  Jlr.  Clay  was 
a  member  of  the  National  House  of  Represent- 
atives, and  its  Speaker,  and  it  was  at  once 
claimed  by  many  of  his  political  enemies,  that  it 
was  through  the  great  influence  of  Ohio,  which 
State,  as  well  as  his  own,  Mr.  Clay  had  carried 
in  the  Presidential  contest,  that  the  delegation 
from  Kentuck}^  was  induced  to  cast  the  vote 
of  that  State  for  Mr.  Adams,  an  Eastern  man, 
in  preference  to  Gen.  Jackson,  a  Western  and 
Southern  man.  By  that  coup  d'etat,  Mr.  Clay 
was  instrumental  in  organizing  political  parties 
that  survived  the  generation  of  people  to  which 
he  belonged,  and  ruled  in  turn  the  destinies  of 
the  Republic  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cent- 
ury. 

In  the  new  Cabinet,  Mr.  Clay  was  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  State  Department  by  Mr. 
Adams,  which  gave  rise  to  the  charge  of  ''  bar- 
gain and  sale  "  between  the  President  and  his 
chief  Secretary',  that  threw  the  country  into  a 
blaze  of  excitement  from  one  end  to  the  other. 
At  this  time,  when  Henry  Clay  has  been  dead 
for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  his  faults  and 
errors  have  been  enveloped  in  the  mantle  of 
charity,  no  one  will  presume  or  dare  to  ques- 
tion his  patriotism  or  honesty;  but  the  charge 
was  persistently  made  bj'  the  partisans  of  Gen. 
Jackson,  it  greatly  injured  Mr.  Clay  in  the 
public  estimation,  and  contributed  largely  to 
the  General's  success  in  the  Presidential  race 
of  1828,  and  forever  sealed  Mr.  Clay's  own 
doom,  so  far  as  regarded  the  Presidency.  At 
the  Presidential  election  of  1828,  party  lines 
were  closely  drawn  between  Gen.  Jackson  and 
Mr.  Adams,  and  the  result  of  a  hot  and  bitter 


contest  was  the  triumphant  election  of  the  hero 
of  New  Orleans,  both  b}-  the  electoral  and  pop- 
ular vote.  At  this  time  parties  were  known 
throughout  the  country  as  the  Jackson  and 
Anti-Jackson  parties. 

The  gubernatorial  election  in  Illinois,  follow- 
ing this  contest,  presented  a  curious  phase  of 
the  politics  of  the  times.  There  were  two  tick- 
ets in  the  field  for  Governor  and  Lieutenant 
Governor,  all  professing  strong  Jacksonism, 
but  really  were  what  to-day  would  be  termed, 
perhaps.  Stalwarts  and  Half-breeds.  Mr.  Kin- 
ney was  the  stalwart  candidate  for  Governor, 
or  as  he  was  called  then,  the  "  out  and  outer" 
Jackson  candidate,  while  Zadok  Casey  was  the 
candidate  for  Lieutenant  Governor  on  the  same 
ticket.  John  Reynolds  was  the  "  Half-breed" 
candidate  for  Governor,  but  claimed  to  be  as 
good  a  Jackson  man  as  Kinney;  and  associated 
with  |him  as  a  candidate  for  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor was  Rigdon  B.  Slocumb,  of  Wayne  Coun- 
ty. The  peculiar  feature  of  the  election  was, 
that  Rej'nolds  and  Casey  were  elected,  repre- 
senting the  two  different  wings  of  the  Jackson 
party.  And  as  an  illustration  of  the  great 
power  and  influence  Casey  ever  wielded  over 
his  constituency,  is  the  fact  that  he  was  the  only 
stalwart  candidate  elected  in  the  State  in  that 
contest.  With  but  few  changes  in  their  plat- 
form of  principles,  the  Jackson  and  Anti- Jack- 
son eventually  became  the  Whig  and  Demo- 
crat parties. 

The  scramble  for  the  "  loaves  and  fishes  "  of 
office  in  the  earl}-  period  of  the  county's  exist- 
ence, compared  with  later  years,  was  almost 
nothing.  But  few  offices  were  sought  for  their 
emoluments,  and  much  ofteuer  then  than  now 
the  office  sought  the  man.  The  most  lucrative 
offices  were  filled  by  appointment,  and  not  by 
popular  vote,  as  they  are  now.  It  was  not  for 
years  after  the  formation  of  the  county  that 
local  offices  were  made  elective,  and  it  is  even 
now  a  question  for  discussion,  whether  the  lat- 
ter is  the  best  policy.   In  most  cases,  the  offices 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


181 


were  filled  by  faithful  and  competent  men.  The 
appointing  power  conferred  bj'  the  Legislature 
upon  the  Commissioners  and  the  courts,  al- 
though anti-Republican  in  principle,  seems  to 
be.  judging  from  the  experience  of  the  past, 
the  best  calculated  to  secure  efficienc}'  and 
competency  in  office.  Experience  has  shown 
pretty  conclusively  that  the  less  frequentlj- 
changes  are  made  the  better  it  is  for  the  public 
service,  notwithstanding  the  present  political 
war-cry  of  "  turn  the  rascals  out."  Chancellor 
Kent  has  said  that  the  great  danger  to  this 
country  is  "  the  too  frequent  recurrence  to  pop- 
ular election."  The  early  records  of  the  county 
show,  under  the  appointing  power,  but  few 
changes.  From  the  organization  of  the  county 
in  1819  to  1837,  the  duties  of  both  County  and 
Circuit  Clerk  were  laithfuUy  performed  by  Joel 
Pace,  an  excellent  and  competent  man.  It  is 
not  inappropriate  in  this  connection  to  devote 
a  few  words  to  the  county's  first  Clerk. 

Joel  Pace  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  father, 
Joel  Pace,  Sr.,  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  locating 
in  Woodford  County.  ^  On  reaching  manhood, 
young  Joel  went  to  Frankfort,  Kj-.,  where  he 
engaged  to  work  for  one  Thomas  Long.  The 
latter  gentleman  had  a  brother-in-law — Owen 
Riley — who  was  a  merchant  in  Vincennes,  Ind., 
and  once  when  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia  for 
goods,  Riley  stopped  at  Frankfort  and  asked 
Long  to  refer  him  to  a  trusty  young  man  who 
would  do  for  a  salesman.  He  recommended 
Joel  Pace,  and  Riley  employed  him,  and  sent 
him  with  a  stock  of  goods  to  Vincennes.  Here 
he  remained  for  a  year  or  two,  when  Riley  had 
a  stock  of  goods  damaged  by  the  sinking  of  a 
boat,  and  sent  Pace  to  sell  them  out  as  best  he  ' 
could  at  Shawneetown.  But  Riley  soon  aban-  ; 
doned  himself  to  drink,  and  Joel  left  him,  and 
was  employed  by  Peoples  &  Kirkpatrick. 
Judge  Brown  was  then  living  at  Shawneetown, 
and  he  gave  Joe!  Pace  the  appointment  of  Cir- 
cuit Clerk  for  Jefferson  County,  and  procured 
for  him  also  the  offices  of  Recorder  and  Notary 


Public.  So  he  had  three  offices  when  he  came 
to  the  county  in  the  spring  of  1819,  and  was 
soon  appointed  to  a  fourth.  Yet  there  was  so 
little  business  that  he  found  time  to  attend  to 
them  all,  and  besides  to  teaeh  a  school — the 
first  ever  taught  in  the  count}-.  Such  was  the 
man  who  held  one,  or  rather  several,  of  the  most 
important  offices  of  the  county,  and  for  almost 
twenty  jears  faithfull}'  discharged  his  official 
duties.  The  early  officers  of  the  county  were 
faithful  and  efficient,  but  none  of  them  wore 
the  official  harness  so  long  without  rest  as  did 
Mr.  Pace.  This,  however,  is  not  intended  as  a 
reflection  upon  those  who  have  held  office  under 
the  elective  system  ;  for  truly  Jefferson  has 
been  favored  in  the  official  integrity  of  its 
public  servants  in  late  years,  as  well  as  in  the 
earl}'  period  of  its  existence,  as  that  pattern  of 
old  fidelity,  Mr.  Bogan,  so  eminently  proves, 
with  its  man}'  other  true  and  faithful  officers. 

It  was  during  the  memorable  campaign  of 
1840  that  the  ''Liberty  party"  was  organized 
and  a  ticket  for  President  and  Vice  President 
was  nominated.  For  several  years  previous  to 
this,  the  anti-slavery  agitation  had  been  making 
slowly,  but  uumistakingly,  its  deep  impressions 
upon  the  public  mind,  and  more  especially  the 
minds  of  the  religious  portion  of  the  people 
North  and  East,  but  it  was  not  until  about  this 
period  that  the  friends  of  the  cause  of  emanci- 
pation proposed  political  action.  James  G. 
Birney,  a  former  slave-holder  of  Kentucky, 
but  then  a  resident  of  Michigan,  was  placed  at 
the  head  of  the  ticket,  and  Thomas  Morris,  of 
Ohio,  was  placed  second.  This  ticket  had  but 
little  popularity  so  far  west  as  Illinois,  and  was 
scarcely  heard  of  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State.  The  small  vote  polled  for  the  ticket 
throughout  the  country  was  taken  principally 
from  the  Whig  party.  Four  years  later,  the 
vote  of  the  party  was  largely  increased.  This 
organization  was  believed  by  many  of  its 
friends,  and  doul)tless  was,  premature  and  mis- 
guided,   but   no  party  was  ever  actuated  by 


182 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


loftier  or  purer  motives.  The  anti-slavery 
movement,  at  that  time,  was  not  larger  than  the 
cloud  the  Hebrew  prophet  saw,  that  so  rapidl}' 
spread  over  the  whole  heavens  and  filled  the 
earth  with  refreshing  showers.  At  that  time,  no 
one  expected  to  live  to  see  the  institution  of  ne- 
gro slaverj-  in  America  abolished, but  in  less  than 
the  period  allotted  bj'  Providence  to  a  generation 
of  men,  by  an  amendment  to  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution, slavery,  and  involuntary  servitude  of 
every  species,  in  all  the  States  and  Territories 
belonging  to  the  American  Union,  was  forever 
abolished. 

But  notwithstanding  the  drafts  the  anti-slav- 
er}' part}',  the  temperance  party,  and  other  par- 
ties from  time  to  time  made  upon  the  Whigs, 
they  continued  to  be  one  of  the  ruling  parties 
until  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in 
1854,  which  led  to  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  the  absorption  of  the 
Whig,  as  well  as  the  Liberty,  or  Abolition, 
party.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  Repub- 
lican has  been  the  dominant  party  in  Illinois, 
but  has  never  attained  to  a  majority  in  Jeffer- 
son County. 

That  other  political  organization — the  Demo- 
cratic party — which  sprang  into  existence 
or,  assumed  distinctive  form  during  the 
administration  of  Gen.  Jackson,  is  still 
one  of  the  great  political  parties  of  the  coun- 
trj\  For  fifty  years  it  has  maintained  its  or- 
ganization without  change  of  name  or  princi- 
ples, and  to-daj-  the  indications  lor  its  success 
were  never  more  flattering.  It  has  alwaj's  been 
the  ruling  party  in  this  county.  Indeed,  the 
county  has  been  and  is  still  a  stronghold  of 
Democracy.  Many  of  the  early  settlers  fought 
under  Gen.  Jackson  in  the  Indian  wars  of  the 
the  South,  and  were  with  him  at  New  Orleans, 
and  it  is  not  strange,  nor  was  it  inconsistent  with 
their  duty  or  honor  that  they  should  look  upon 
the  old  hero  in  the  light  of  their  political  pa- 
tron saint.  And  when  he  had  passed  away  to 
his  reward,  they  reverently  placed  his   mantle 


upon  the  worthy  shoulders  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  and  accepted  him  as  their  leader. 
With  unbounded  faith  in  the  wisdom  of  their 
choice,  they  transferred  their  political  allegiance 
to  the  "  Little  Giant,"  and  in  all  party  fights 
they  rallied  around  him  as  solidl}-  as  the  Old 
Guard  around  Napoleon  at  Waterloo,  or  the 
Stonewall  brigade,  of  Confederate  fame,  around 
its  idolized  leader.  When  his  sun  went  down 
forever  in  the  dark  political  storms  of  1860, 
they,  so  to  speak,  "  hung  their  harps  upon  the 
willow,"  and  mourned  as  those  without  hope 
and  without  faith.  But  eventually  they  aroused 
anew  for  the  fight,  and  now  they  present  to 
their  political  enemies  a  solid  and  unbroken 
front. 

Other  political  parties  have  sprung  up  in  the 
county,  and  in  the  country  at  large,  and  under 
the  name  of  "  Greenbackers,"  '•  Prohibition- 
ists," "  Independents,"  "  Grangers,"  etc.,  have 
flourished  for  a  period  to  a  greater  or  less 
extent,  and  succeeded  sometimes  in  electing 
their  candidates  to  office,  but  only  in  a  very 
few  instances.  It  is  not  probable  that  any  of 
them  will  rise  into  formidable  opponents  of  the 
two  great  ruling  parties.  The  count}-  is  and 
doubtless  will  continue  largely  Democratic  for 
years  to  come. 

Zadok  Casey. — It  is  eminently  appropriate 
in  the  political  history  of  the  county  to  notice 
at  length  some  of  those  active  spirits  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  early  politics,  and  bore  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  scenes  and  the  times  of  which 
we  are  writing.  Indeed,  the  political  history 
would  be  incomplete  without  sketches  of  those 
men  who  contributed  so  largely  in  molding 
the  political  life  and  afl'airs  of  the  county. 
Foremost  of  the  list,  as  well  as  first  in  chrono- 
logical order,  is  the  Hon.  Zadok  Casey,  who  for 
a  long  period  of  his  life  devoted  his  time  and 
his  talents  to  the  service,  in  one  capacity  or 
another,  of  his  country  and  his  fellow-men. 

Zadok  Casey  was  born  in  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia March   17,   1796,    and  was   the   youngest 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


1«3 


child  of  Randolph  and  Mary  Jane  (Pen- 
nington) Casey.  He  was  married,  when  scareeh" 
twenty  years  of  age,  to  Rachel  King,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  King.  From  the  pioneer 
sketches  of  Mr.  Johnson,  and  from  other 
sources  at  our  command,  we  gather  some  of 
the  facts  of  Mr.  Casey's  early  life,  and  his 
removal  to  this  county.  Soon  after  his  mar- 
riage, he  began  to  preach,  and  kept  it  up 
through  life,  even  when  most  thoroughly  en- 
gaged in  politics.  He  was  very  poor,  and 
after  his  father's  death  the  care  of  his  mother 
devolved  on  him,  as  well  as  that  of  his  own 
family.  When  he  came  to  Jefferson  County  in 
1817,  be  brought  her  with  him,  and  the  worldly 
goods  of  them  all  comprised  but  a  very  small 
number  of  necessary  articles  for  housekeeping. 
In  a  few  days  after  his  arrival  here,  he  had 
selected  a  location,  and  beside  a  large  log 
erected  a  camp  to  shelter  them  until  he  could 
build  a  house.  He  soon  put  up  a  cabin  of 
small  logs  because  there  were  not  men  enough 
in  reach  to  raise  a  house  of  large  logs.  The 
floor  was  rough  puncheons,  the  door  of  clap- 
boards, beds  of  board  scaffolds,  a  shovel,  a 
skillet ;  this  was  their  early  home  in  Illinois. 
But  he  was  young,  strong,  and  a  good  worker, 
and  soon  there  was  a  sign  of  improvement  and 
thrift  about  his  place.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  a  powerful  native  intellect. 
When  he  came  here  he  was  entirely  unedu- 
cated ;  indeed,  it  is  said  that  he  learned  his  A 
B  C's  partly  with  the  aid  of  his  wife  after  he 
was  married.  But  his  natural  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge led  him  to  improve  every  moment,  and  he 
eventually  became  an  excellent  scholar.  As 
we  have  said,  he  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel, 
and  continued  to  preach  at  intervals  during  his 
whole  life.  But  it  is  principally  of  his  political 
career  we  shall  speak  in  tliis  connection. 

Mr.  Casey's  active  public  life  commenced 
almost  with  his  settlement  in  the  county.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  securing  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county,  and  was  one  of  the  Com- 


missioners composing  the  first  County  Court. 
In  1820,  he  made  his  first  race  for  the  Legisla- 
ture against  Dr.  McLean,  of  White  County, 
and  was  defeated,  but  at  the  next  election 
(1822)  he  was  elected  over  his  former  competi- 
tor, and  was  again  elected  in  1824.  In  1826, 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  for  four 
years,  and,  in  1830,  to  the  office  of  Lieutenant 
Governor,  John  Reynolds,  as  already  stated, 
being  elected  Governor.  So  great  and  so  uni- 
versal was  his  popularity  that  in  his  race  for 
the  Legislature  in  182-1,  he  received  every 
vote  cast  in  the  county  but  one.  Before  his 
term  as  Lieutenant  Governor  had  expired,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress  over  Mr.  Allen,  of 
Clark  County.  He  was  re-elected  in  1834  over 
W.  H.  Davidson,  and,  in  1836,  over  Nat  Har- 
merson  ;  was  elected  again  in  1838,  and  elected 
in  1840  over  Stinson  H.  Anderson.  But  at  this 
session  he  voted  for  a  national  bank,  for  a 
bankrupt  law  aud  against  the  independent 
treasury.  This,  to  a  great  extent,  injured  his 
popularity  in  the  district,  and,  in  1842,  he  was 
defeated  by  John  A.  McClernand.  This  left 
Gov.  Casey  for  a  time  to  the  obscurity  of  pri- 
vate life,  and  for  several  years  he  was  engaged 
in  local  and  domestic  enterprises.  He  was 
elected  in  1847,  together  with  Judge  Walter  B. 
Scates  and  F.  S.  Casey,  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  to  him  and  Judge  Scales, 
more  than  to  any  other  influence,  is  Jefferson 
County  and  the  city  of  Mount  Vernon  indebted 
for  the  location  here  of  the  Supreme  Court 
Hou^e.  He  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in 
1852,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  September  4,  1862.  He 
was  employed  by  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Rail- 
road to  secure  the  right  of  way  through  Illi- 
nois but  when  the  company  failed  lie  lost 
heavilj-  by  not  being  paid  for  his  services. 

Gov.  Casey  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  though 
not  as  strongly  partisan  as  many  of  his  asso- 
ciates in  public  life.  Tliere  are  those  who  knew 
him  well,  that  even  intimate  that  his  politics  were 


184 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSOX  COUXTY. 


"shaky,"  and  tint  he  was  disposed  to  be  just  a 
little  hypocritical.  His  great  popularity,  how- 
ever, with  the  mass  of  the  people,  refutes  all 
such  charges.  He  was  an  excellent  financier. 
Though  he  commenced  life  poor  and  penniless, 
he  accumulated  considerable  property,  and  in 
after  life,  whatever  he  took  in  hand  seemed  sure 
to  prosper.  His  children  were  Mahala,  Mary 
Jane,  Samuel  K.,  Hiram  R.,  Alice,  Newton  R., 
a  physician  of  Mound  City,  111.;  Thomas  S., 
of  Mount  Vernon,  one  of  the  Judges  of  this 
judicial  circuit  ;  and  John  R.,  a  practicing  phy- 
sician at  Joliet,  111. 

We  have  now  given  in  detail  the  record  dates 
of  the  birth,  removal  to  Illinois,  and  the  differ- 
ent important  official  positions  filled  by  Gov. 
Casey  during  life,  and  it  only  remains  now  to 
fill  up  the  strong  outlines  of  this  sketch  by  a 
just  delineation  of  those  physical,  moral  and 
mental  characteristics  of  the  man  that  stand 
out  like  the  bold  promontories  that  divide  the 
troubled  waters  and  embrace  those  harbors  of 
safet}'  for  the  ships  upon  life's  sea.  We  have 
sketched  his  life  from  his  birth  in  1796,  in  the 
bumble  pioneer  home  of  his  parents  in  Geor- 
gia, his  early  marriage  and  removal  to  Illinois 
in  the  spring  of  1817,  where,  beholding  the 
territory  in  all  its  natural  beauties  of  woodland 
grove,  green  prairie  sward,  decked  and  covered 
with  rich  foliage  and  lovely  flowers,  that,  becom- 
ing enamored  with  so  much  natural  wealth 
and  beauty  of  country,  he  determined  to  make 
it  his  permanent  home.  With  his  wife  and 
child,  he  came  to  what  is  now  Jeflferson  Coun- 
ty, and  built  his  rude  log  cabin  upon  the  spot 
made  historic  b}'  his  acts,  and  which  will  be 
known  to  remote  historj'  as  the  old  Casey 
homestead.  He  was  barely  twenty-one  3'ears 
of  age  when  he  landed  in  the  territory  with  his 
little  family.  They  came  here,  the  wife  riding 
the  only  horse  he  was  able  to  possess,  and  car- 
rying the  child  and  their  all  of  earthly  goods, 
•particularly  the  "  skillet,"  being  strapped  to  the 
saddle,  and  in  front  of  this  caravan  walked  the 


young  husband  and  father,  leading  the  way  with 
his  rifle  upon  his  shoulder.  When,  upon  the 
first  night  of  his  arrival,  he  had  built  his  camp 
fire  by  the  side  of  a  large  log,  and  his  wife  had 
set  about  preparing  the  first  frugal  meal,  he 
wandered  oflT  a  short  distance,  looking  about 
him,  and  finally  stopped  and  leaned  in  wrapt 
contemplation  against  a  large  oak  tree,  and 
there,  with  the  silent  stars  looking  down  upon 
him  as  witnesses,  he  knelt  in  prayer  and  eai-nest 
supplication  to  the  great  God  of  the  universe, 
and  asked  that  his  enterprise  might  meet  the 
favor  of  heaven,  that  his  family  might  be  given 
happiness,  health  and  security,  and  that  he 
might  be  only  a  Christian,  sincere  man,  and  an 
upright,  honorable  and  good  citizen.  That 
honest  petition  to  heaven  was  gi-anted  as  soon 
as  it  was  asked,  as  his  great  and  pure  life  has 
so  abundantly  testified  to  all  the  world.  Here 
was  the  humble  beginning  of  a  pioneer  life, 
that  was  only  given  for  the  short  space  of  forty- 
five  years  to  his  family,  to  his  neighbors,  to  the 
county-,  the  State  and  the  nation,  and  j'et  its 
impress  is  everywhere,  and  its  good  effects  will 
be  known  and  deeply  respected  by  the  millions 
who  may  come  after  him,  and  are  now  and  will 
continue  to  reap  what  he  has  sown.  He  came 
to  Illinois  a  poor  and  wholl}'  illiterate  young 
■man,  a  wife  and  child  and  pon}-  being  his  chief 
and  nearlj'  the  whole  of  his  possessions,  and 
looking  much  like  an  awkward,  overgrown  bo}-, 
to  whom  the  alphabet  was  an  unexplored  m3S- 
tery.  He  onlj*  knew  how  to  work,  and  soon  a 
floorless  cabin  had  gathered  beneath  its  clap- 
board roof  his  household  goods,  and  his  first 
years  were  only  marked  by  hard  work  and 
humble  Christian  piety.  There  was  nothing 
self-asserting  in  his  nature,  and  he  lived  and 
worked  and  struggled  the  true  hero,  and  in 
front  of  his  fire  of  an  evening,  he  would  lie 
upon  his  back,  while  his  wife  was  singing  the 
song  of  the  spinning-wheel,  and  aiding  him  in 
the  mastery  of  the  alphabet,  that  he  might 
more  acceptably  advance  the  cause  of  Chris- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


185 


tianity.  Before  he  came  to  Illinois,  he  had  been 
regularly  licensed  by  his  church — the  Method- 
ist p]piscopal — to  preach  the  Word  of  God,  and 
this  holy  work  he  continued  until  the  day  of 
his  death.  He  had  soon  grown  into  physical 
and  mental  strength  and  symmetry.  He  was 
nearly  six  feet  and  two  inches  in  height,  of 
perfect  proportions,  lithe,  active  and  graceful 
in  his  movements,  and  courtly-  of  manners,  his 
presence  in  any  crowd  would  arrest  the  atten- 
tion and  command  deference  and  respect  at  all 
times  and  in  all  places.  Soon  he  was  drawn 
into  political  life  and  into  public  oflBce,  and 
here  he  was  even  a  greater  man,  and  wielded  a 
wider  influence  upon  the  stump  than  he  had  in 
the  pulpit,  although  in  his  most  active  political 
lile,  when  a  leading  politician  and  office  holder 
in  the  State,  he  never  relaxed  his  ministerial 
duties,  but  mentally  expanded,  and  grew  with 
all  his  multifarious  work,  until,  in  the  very 
threshold|of  hisjlife,  he  lived  and  moved  a  great, 
commanding  and  central  figure.  With  his  own 
strong  hand,  he  was  first  a  great  farmer  and  an 
eminent  financier,  calling  about  him  numerous 
dependents,  to  whom  he  was  as  a  kind  father 
and  indulgent  friend,  giving  good  advice,  em- 
ployment, subsistence,  and  in  the  fullness  of  a 
'  heart  that  was  big  enough  to  take  in  all  the 
world,  he  attached  all  to  him  in  bands  of  steel, 
and  at  the  same  time  his  busj'  brain  thought 
out  schemes  of  industry,  that  built  up  his 
county  and  his  State  beyond  anj*  other  man  of 
his  day  or  age. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  in  the  times 
when  Gov.  Casey  lived  his  most  active  young 
life,  when  his  destin}'  was  shaping  itself,  the 
surroundings  were  such  as  we  know  little  or 
notliing  of  now  except  by  traditions.  The  pio- 
neer people  were  rougii,  rude,  simple,  sincere, 
honest,  warm-hearted  and  hospitable,  and  the 
men  of  mark  were  mostly  brilliant,  erratic,  often 
irreverent  and  dissipated.  Their  lives  were  fe- 
vered and  delirious,  and  upon  the  rostrum  or 
in  the  forum,  where  they  would  gleam  and  flash 


like  blazing  meteors,  thej-  would  easily  descend 
to  the  revel  or  orgie,  and  their  flashing  lights 
would  be  quenched  in  gloom  and  darkness.  In 
the  society  of  the  young  State  were  the  two  ex- 
tremes, the  rude  simplicity  and  the  gifted,  brill- 
iant children  of  erratic  genius,  and  amid  these 
surroundings  Gov.  Casey  trod  alone  his  path- 
way of  life,  the  sincere  preacher,  the  pure  and 
spotless  politician  and  statesman,  the  great,  the 
grand  man  of  his  time. 

It  was  the  inherent  force  of  a  great  mind 
alone  that  enabled  him  to  enter  upon  a  long 
and  exciting  political  campaign,  and  from  the 
stump  to  discuss  with  wonderful  power  the  ab- 
sorbing and  often  exasperating  questions  of  the 
day,  and  when  Sunda\-  came  he  could  gather 
about  him  even  those  who  had  waged  hot  po- 
litical controversy  with  him  all  the  week,  and 
all  thoughts  and  all  stirred  up  passions  were 
laid  aside  in  a  moment,  and  as  the  minister  of 
God  he  would  lead  the  entire  flock  to  the  fold 
of  the  Great  Shepherd — to  that  fountain  of  life 
for  all  mankind  and  for  the  ages.  In  religion, 
he  was  not  a  fanatic;  as  a  teacher  of  the  truths 
of  Holy  Writ,  there  was  not  a  trace  of  dogma- 
tism, and  hence  in  his  intercourse  with  men  or 
in  the  pulpit,  he  was  as  natural,  pure  and  com- 
manding, as  the  simple  and  sublime  truths  that 
his  life  and  preaching  exemplified. 

As  a  politician,  he  was  equally  pre-eminent, 
whether  in  the  hustings,  the  Legislature,  the 
State  Senate,  or  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  ;  he  was  respected  whether  as  the  hum- 
blest new  member  of  these  bodies,  or  as  the 
presiding  otficcr,  the  master  spirit  of  the  im- 
portant committee,  or  the  orator  and  speaker 
upon  the  floor.  Here  as  elsewhere,  he  was  the 
born  leader  among  men,  and  his  well-poised 
mind  was  never  at  fault — never  brought  in 
question  the  justness  of  his  leadership.  His 
fellow-members  in  Congress  soon  learned  that 
he  made  no  mistakes,  and  it  was  an  almost 
everj'-day  occurrence  in  the  State  Legislature 
while  he  was  a  member,  and  the  Speaker  was. 


l86 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


called  on  to  unravel  by  his  rulings  some  diffi- 
cult parliamentary  question,  to  announce  to  the 
House  that  the  chair  "  desired  to  talve  the  opin- 
ion of  the  member  from  Jefferson  County,"  and 
the  business  or  discussion  would  suspend  until 
Gov.  Casej'  could  be  consulted,  and  the  tangled 
questions  be  made  plain  and  settled  to  the 
complete  satisfaction  of  all. 

A  grand  old  man,  whose  pure  and  exalted 
life  is  one  of  the  most  important  chapters  in 
the  history  of  the  Northwest  for  the  study  and 
contemplation  of  the  youths  of  our  country. 
His  death,  in  the  meridian  of  his  intellectual 
manhood,  was  a  National  grief  and  calamity, 
for  which  a  grateful  posterity  can  only  now 
have  the  consoling  compensation  that  may 
come  from  the  pen  of  the  biographer,  whom, 
we  trust,  may  gather  the  hint  from  this  brief 
sketch,  and  make  an  immortal  book,  entitled 
the  "  Life  and  Times  of  Gov.  Casey." 

Stinson  H.  Anderson. — Carlj-le  said,  "great 
men,  taken  up  in  an}'  wa}-,  are  profitable  com- 
pany." This  is  very  true,  like  all  the  aphor- 
isms that  fell  from  the  pen  of  the  great  author 
and  essaj'ist.  We  cannot  look,  however  imper- 
fectly, upon  a  great  man  without  gain- 
ing something  liy  him.  He  is  the  living  light, 
fountain  of  native,  original  insight  of  manhood 
and  heroic  nobleness,  which  it  is  good  and  pleas- 
ant to  be  near.  No  great  man  lives  in  vain. 
And  happy  is  the  country,  and  happy  the  com- 
monwealth, if  it  produce  but  one,  whether  it  be 
a  soldier,  the  foremost  of  the  age,  or  a  states- 
man  who  administered  the  affairs  of  a  nation. 

It  is  the  uaturallj'  great  men — men  of  strong 
intellects  and  force  of  character — that  come  to 
tile  front  when  important  work  is  to  be  done. 
Such  a  man  was  Stinson  H,  Anderson.  He 
came  here  at  a  time  when  he  was  most  needed, 
and  his  finger-marks  are  still  to  be  seen — tell- 
ing tiie  stoiy  of  his  handiwork,  and  writing  his 
epitaph  in  the  hearts  not  only  of  his  descend- 
ants, but  of  the  thousands  who  are  reaping  and 
who  will   in  the  future  enjoy  the   fruits  of  his 


labors.  He  came  here,  no  doubt,  impelled  by 
the  Napoleonic  impulse  of  destiny.  A  new 
county  was  still  in  its  first  decade  of  "  success- 
ful experiment,"  and  while  be  did  not,  at  once, 
rush  into  the  vortex  of  political  and  official  life, 
yet  he  soon  became  a  recognized  leader.  He 
drew  men  to  him  as  the  magnet  draws  the  steel. 
Even  his  opponents  and  political  enemies  ac- 
knowledged his  merits  and  admitted  his  power 
and  great  intellectual  strength. 

Gov.  Anderson  was  born  in  Sumner  Coun- 
y,  Tenn.,  in  1800,  and  while  still  a  young 
;man  came  to  Jefferson  Countj'.  He  engaged 
/  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  soon  became  one 
of  the  most  successful  and  enterprising  farmers 
of  the  county.  He  devoted  consideral)le  atten- 
ftion  to  fine  stock,  especially  to  horses,  of  which 
he  was  extremely  fond.  He  loved  the  fleet- 
footed  coursers,  and  the  sports  of  the  turf  were 
his  greatest  pleasure  and  pastime. 

In  illustration  of  his  love  of  the  turf,  the 
I  following  incident  is  related  of  him:  He 
had  a  little  race  mare  called  Polly  Ann,  that 
he  cherished  next  to  his  wife  and  children. 
He  believed  that  she  could  outrun  any  ani- 
mal (her  distance)  that  stood  on  four  legs  in 
the  State  of  Illinois,  and  was  willing  to  stake 
his  all  on  such  an  issue.  Dr.  Logan,  father 
of  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  the  "swarthy  Sena- 
tor from  Illinois,"  had  a  very  fine  race  horse 
— a  stallion  called  Walnut  Cracker — of  which 
he  entertained  much  the  same  opiuion  as  the 
Governor  did  of  Polly  Ann.  Logan  lived 
in  Jackson  County,  and  after  considerable 
bantering  between  the  owners  of  the  rival 
nags,  a  race  was  finally  made — distance 
1,000  yards.  To  sach  a  pitch  of  excitement 
were  the  principals  wrought  up,  and  so  con- 
fident was  each  in  the  speed  of  his  animal, 
that  they  staked,  not  only  all  their  ready 
cash,  but  all  the  property  they  possessed  in 
the  world.  The  race  was  run  upon  Logan's 
own  track  at  Murphysboro,  and  Gen.  Ander- 


^.i^^'^:^. 


if 


I  ^»\."v 


^ 


■''^fefcBW'* 


& 


{.IBRftn* 

.;  THE 

JNiVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


189 


iSon,  of  Mount  Vernon,  a  son  of  the  Gover- 
|nor,  then  but  a  lad,  and  Gen.  John  A.  Logan, 
were  the  riders.  When  they  appeared  upon 
the  race  track,  Walnut  Cracker,  the  Logan 
horse,  came  with  his  head  up  and  nostrils 
distended,  like  the  warhorse  of  old,  as 
though  he  scented  the  battle  from  afar,  while 
little  Polly  Ann  stood  with  her  head  down 
and  her  ears  flopped  over  her  eyes,  seemingly 
almost  without  life.  Young  Anderson  was 
somewhat  awed  by  the  appearance  of  the 
Logan  horse,  and  with  a  sort  of  whimper, 
told  his  father  he  believed  Polly  Ann  would 
be  beaten.  "  William,"  said  the  Governor, 
•'she's  got  to  beat;  if  you  don't  make  her 
win,  I'll  whip  you  sir,  as  a  boy  was  never 
whipped  before,  by  — —  sir!"  Such  iiery 
eloquence  had  its  effect  on  William,  and  in 
the  race,  which  followed  a  few  minutes  later, 
Polly  Ann  passed  under  the  wire  several 
lengths  ahead  of  Walnut  Cracker,  thus  car- 
rying to  the  ownership  of  the  Governor  all 
the  cattle,  horses,  hogs,  sheep,  etc.,  of  Dr. 
Logan. 

But  the  talents  of  Gov.  Anderson  were  not 
destined  to  be  hidden  ander  a  bushel,  nor 
his  abilities 

"To  rust  imburnished,  not  to  shine  in  use," 
and  duty  to  his  countrj'  called  him  from  his 
plow,  Cincinnatus-like,  to  take  his  place  in 
her  councils.  He  was  elected  Representa- 
tive of  Jefferson  Coiinty  in  the  legislative 
session  of  1S3'2,  and  re-elected  in  1834  He 
naturally  became  a  leader,  as  one  born  to 
command,  and  by  his  rare  judgment  of  men 
and  things,  convinced  his  fellow-members 
that  ho  committed  few  errors.  In  1838,  he 
was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor  on  the 
ticket  with  Thomas  Carlin,  and  for  the  sue 
ceeding  four  years  was  the  presiding  oflicer, 
by  virtue  of  his  position,  of  the  Senate. 
Hen.  Noah  Johnston,  who  served  in  the  Sen- 


ate during  those  four  years,  describes  him  as 
an  able,  courteous  and  dignified  presiding 
oflBcer.  and  one  whose  knowledge  of  parlia- 
mentary law  and  usage  enabled  him  to  avoid 
all  mistakes.  While  President  of  the  Senate, 
says  Mr.  Johnston,  but  one  of  Gov.  Ander- 
son's decisions  was  appealed  from,  and  in 
that  case  he  was  sustained  in  his  ruling. 
After  the  close  of  his  term  as  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor, he  entered  the  United  States  Army, 
and  was  appointed  Captain  of  dragoons,  and 
served  in  the  Florida  or  Seminole  war — a 
war  which  continued  with  varying  results 
for  twenty  years  before  the  Indians  were 
finally  subjugated.  He  was  Warden  of  the 
penitentiary  at  Alton  for  four  years,  and 
upon  the  accession  of  Mr.  Polk  to  the  Presi- 
dency, was  appointed  United  States  Marshal 
for  the  State  of  Illinois,  which  position  he 
held  until  the  close  of  President  Polk's  term. 

Gov.  Anderson's  political  life  commenced 
just  at  a  time  when  the  two  great  parties  as- 
sumed distinctive  names.  That  of  the  National 
Administration  took  the  name  of  Democrat, 
and  the  opposition  that  of  Whig.  Gov.  Ander- 
son cast  his  fortunes  with  the  Democrats,  and 
was  ever  after  a  faithful,  active  and  energetic 
worker  for  his  party.  During  his  Presidency 
of  the  State  Senate,  party  strife  ran  high  and 
the  bitterest  political  vituperation  was  indulged 
in  by  the  Whigs  and  Democrats,  but  such  was 
his  tact  and  power  in  the  management  of  men 
that  througiiout  the  stormy  sessions  of  his 
official  term  he  maintained  the  profound  re- 
spect of  the  opposition  as  well  as  of  his  own 
party. 

In  all  the  official  positions  held  by  Gov.  An- 
derson, he  discharged  his  duties  with  unswerv- 
ing fidelity.  A  man  of  the  most  exalted  integ- 
rity— the  very  soul  of  honor — he  scorned  a 
mean  or  dishonorable  act  as  he  scorned  the  diit 
beneath  his  feet.  He  was  free  and  open  in  his 
speech,  and  would  readily  say  before  a   mans 


190 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


face  what  he  thought  behind  his  back,  but  was 
just  and  generous,  and  willfulli'  wronged  no 
man.  In  his  family,  he  was  a  devoted  husband, 
a  kind  and  indulgent  father,  and  liberal  in  the 
education  of  his  children.  Although  of  no  re- 
ligious belief  particularlj-,  }-et  he  contributed 
freelj-  of  his  means  to  the  support  of  the 
churches  and  the  Gospel,  and  his  heart  was 
tender,  j-ielding  in  S3'mpathy  and  relief  to  dis- 
tress wherever  he  found  it. 

Gov.  Anderson  died  in  September,  1857, 
deeply  regretted  and  mourned  alike  by  the 
countrj'  which  he  had  so  faithfully  served,  and 
the  people  who  knew  him  so  well. 

The  political  history  of  Jefferson  County  for 
years  was  embellished  with  the  finger  marks  of 
the  two  statesmen  whose  sketches  we  have 
above  given.  Although  of  the  same  political 
faith — good  Democrats — yet,  to  say  that  at  all 
times  thej'  were  in  full  part}'  harmonj-,  would 
be  in  direct  conflict  with  the  true  political  his- 
tory of  the  county.  Not  infrequently  was  it 
the  case,  that  in  exciting  and  important  cam- 
paigns there  were  found  to  be  two  Richmonds 
in  the  field,  and  who  always  pi'oved  foeraen 
worthy  of  each  other's  steel.  For  years  it  has 
been  another  "  war  of  the  roses,"  and  without 
the  bloodshed  and  carnage  which  charactarized 
the  political  differences  of  the  houses  of  York 
and  Lancaster,  it  3"et  crops  out  occasionally  be- 
tween the  descendants  of  the  two  great  leaders. 
It  is  not  material  to  the  subject  of  this  chapter 
that  we  enter  into  the  details  of  this  political 
feud — the  party  hroniUcrie.  which  had  for  its 
prime  cause  the  fact  that  the  count}-  was  too 
small  for  these  two  master  spirits,  a  fact  that 
led  them  to  often  cross  swords  upon  the  points 
of  political  power  and  aggi-andizement.  It 
never  culminated  in  open  rupture  or  party 
dismemberment,  but  has  been  more  good-nat- 
ured than  otherwise.  It  only  shows  in  local 
contests,  wherein  more  than  one  aspirant  for 
official  position  can  charge  his  defeat  to  a  mem- 
ber of  the  rival  faction.     These  little  local  dif- 


ferences, however,  cut  no  figure  upon  national 
questions  or  in  national  contests.  In  these,  all 
stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  pour  in  their 
fire  where  it  is  most  needed,  and  where  it  will 
do  the  most  good.  And,  indeed,  this  is  but 
another  peculiarity  of  the  political  history  of 
the  count}'.  It  matters  not  how  much  wran- 
gling there  maj'  be  upon  local  issues,  or  how 
much  scramble  for  local  offices,  when  it  comes 
to  a  general  fight  with  the  common  enemy  all 
petty  differences  are  forgotten,  all  countj' 
squabbles  are  laid  aside,  and  a  larger  majority 
than  ever  piled  up  for  Gen.  Jackson.  For  proof 
of  the  truth  of  this  portion  of  political  history 
the  reader  is  referred  to  Gen.  Anderson,  George 
Haynes,  Judge  Casey,  Bob  Wilbanks,  and 
other  young  politicians  of  the  day,  now  in  the 
zenith  of  their  glory,  and  whose  '•  lives  and 
times "  will  be  more  fully  written  up  in  the 
nest  centennial  history  of  Jefferson  County. 

Noah  Johnston.  Another  of  the  represen- 
tative men  of  the  county  and  who  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  its  high  rank,  politically, 
is  Ma].  Johnston.  The  following  excellent 
sketch  of  him  was  furnished  us  by  Mr. 
George  M.  Haynes: 

For  more  than  fifty  years  Maj.  Noah 
Johnston  has  lived  in  this  county.  He  has 
become,  as  it  were,  one  of  the  fixtures,  one 
of  the  land- marks  known  by  every  person, 
and  knowing  as  many  of  the  old  settlers  and 
the  men  who  first  cut  out  the  roads  through 
-this  part  of  the  State  as  perhaps  any  one  now 
living.  He  is  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  and 
as  he  passes  along  our  streets  we  and  he 
well  know  that  in  the  order  of  things  he 
must  soon  "cross  the  river;"  that  but  a  few 
years  at  most,  and  his  familiar  face  will  no 
longer  be  seen.  But  will  he  die?  No;  such 
men  rarely  die;  they  continue  to  live  long 
after  their  bodies  have  moldered  into  dust. 
For  generations,  at  least,  after  his  flesh  and 
bones    have    returned    to    the    earth    fi'om 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


191 


whence  they  came,  he  will  live  in  history 
and  in  memory.  And  as  we  see  him  day  by 
day,  we  can  but  be  impressed  with  the 
thought  that  he  is  of  that  class  that  leads  us 
hack  to  other  days.  His  life  has  been  long 
and  eventful;  it  began  just  two  days  before 
the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  along  the 
line  of  march  he  has  liot  been  idle:  he  has 
gathered  and  stored  knowledge.  Possensed 
pi  an  active  and  intelligent  mind,  he  has 
sufifered  few  things  of  importance  to  escape 
him,  and  one  cannot  converse  with  him  for 
any  length  of  time  without  feeling  that  he 
has  learned  something  from  him  of  the  men 
and  manners  of  former  times  that  he  did  not 
before  know.  He  stands  forth,  as  it  were, 
a  friendly  guide-board,  ready  to  point  out  to 
the  traveler  the  rocks  and  snares  on  the 
road  of  life — a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  made  so  by  nature. 

Maj.  Johnston  was  born  on  the  2yth  of 
December,  1799,  in  Hardy  County,  Va., 
on  the  waters  of  the  South  Branch  of  the 
Potomac,  the  oldest  but  one  of  ten  as  healthy 
children  as  could  then  be  found  in  the  "  Old 
Dominion."  His  father,  George  Johnston, 
moved  from  Hardy  County  to  Woodford 
County,  Ky.,  in  1812,  and  settled  near  old 
Lexington.  The  summer  after,  his  family 
were  taken  with  bilious  fever,  a  disease  in 
that  day  not  understood  by  the  physicians, 
and  before  its  ravages  ceased  four  of  the 
same  healthy  children  of  the  year  before 
were  buried  and  one  crippled  for  life.  His 
father,  George  Johnston,  died  in  Adams 
County,  this  State,  in  his  eighty- fourth  year. 
The  Major  is  now  the  only  surviving  member 
of  that  family,  who  in  the  early  days  of  the 
republic  started  "West  to  secure  to  themselves 
the  homes  which  were  not  so  accessible  in 
the  older  States. 

In  1824,  the  family  removed  to  Clark  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  and  after  a  few  years'  residence  re- 


moved to  Parke  County,  same  State,  where 
Maj.  Johnston's  mother  died  and  was  buried. 
The  Major  continued  to  live  at  home  and 
work  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  he 
was  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  left  his 
family  in  Parke  County  and  returned  to 
Clark  and  married  a  Miss  Mary  Bullock,  his 
present  wife,  who  has  since  been  the  sharer 
of  his  triumphs  and  of  his  reverses;  together 
have  they  trod  life's  journey,  sometimes  in 
rain,  sometimes  in  sunshine.  Through  life 
there  are  many  dark  sides  and  many  bright 
sides,  but  they  have  been  met  and  almost 
passed  by  this  venerable  couple,  he  in  his 
eighty- fourth,  she  in  her  eightieth  year. 
They  are  going — and  soon;  their  work  is 
almost  done;  their  trials  and  .  tribulations 
about  over,  and  right  well  are  they  prepared 
for  this  earthly  ending. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Maj.-  Johnston 
moved  to  this  county  and  began  farming. 
He  was  a  man  of  more  than  an  average  edu- 
cation for  that  day,  although  he  never  at- 
tended school  more  than  thi-ee  or  four 
months,  yet  his  father  was  a  good  English 
scholar  and  devoted  a  good  deal  of  his  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  education  of  his  chil- 
dren. After  farming  for  a  short  time  in  this 
county,  the  Major  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits,  which,  with  some  surety  invest- 
ment, did  not  succeed,  and  he  soon  found 
himself  heavily  in  debt  and  forced  out  of 
business  with  no  property  or  means  to  pay 
with,  and  thus  [his  little  craft  went  down 
beneath  the  financial  crash.  After  his  fail- 
ure, and,  in  fact,  awhile  before,  he  began  to 
give  some  attention  to  politics,  and  was  soon 
elected  one  of  the  Count}'  Commissioners, 
and  afterward  was  elected  County  Clerk. 

But  perhaps  it  would  not  be  out  of  place 
to  here  relate  a  little  incident  of  his  family. 
A  brother  of  his  father  left'  home  in  Virgin- 
ia and  went  to  Mississippi  and  located  near 


192 


HISTORV  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Natchez.  He  never  married  and  accumulated 
considerable  property,  consisting  largely  of 
negroes  and  lands.  While  the  Major's 
father  lived  in  Kentucky,  this  brother  died, 
and  another  brother,  the  only  remaining  one, 
came  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  and  the 
two  brothers  went  on  horseback  to  Missis- 
sippi to  look  after  the  estate.  While  they 
were  not  abolitionists,  they  were  opposed  to 
slavery  and  were  followers  of  Henry  Clay's 
doctrine  of  gradual  emancipation.  On  their 
arrival  at  Mississippi,  they  simply  took  what 
money  there  was,  and  being  unable  to  give  a 
bond  for  the  good  behavior  of  the  negroes, 
as  the  law  then  required,  they  were  unable 
to  free  them,  and  they  retui-ned  home  and 
left  the  slaves  and  lands  thei'e  and  never  af- 
terward returned. 

In  1838,  Maj.  Johnston  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  from  this  and  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty, serving  four  years.  During  his  term  of 
olHce,  there  were  two  regular  and  two  special 
sessions;  in  fact,  it  was  a  period  of  much 
legislative  interest.  The  first  session  of  1838 
was  the  last  held  at  Vandalia,  and  there  was 
considerable  excitement  over  the  proposition 
to  remove  the  caf)ital  to  Springfield.  The 
Sangamon  County  delegation,  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  as  its  leader,  consisted  of  A.  G. 
Herndon,  E.  D.  Baker  (afterward  killed  at 
Ball's  Bluff,  Va.),  John  Calhoun,  John  Daw- 
son, Ninian  W.  Edwards,  William  F.  Elkins, 
Andrew  McCormick  and  Thomas  J.  Nance. 
In  the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  the  dele- 
gation was  termed  by  some  gentlemen  of  the 
opposition  as  the  "Long  Nine. "  Lincoln  in 
reply  said,  "Yes,  we  are  the  '  long  nine  '  and 
I  am  the  longest  of  the  nine,"  and  as  such 
they  have  passed  into  history.  They  suc- 
ceeded and  the  capital  was  removed  to 
Springfield,  where  it  has  since  been  retained. 
In  this  session  was  to  be  found  many  who 
afterward  gained  renown  and  became  a  part 


of  the  permanent  history  of  the  State.  One 
gained  the  Presidency,  many  seats  in  Con- 
gress, and  some  renown  upon  the  battle-field. 
Marshall  was  there  and  Baker,  and  Ficklin, 
and  DuBois,  and  Logan,  father  of  the  pres- 
ent Senator,  and  many  others.  For  some 
years  after  the  cajsital  was  removed,  the 
Legislatui-e  met  in  a  chui-ch  in  Springfield. 

At  the  first  session  after  the  removal  the 
Bank  of  Illinois  susjjended  payment  and 
the  suspension  was  legalized  by  the  Legisla- 
ture until  the  end  of  the  next  session.  In 
November,  1840,  following,  the  Legislature 
met  in  special  session;  the  time  for  the,reg- 
ular  session  by  law  was  December  7,  1840. 
There  was  considerable  agitation  over  the 
bank  susj)eusion.  The  Democrats  were  de- 
termined that  the  bank  should  resume  and 
the  Whigs  that  they  should  not  before  the 
end  of  the  regular  session,  and  to  carry  their 
point  attempted  to  run  the  special  session 
into  the  regular  session,  and  thereby  prevent 
an  adjournment.  The  time  was  drawing 
near  when  the  matter  had  toj  be  settled  one 
way  or  the  other.  The  Democrats  being  in 
the  majority,  the  W'higs  resorted  to  eveiy 
means  known  to  parliamentary  rules  to  delay 
and  prevent  a  vote  upon  the  question  of 
adjom-nment.  For  days  the  battle  was 
waged;  the  "  Long  Nine  "  were  there,  with 
Lincoln  at  their  head.  At  last,  when  all 
their  tactics  had  been  exhausted  and  it  was 
evident  the  Democrats  would  carry  the  ad- 
journment unless  something  was  done,  Lin- 
coln asked  that  the  roll  be  called;  it  was 
called  and  found  that  there  was  one  less  than 
a  quorum.  The  Speaker  at  once  ordered  the 
doors  closed  and  instructed  the  doorkeeper  to 
go  out  and  bring  in  another  member.  Lin- 
coln, seeing  that  his  chances  were  getting 
no  better,  quietlv  raised  the  window  and 
jumped  outside  and  left,  which  left  the 
House  two   members   short.     But  when   the 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


193 


doorkeeper  returned  he  had  two  members 
instead  of  one.  The  vote  on  adjoiu'nment 
was  then  put  and  carried,  and  the  Legisla- 
ture adjourned  on  the  5th  of  December,  just 
two  days  before  the  regular  session  convened. 
On  the  same  evening  of  the  adjomnment  the 
oiBcers  of  the  bank  called  a  meeting  of  the 
Directors,  and  at  once  resumed  specie  pay- 
ment. 

In  1852,  Maj.  Johnston,  together  with 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  Judge  Dickey,  of 
Chicago  (not  the  present  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court),  were  appointed  a  commission 
to  take  and  report  the  evidence  on  claims 
.  filed  against  the  State  on  account  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Illinois  Canal.  The  Com- 
missioners opened  an  ofSce  in  Ottawa,  Chi- 
cago and  Springfield.  In  1845,  he  was  En- 
rolling and  Engrossing  Clerk  of  the  Senate, 
and  under  his  inspection  passed  the  entire 
revision  of  1845,  which  is  claimed  by  many 
prominent  lawyers  to  be  the  best  the  State 
has  ever  had.  In  1846,  he  was  elected  as  a 
"floater"  to  the  Fifteenth  General  Assem- 
bly from  the  counties  of  Hamilton,  Franklin 
and  Jeiferson.  During  this  session  the  prop- 
osition to  issue  State  bonds  for  the  payment 
of  the  State  indebtedness  was  presented  and 
carried.  The  Major  was  presented  by  his 
friends  as  a'candidate  for  Speaker,  and  but 
for  the  action  of  the  Cook  County  delega 
tion.  which  then,  as  now,  had  an  as  or  two 
to  grind,  would  have  been  elected.  They 
sent  for  the  Major  to  meet  them,  which  he 
did  at  the  old  American  House.  When  he 
arrived  the  Chairman  of  the  delegation  in- 
formed him  that  they  had  decided  to  vote  for 
him,  provided  he  would  make  certain  promises 
in  reference  to  the  appointment  of  the  com- 
mittee on  canals,  which  then,  as  now,  was  an 
important  question  to  Cook  County.  The  Ma- 
jor replied  that  there  were  certain  fixed  rules 
which  had  been  observed  in  the  formation  of 


the  committees  of  the  House  whch  he 
thought  fair  and  just,  and  that  if  elected 
Speaker  he  could  not  and  would  not  depart 
from  them.  This  answer  was  not  satisfac- 
tory, and  they  supported  Mr.  Newton  Cloud, 
the  member  from  Morgan  County,  who  was 
elected  by  a  very  small  majority,  and  it  is 
not  improper  to  here  say  that  he  was  a  good 
man  and  made  an  excellent  presiding  ofiicer. 
Shortly  after  Maj.  Johnstou's  return  home 
in  March,  1847,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  Paymaster  in  the  United  States  Army, 
with  the  rank  of  Major  of  dragoons,  and 
ordered  to  report  at  St.  Louis  for  duty.  Gov. 
Anderson,  then  United  States  Marshal, 
brought  him  the  news  of  his  appointment 
one  night  after  he  had  retired.  At  that  time 
the  Major  was  running  a  small  "  sueing 
shop"  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  had  an 
otfice  on  the  west  side  of  the  public  square, 
about  where  the  Thorn  building  now  stands. 
He  took  the  appointment,  together  with  the 
bond  sent  out  for  execution,  which  was  for 
$20,000,  to  his  otfice,  and  after  due  consider- 
ation became  satisfied  he  could  never  fill  it, 
and  prejiared  a  letter  to  the  President,  Mr. 
Polk,  declining  the  appointment,  had  it  all 
ready  to  mail,  when  some  of  his  fri'ends 
came  in  and  asked  him  when  he  was  going 
to  the  war  to  pay  the  boys  off.  He  informed 
them  that  he  had  decided  to  decline  the 
honor,  and  had  just  so  wi-itten  the  President, 
giving  as  his  reason  that  he  could  not  fill 
the  required  bond.  It  will  be  understood 
that  up  to  this  time  he  had  not  asked  a  sin- 
gle person  to  sign  the  bond  with  him.  His 
friends  who  had  called  prevailed  on  him  to 
sign  the  bond,  which  he  reluctantly  did,  and 
it  was  at  once  taken  out  by  his  friend,  who 
in  a  short  time  had  it  all  complete  and  ready 
with  ample  sureties  to  present  to  the  depart- 
ment. The  Major  then  destroyed  the  letter 
he  had  written  declining  the  appointment, 


194 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


at  once  proceeded  with  his  preparations  to 
leave,  and  soon  was  on  his  way  to  Alton  to 
present  the  bond  for  approval,  which  was 
done  by  the  proper  officer  on  presentation, 
and  he  at  once  reported  at  St.  Louis  for 
duty  He  continued  ♦to  receive  and  disburse 
the  money  of  the  Government  to  its  soldiers 
until  the  war  closed,  receiving  and  taking 
charge  at  times  of  as  much  as  $200,000  in 
specie.  On  one  occasion  ^e  went  to  Fort 
LeavenwortH  with  $200,000  to  pay  Gen. 
Price's  men,  but  upon  his  arrival  he  found 
Maj.  Bryant  a  ranking  officer  already  there, 
and  the  Major  transferred  his  money  to  Bry- 
ant and  returned  to  St.  Louis.  In  the 
spring  of  1848,  he  crossed  the  plains  with 
$100,000.  He  traveled  between  25,000  and 
30,000  miles,  received  and  paid  out  over 
$2,000,000  and  never  lost  a  five-cent  piece. 
When  Congress  called  upon  the  Paymaster 
General  for  an  account  of  losses  to  the  reve- 
nue through  his  thirty-six  different  Paymas- 
ters, his  reply  was  "  not  one  dime."  The 
handling  of  so  much  money  on  $20,000 
bonds  would  not  be  productive  of  such  results 
at  this  day. 

While  Paymaster,  the  Major,  by  economy 
and  prudence,  saved  enough  from  his  salary 
to  enable  him  to  relieve  himself  from  his  fi- 
nancial embaiTassments,  which  had  continued 
to  abide  with  him  since  bis  failure  before 
mentioned. 

In  November,  1854,  Finny  D.  Preston, 
then  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  for  the 
First  Grand  Division,  resigned,  and  Maj. 
Johnson  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  by 
the  Si-ipreme  Court.  In  June,  1855,  he  was 
elected  as  his  own  successor,  and  was  re- 
elected in  June,  1861,  serving  altogether,  by 
appointment  and  election,  about  thirteen 
years.  In  November,  1866,  he  was  again 
elected  as  Representative  to  the  Legislature 
from  this   and  Franklin   Counties;  this  was 


the  last  public  office  held  by  him.  In  about 
1853  or  1854,  the  Legislature  made  an  ap- 
propriation of  $6,000  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  Supreme  Court  House  at  this 
place.  The  Governor  appointed  as  Com- 
missioners to  superintend  the  construction  of 
the  building  Zadok  Casey,  T.  B.  Tanner, 
Dr.  J.  N.  Johnson,  W.  J.  Stephenson,  and 
Noah  Johnston.  Upon  the  organization  of 
the  Commission,  Maj.  Johnston  was  made 
the  General  Superintendent  and  thus,  under 
his  immediate  supervision,  the  building  was 
constructed. 

During  his  residence  in  this  county  he 
has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
twelve  years,  and  for  many  years  was  Post- 
master, although  he  permitted  Daniel  Kin- 
ney to  attend  to  the  office  and  receive  all  the 
emoluments.  He  was  Deputy  United  States 
Marshal  for  four  years  under  Gov.  Anderson. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  for  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  his  life  in  this  county  he  has  occu- 
pied important  public  positions  in  one  ca- 
pacity or  another,  in  all  of  which  he  has 
proven  himself  faithful  and  capable.  The 
Major  was  never  an  orator,  and  although  the 
greater  j)art  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in 
politics,  yet  to  unflinching  integrity  and 
competency,  rather  than  to  oratoiy,  does  he 
owe  his  success.  In  no  place,  in  no  position, 
public  or  private,  can,  nor  has  there,  lodged 
the  least  stain  upon  his  character;  straight- 
forward, plain,  frank  and  honest  has  been 
his  conduct,  and  as  such  he  is  to-day. 

He  is  in  some  respects  a  remarkable  man; 
he  has  lived  to  see  this  now  great  State  of 
Illinois  develop  from  the  beginning  as  it 
were  to  its  present  grandeui-.  He  has,  in 
fact,  done  his  part  in  the  progression  that 
has  been  so  marked.  A  man  of  no  surplus 
words,  a  wise  and  honest  counselor,  he  en- 
joyed the  most  friendly  and  personal  rela- 
tions   of   many    men    of    distinction,  among 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY 


195 


whom  were  Lincoln,  Douglas  and  Breeze, 
the  three  really  great  men  produced  by  this 
State,  and  of  whom  we  shall  never  cease  to 
be  justly  proud.  There  are  few  men  now 
living  so  rich  in  personal  reminiscences  of 
the  men  of  the  earlier  days  of  the  State.  The 
vitality  and  clearness  of  his  mind  is  indeed 
wonderful;  although  near  the  close  of  his 
eighty  foiu-th  year,  he  converses  readily  and 
with  much  more  freshness  than  many  much 
younger  men.  He  has  witnessed  every  ma- 
terial improvement  and  advancement  made 
both  by  county  and  State,  and  in  many  has 
contributed  largely.  He  is  now  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Mount  Vernon  National  Bank, 
giving  it  his  daily  personal  attention. 

He  has  always  been  a  partisan  Democrat, 
never,  we  believe,  departing  one  single  time 
from  that  faith.  Born  just  at  the  close  of 
power  by  the  old  Federal  party,  the  early 
enemy  of  Democracy,  and  just  as  Jefferson 
was  establishing  so  firmly  his  more  liberal 
and  democratic  ideas,  the  Major  early  be- 
came a  student  of  that  political  school  which 
had  Jefferson  for  its  founder,  and  "  the  most 
liberty  for  the  most  people"  its  beacon  light. 
Although  earnest  and  zealous  in  his  politics, 
yet  he  always  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his 
political  enemies. 

In  religion,  he  has  belonged  to  no  church, 
although  a  constant  and  attentive  attendant 
and  a  fu-m  believer  in  the  Christian  relisfion. 
His  faith  has  been,  to  judge  from  his  life, 
"to  do  right  in  all  things,  be  jiast  and  honest 
to  all  men,"  and  a  just  God  will  make  all 
things  well. 

A  more  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  chap- 
ter on  the  county's  political  history  could 
not  be  given  than  a  list  of  the  faithful  who 
have  served  the  people — many  of  them  faith- 
fully and  well.  The  list  of  Senators  and 
Representatives,  and  others, which  follow  will 
recall    names    of    men    who    were   once  well 


known,  but  some   of  whom  are  now  almost 
forgotten  by  the  mass  of  the  people. 

State  Senators. — The  following  are  the  State 
Senators  representing  Jefferson  County  since 
its  organization:  1822-24,  Thomas  Sloo,  Jr.; 
1824-26,  Thomas  Sloo,  Jr.;  182G-28,  Zadok 
Casey ;  1828-30,  Zadok  Casey  ;  1830-32,  En- 
nis  Maulding  ;  1832-34,  Ennis  .Alaulding  ;  1834 
-36,  Levui  Lane  ;  1836-38,  Levin  Lane  ;  1838 
-40,  Noah  Johnston  ;  1840^2,  Noah  Johnston  ; 
1842-44,  Robert  A.  D.  Wilbanks;  1844-46, 
Robert  A.  D.  Wilbanks  ;  1846-48,  William  J 
Stephenson;  1848-50,  J.  B.  Hardy  *  ;  1850-52, 
J.  B.  Hardy  ;  1852-54,  Silas  L.  Bryan  ;  1854- 
56,  Silas  L.  Bryan  t  ;  1856-58,  Silas  L.  Bryan  ; 
1858-60,  Silas  L.  Bryan  ;  1860-62,  Zadok  Ca- 
sey ;  1862-64,  Israel  Blanchardt;  1864-66, 
Daniel  Reilly  ;  1866-68,  Daniel  Reilly  ;  1868- 
70,  Samuel  K.  Casey  ;  1870-72,  Samuel  K.  Ca- 
sey i  ■  1872-74,  Thomas  S.  Casey  H  ;  1874-76, 
Thomas  S.  Casey  ;  1876-78,  Charles  E.  Mc- 
Dowell II  ;  1878-80,  Charles  E.  McDowell ;  1880 
-82,  John  C.  Edwards**;  1882-84,  Thomas 
M.  Merritt. 

Tlie  Representatives  in  the  Lower  House  of 
the  Legislature  are  as  follows  :  1822-24,  Zadok 
Casey;  1824-26,  Zadok  Casey  ;  1826-28,  Nich- 
olas Wren  ;  1828-30,  Israel  Jennings  ;  1830- 
32,  William  Marshall;  1832-34,  Stinson  H. 
Anderson  ;  1834-36,  Stinson  H.  Anderson  ; 
1836-38,  Harvey  T.  Pace;  1838-40,  Harvey 
T.  Pace  ;  1840-12,  Stephen  G.  Hicks;  1842- 
44,  Stephen  G.  Hicks;  1844-46,  Stephen  G. 
Hicks ;  1846-48,  Lewis  P.  Casey ;  1848-50, 
Zadok  Casey  (the  county  is  now  in  the  Sixth 
District)  ;  1850-52,  Zadok  Casey  ;  1852-54, 
John  Wilbanks  ;  1854-56.  T.  B.  Tanner  (Jef- 
ferson is  now  in  the  Eighth  District) ;  1856-58, 
William   B.    Anderson  ;    1858-60,  William  B. 


*  of  Hamiltnn  County,  ami  JeflferBon  15  in  the  Third  District. 

t  of  Marion  County,  and  Jt-fferson  is  in  the  Twentieth  District. 

*  of  Jackson  Comity,  and  Jefferson  is  in  the  Third  District. 

g  Casey  died,  and  'Williara  B.  Anderson  was  elected  to  fill  out  tiis 
unexpired  term. 
•"  Jefferson  is  now  a  part  of  the  Forty-sixth  District. 

of  White  County. 
♦*  of  Hamilton  County. 


196 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Anderson  ;  1S60-G2, ;  1862-64,  Henry 

M.  Williams  (the  county  is  now  in  the  Fifth 
District) ;  1864-66,  John  Ward  ;  1866-68,  No- 
ah Johnston  ;  1868-70,  C.  C.  M.  V.  B.  Payne  ; 
(whose  name  is  Christopher  Columbus  Martin 
Van  Buren  Payne)  1870-72,  Thomas  S.  Casey 
(Jefferson  is  now  in  the    Eighteenth  District)  ; 

1872-74, 1874-76,    Amos   B.   Barrett 

(the  county  is  now  in  the  Forty-sixth  District); 
1876-78,  Tliomas  J.  Williams;  1878-80,  Alfred 


M.   Green  and  John  R.  Moss  ;  1880-82,  R.  A. 
D.  Wilbauks  ;  1882-84,  George  H.  Varnell. 

Additional  to  the  Representatives  in  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  State,  the  county  has 
furnished  two  Lieutenant  Governors,  viz.,  Za- 
dok  Casey  and  Stinson  H.  Anderson  ;  one  At- 
torney General,  Walter  B.  Scates  ;  and  two 
Congressmen,  viz.,  Zadok  Casey  and  William 
B.  Anderson. 


CHAPTER    VliL* 


SOMETHING   MORE  .iBOUT   THE  PIONEERS— THOSE  WHO  CAME  IN  LATER— THEIR  SETTLEMENT- 
GAME  AND  WILD  ANIMALS— PIONEER  INCIDENTS— MRS.  ROBINSON  AND  THE  PANTHER- 
SOME   RATTLING   SNAKE   STORIES— FEMALE   FASHION  AND  DRESS— WOMAN'S 
LIFE  IN  THE  WILDERNESS— HARD  TIMES,  FINANCIAL  DIFFICULTIES,  ETC. 


"  The  cry  of  the  beast  from  his  unknown  den 
They  haunted  the  lonesome  wood 
Only  to  deepen  its  solitude." 

THE  pioneers,  the  men  who  skirt  the  outer 
confines  of  civilization  on  this  continent, 
have  entirely  changed  in  their  characteristics 
since  the  memorable  days  of  '49,  when  the 
discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  slope  set  all 
the  world  in  a  blaze  of  excitement.  They  are 
now,  perhaps,  the  most  cosmopolitan  people 
in  the  world,  and  we  incline  to  the  belief 
that  the  old  Californians  were  and  are  the 
best  practically  educated  people,  for  they 
were  suddenly  gathered  togther  in  large 
numbers,  representing  every  civilized  people 
of  the  globe,  many  of  the  half  civilized,  and 
even  some  of  the  totally  barbarous  This 
heterogenous  gathering  of  such  varieties  of 
people  resulted  in  the  world's  wonder  of  a 
public  school.  It  rapidly  educated  men  as 
they  never  had  before  been  taught.  It  was 
not  perfect  in  its  moral  symmetry,  but  it  was 

•Bjr  W.  II.  Perrin. 


wholly  powerful  in  its  rough  strength,  vigor 
and  swiftness.  It  taught  not  of  books  but 
of  the  mental  and  physical  laws — of  com- 
merce, of  cunning  craft;  it  was  iron  to  the 
nerves  and  a  sleepless  energy  to  the  resolu- 
tion. This  was  its  field  of  labor,  its  free 
university.  Here  every  people,  every  nation- 
al prejudice,  all  the  marked  characteristics 
of  men,  met  its  opposite  where  there  was  no 
law  to  restrain  or  govern  either,  except  that 
public  judgment  that  was  crystallized  into  a 
resistless  force  in  this  witches'  caldron. 
This  wonderful  alembic,  where  were  fused 
normal  and  abnormal  humanities,  thoughts, 
false  education,  prejudicies  and  pagan  fol- 
lies, into  a  molten  stream  that  glowed  and 
scorched  ignorance  along  its  way,  as  the  vol- 
canic eruption  does  the  debris  in  its  path- 
way. It  was  the  untrammeled  school  of  at- 
trition of  every  variety  of  mind  with  mind, 
the  rough  diamond  that  gleams  and  dazzles 
with  beauty  only  when  rubbed  with  diamond 
dust.     The    best   school    in   the  world  for  a 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


197 


thorough  practical  education — we  mean  real 
education  and  not  "  learned  ignorance,"  as 
Locke  has  aptly  called  it.  Such  an  educa- 
tion is  the  grand  leveler  of  the  human 
mind.  It  is  like  the  struggle  for  life,  where 
only  "  the  tittest  survive  "  and  the  unlit  per- 
ish. 

But  the  pioneer's  school  life  was  spent  in 
a  wholly  different  one  from  that  just  de- 
scribed. The  surroundings  of  the  Illinois 
pioneers  differed  radically  from  that  of  the 
old  California  "forty-niners."  They  did  not 
come  here  in  rushing  crowds  as  men  sought 
the  gold  fields  of  California,  nor  did  they 
represent  all  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth. 
They  came,  as  we  have-  already  stated,  most- 
ly from  the  Southern  States,  and  they  settled 
down  in  the  wilderness  to  live,  where  un- 
remitting toil  was  required  to  maintain  life. 
In  a  former  chapter  we  have  noticed  the  ad- 
vent of  the  first  pioneers,  that  forlorn  hope 
of  civilization  in  Jefferson  County,  and  the 
erection  of  their  rude  cabins  which  formed 
the  germ  of  a  large  and  prosperous  settle- 
ment. Further  on  we  gave  sketches  of  some  of 
the  prominent  pioneer  families,  who  came  a 
few  years  later  and  might  be  termed  the 
"  second  crusade."  In  this  chapter  we  shall 
notice  the  arrival  of  those  who  came  in  at  a 
still  later  period,  and  also  some  of  the  hard- 
ships and  difiSculties  endured  by  the  people 
in  the  pioneer  period. 

The  Jordan  family,  Felix  McBride,  Nich- 
olas Wren,  John  Sanders,  John  Lee,  Sam- 
uel Bradford,  Elijah  Joliff,  and  several 
other  families,  additional  to  any  men- 
tioned, settled  in  the  county  about  the  year 
1819.  The  Jordan  family  were  early  set- 
tlers in  Franklin  County,  where  they  had 
built  a  kind  of  fort  or  block-house,  but  after- 
ward moved  into  Jefferson.  Nicholas  Wren 
was  a  son-in-law  of  William  Jordan;  Mc- 
Bride lived    in    Mount    Vernon,    but  finally 


went  to  Galena;  John  Sanders  helped  to 
build  the  first  covu't  house,  and  Bradford  set- 
tled near  the  present  town  of  Belle  Rive, 
but  afterward  moved  into  Wayne  County; 
Joliff  married  Lucinda  Deprist  in  Tennessee, 
and  came  here  and  entered  land  in  Section  1 
of  Township  2  and  Range  2,  in  October,  1819. 
He  was  accidentally  shot,  and  died  in  the 
house  where  he  settled. 

In  the  year  1820,  still  further  accessions 
to  the  population  were  made  in  the  arrival 
of  Joseph  Pace,  Reuben  Jackson,  Joseph 
Reed,  W.  L.  Howell,  Thomas  Hopper,  Ben- 
jamin Vermilion,  Rhoda  Allen,  James 
Chafiin,  Ebenezer  Daggett,  Nathaniel  S. 
Andrews,  Henry  Watkins,  James  Phipps, 
Samuel  Hirons,  Mrs.  Hays,  Nathaniel  Wil- 
son, Bi;tler  Arnold,  Ransom  Moss,  Gessom 
Moss,  Herbert  Avent,  etc.,  etc.  The  Paces 
are  a  numerous  family  in  the  county  still. 
Reuben  Jackson  settled  in  Grand  Prairie. 
He  remained  but  a  short  time  and  moved 
North;  Howell  was  the  second  Sheriff  of  the 
county,  and  in  a  few  years  returned  to  Ten- 
nessee; Hopper  came  from  Tennessee  and 
settled  west  of  Moore's  Prairie;  Vermilion 
was  an  early  tavern-keeper  in  Mount  Vernon: 
Rhoda  Allen  died  in  1820 — the  first  man 
who  died  in  the  county — and  his  widow  af- 
terward married  James  Douglas;  Chaffin 
moved  away  to  the  north  part  of  the  State; 
Andrews  died  soon  after  he  came  to  the  coun- 
ty; Watkins  lived  in  Grand  Prairie;  Hirons 
was  the  builder  of  the  first  brick  court 
house;  Nilson  was  one  of  the  very  first 
settlers  in  Grand  Prairie;  Arnold  was  from 
Butler  County,  Tenn. ;  the  Mosses  and 
Avent  came  together.  Ransom  and  Ges- 
som Moss  were  brothers,  and  Mrs.  Avent  was 
their  sister.  They  were  from  Virginia,  and 
Avent  WHS  once  very  wealthy,  but  poor  when 
he  came  here;  he  was  a  fine  pattern  of  a  Vir- 
ginia gentleman. 


198 


HLSTOEY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


Additions  were  made  to  the  settlements 
iu  182 J,  as  follows:  Other  members  of 
the  Pace  family,  Israel  Smith,  Biirrell  and 
Alfred  McConnell,  John  Blackburn,  Aquilla 
Alexander,  Jnhn  Gibson,  Emery  P.  Moore, 
Joel  Hargrave,  the  Tunstalls,  etc.  '  In  1822, 
came  William  Porter,  William  Rearden,  Jacob 
Norton,  the  Chandlers,  Absalom  and  Joseph 
Estes,  William  Hicks,  Robert  Snodgrass, 
George  Webb,  Yoiing  Lemore,  William  South- 
wood;  and  in  1823,  Rhodam  Allen,  William 
Drummond,  Jarviee  Pierce,  Sr.,  Thomas  Kell, 
Azariah  Bruce,  Parson  Upshaw,  the  Wellses; 
and  in  1824,  James  Dickens,  Simon  McCenden, 
Blalock  and  Lyon,  William  Crabtree,  Taurus 
Rife,  Wallace  Caldwell.  Elisha  Plummer,  Rob- 
ert Stockton,  John  Summers,  Drs.  Adams  and 
Glover,  Downing  Baugh,  Blagdon  East, 
Samuel  Foster,  Josiah  League,  Henry  Lewis, 
George  May,  Jesse  Lee,  etc.  From  this 
time  up  to  1830,  we  may  mention  the  follow- 
ing additional  settlers:  David  Hobbs  and 
Aaron  Yearwood  came  in  1826;  Robert 
Breeze,  in  1827;  Joseph  McMeens  settled  in 
Jordan's  Prairie  in  1826-27;  northwest  of 
town,  Howe,  John  Cash,  and  others  settled; 
Enoch  Holtsclaw  about  1826-27;  and  Samuel 
Cummins  and  John  Watters  soon  after;  the 
Bullocks  came  about  1828  or  1830;  Billing- 
ton  Taylor  in  1828;  Caleb  Barr  and  Elisha 
Myers  the  same  year;  Peter  Owen,  soon 
after;  William  Finch,  a  few  years  earlier; 
Julius  Scott  and  Thomas  A.  Nicholas  about 
1829;  and  quite  a  number  of  others  we  can- 
not now  name. 

We  can  only  make  the  briefest  mention  of 
these  early  settlers  in  this  portion  of  our 
work,  as  they  necessarily  iigm-e  in  the  differ- 
ent townships,  and  will  there  receive  further 
notice.  Their  names  are  merely  given  here 
to  show  the  increase  of  population  and  the 
growth  of  settlement. 

Wild  Game. — Although   we  have  alluded 


tp  the  hard  life  of  the  pioneers  already,  yet, 
doubtless,  we  cannot  interest  our  aged 
readers  more  than  by  giving  fvtrther  details 
of  the  early  trials,  hardships,  manners,  cus- 
toms, game,  etc.,  of  the  early  settlers. 
Again  drawing  upon  the  sketches  of  Mr. 
Johnson,  he  says  that  when  the  first  settlers 
came,  there  was  no  elk  here  or  comparative- 
ly none.  That  those  animals  had  once  been 
plenty  in  this  region  was  evinced  by  the  fact 
that  the  settlers  found  bones  and  horns  in 
great  profusion  in  certain  portions  of  the 
county,  notably  in  Elk  Prairie,  and  which 
name  they  gave  that  prairie  in  consequence. 
That  seemed  to  have  been  their  great  resort, 
as  their  bones  were  numerous  there — or  per- 
haps it  was  their  cemetery.  Sinbad,  the 
sailor,  tells  of  the  elephants  having  cemeter- 
ies or  "boneyards"  in  their  own  "country," 
where  their  dead  was  deposited.  Tunstall, 
we  are  told,  took  away  a  couple  of  tame  elk 
with  him  when  he  moved  from  the  county. 
The  last  one  was  seen,  it  is  said,  by  William 
and  James  Hicks  while  out  on  a  hunt,  but  it 
escaped  them.  Bears  were  quite  plenty,  es- 
pecially along  the  water-courses  and  in  the 
heavy  timber.  The  pioneers  used  their  flesh 
for  meat  and  their  hides  for  clothing.  If 
they  made  them  into  clothing,  like  Tom 
Bolin's  breeches — "with  the  fleshy  side  out 
and  the  woolly  side  in" — we  dare  to  say  they 
were  warm  and  comfortable.  But  in  a  few 
years  after  the  organization  of  the  county, 
they  had  (the  bears)  almost  wholly  disap- 
peared. Ml'.  Johnson  relates  the  following 
"  bear  incident,"  as  among  bruin's  "  last  ap- 
pearances" in  the  county:  "When  Abraham 
Buffington  went  to  Horse  Creek,  he  found 
bears.  With  a  courage  equal  to  Putnam's 
when  he  followed  the  wolf  into  her  den, 
Buffington  followed  an  old  she  bear  into  her 
den,  and  by  the  aid  of  her  gleaming  eyes 
shot  her  in  the  darkness  of   the  cave."     But 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


199 


of  all  the  tour-footed  game,  perhaps  deer 
were  the  most  abundant.  It  was  not  uncom- 
mon to  see  50  to  100  in  a  gang  on  the 
prairies  or  on  the  barrens  at  "  one  look." 
Nobody  that  could  shoot — and  all  pioneers 
could  do  that,  it  was  a  part  of  their  education 
— was  ever  out  of  meat  long  at  a  time.  If  a 
man  on  rising  from  his  couch  m  the  morn- 
iog  was  informed  by  his  spouse  that  there 
was  no  meat  in  the  larder,  he  coolly  said, 
"  "Well,  wife,  just  wait  a  little,"  and  often  in 
less  than  half  an  hour  his  game  was  lying  at 
the  door,  and  meat,  for  the  time,  was  plenty. 
Sometimes  a  man  could  stand  in  his  own 
door  and  shoot  deer  as  they  grazed  within 
easy  range.  A  great  deal  of  clothing  was 
made  of  deerskin,  before  the  raising  of  cot- 
ton and  flax.  The  lirst  eiforts  to  tan  the 
hides  were  almost  a  failure.  A  new  method, 
however,  was  introduced  which  was  much 
better.  This  was,  after  removing  the  hair, 
the  skins  were  thoroughly  rubbed  and 
dressed  with  brains.  They  were  then 
stretched  on  stakes  driven  into  the  ground, 
around  a  large  hole,  and  the  hole  tilled  with 
light  and  rotten  wood,  which  was  set  on  tire. 
The  warmth  caused  the  brains  and  oil  to  per- 
meate the  skins  and  the  smoke  gave  them  a 
beautiful  color.  Tanned  in  this  way,  they 
are  said  to  have  been  very  soft  and  pliant, 
and  were  handsome.  One  girl  is  mentioned 
by  some  of  the  old  settlers  as  having  a  buck- 
skin petti — ahem!  of  which  she  was  very 
proud.  Her  word,  however,  had  to  be  taken 
as  to  its  beauty,  for  that  garment  was  worn, 
in  the  pioneer  days,  invisible  to  the  naked 
eye. 

Wolves  were  almost  as  abundant  as  deer. 
Wolf  Prairie  received  its  name  from  the 
great  numbers  found  in  that  section,  and  for 
at  least  twenty  years  after  the  formation  of 
the  county  there  were  many  wolves  in  the 
unsettled  portions.     They  did  not  often  be- 


come dangerous,  never  unless  provoked  or 
nearly  famished  by  hunger.  Thompson  Atch- 
ison once  had  a  severe  fight  with  two  or 
three  wolves  that  had  attacked  his  dogs. 
Dr.  Wilkey  was  once  pursued  by  a  small 
pack,  but  paid  little  attention  to  them  for 
some  time.  Finally,  when  they  had  be- 
come a  little  too  impudent,  he  turned  and 
shot  one,  when  the  others  scampered  away. 
Mi's.  Robinson — Aunt  Rhoda,  as  she  was 
called — once  killed  a  wolf  that  came  prowl- 
ing around  her  cabin  at  night.  Her  husband 
had  brought  home  a  deer  in  the  afternoon, 
which  he  had  shot,  and  the  wolf  had  scented 
the  slaughtered  game  and  followed  to  the 
cabin,  when  it  was  attacked  by  the  dogs.  In 
those  early  days,  the  dog  was  a  respected 
member  of  the  family.  Any  man  would  tight 
for  his  dog.  Literally  it  was  "  love  me,  love 
my  dog,"  or  take  the  consequences.  Every 
man  knew  every  dog  in  the  neighborhood  by 
his  bark,  just  as  he  knew  a  man's  voice  when 
he  heard  him  speak.  When  the  wolf  was 
attacked  by  the  dogs,  Mrs.  Robinson  ran  out 
to  help  the  latter,  and  as  she  ran  caught 
up  a  "chink"  that  had  fallen  from  a  crack  of 
the  cabin.  Ai-riving  upon  the  scene,  she 
gave  the  wolf  a  blow  with  the  billet  that  laid 
him  dead  at  her  feet.  She  was  once  pur- 
sued by  a  panther  as  she  wended  her  way, 
alone,  and  on  foot,  through  the  forest.  A 
less  brave  and  resolute  woman  would  have 
been  paralyzed  with  fear,  and  to  say  that  she 
was  not  frightened  would,  perhaps,  be  a  vio- 
lation of  the  truth;  but  the  pioneer  women 
had  to  fight  their  own  battles,  as  it  were, 
side  by  side  with  their  husbands.  IMrs.  Rob- 
inson was  going  to  a  neighbor's  several  miles 
distant,  with  no  company  but  her  dog  and 
the  babe  she  carried  in  her  arms,  when  a 
large  panther  appeared  upon  her  trail  ic 
close  pm-suit.  Her  dog  ran  to  her  and 
crouched  at  her  feet  for  protection.      As  the 


200 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


panther  came  too  near  to  be  pleasant,  she 
threw  down  her  bonnet  as  she  ran.  This 
stopped  the  panther  a  few  moments,  for 
he  tore  it  into  fragments,  and  then  started 
again  in  pui'suit.  As  he  came  near,  she 
threw  down  her  shawl,  and  again  he  stopped 
long  enough  to  tear  it  in  pieces;  and  when 
she  was  almost  ready  to  drop  from  exhaus- 
tion, and  the  hungry  beast  was  near  enough 
for  her  to  distinctly  hear  his  teeth  snap,  she 
fortunately  met  a  man  who  shot  and  killed 
it,  and  thus  relieved  her  of  further  danger. 

To  young  hogs  and  sbeep  were  wolves, 
wildcats  and  panthers  particularly  destruct- 
ive. Vast  numbers  of  them  were  killed. 
Even  young  calves  were  not  secure  against 
them.  A  wolf  one  day  ran  a  calf  up  to 
William  Casey's  very  gate.  The  women 
folks  hurried  out,  opened  the  gale  for  the 
calf,  and  thus  saved  its  life.  Indeed,  for 
years  it  was  almost  impossible  to  raise  hogs 
and  sheep;  but  the  persistent  vengeance  with 
which  the  pests  were  hunted  by  the  settlers 
finally  cleared  them  out,  until  at  present 
there  are  none  to  be  found  in  the  county, 
not  even  in  the  wildest  regions.  The  pan- 
thers and  wild  cats  were  found  here  in  quite 
as  great  numbers  as  wolves,  and  they  were 
even  more  dangerous  when  "  met  by  moon- 
light alone."  Such  small  game  as  foxes, 
raccoons,  turkeys,  and  other  feathered  deni- 
zens of  forest  and  prairie  were  too  numerous 
to  mention. 

Snakes.  — According  to  the  early  history  of 
the  county,  snakes  were  as  plenty  here  as 
they  were  in  Ireland  prior  to  the  days  of  St. 
Patrick.  It  may  be  that  the  patron  saint  of 
the  "  gem  of  the  say "  drove  them  to  this 
country  when  he  cleared  them  out  of  "  ould  " 
Ireland.  Says  Mr.  Johnson :  "  Snakes  were 
fully  represented  here  when  the  settlers 
came.  It  was  in  1820  that  the  first  little 
log    schoolhouse    was    built    at   old  Shiloh. 


Soon  after  the  man,  James  Douglas,  made  his 
appearance  in  the  nei  ghborhood,  and  though 
addicted  to  drink,  he  got  up  a  reputation 
for  scholarship,  and  then  got  up  a  school  at 
Shiloh.  A  few  weeks  after  a  school  began, 
the  scholars  found  so  many  snakes  about  the 
hill  that  all  concluded  there  must  be  a  den 
of  them  in  the  vicinity.  The  report  of  a 
snake  den  produced  great  excitement,  and 
the  settlers,  fond  of  sport  and  apprehensive 
of  danger  to  their  children,  turned  out  in  a 
body,  armed  with  hoes,  axes,  spades,  clubs 
and  guns,  and  still  not  prepared  fully  for 
such  a  task  as  awaited  them.  It  really 
seemed  as  if  the  immediate  vicinity  was  lit- 
erally alive  with  the  descendants  of  the  first 
apple  vender.  Every  tuft  of  grass  con- 
cealed a  snake;  every  rock  covered  one; 
every  hole  and  crevice  contained  one;  every 
imaginable  nook  was  full  of  them.  Fre- 
quently, on  turning  a  moderately  sized  rock 
out  of  its  bed,  eight  or  ten  snakes,  all  coiled 
together,  were  found  underneath  it.  Rattle- 
snakes, copperheads,  vipers,  adders,  mocca- 
sins, all  seemed  to  have  made  peace  and 
taken  up  their  abode  together.  The  rattler 
was  largely  in  the  majority,  nearly  300  be- 
ing killed,  laid  out  and  counted;  the  whole 
number  killed  and  counted  was  largely  over 
500.  If  every  man  had  had  an  attack  of  the 
jim-jams,  he  probably  could  not  have  seen 
more  snakes.  It  will  readily  be  allowed  that 
those  who  were  particularly  afraid  of  snakes 
felt  nervous  when  out  in  tall  grass  for  some 
time  after  this  onslaught  on  the  reptile 
population  of  the  community." 

Shiloh,  however,  did  not  contain  all  the 
snakes,  but,  on  the  contraiy,  they  seem  to 
have  been  numerous  most  everywhere. 
Johnson  thus  continues  his  dissertation  on 
snakes:  "  Henry  Tyler  settled  at  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Brown  place  in  March,  1823, 
some  seven  miles  north  of  town.     Aunt  Katy 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON^  COUNTY. 


201 


found  a  rattlesnake  one  morning  coiled  on 
one  of  the  bars  when  she  went  to  let  the  cow 
in  to  milk  her.  Some  time  after,Elihu  Maxey, 
went  up  to  spend  the  day  with  Tyler,  and 
the  snakes  spread  themselves.  One  crawled 
out  of  the  jam,  another  out  of  a  crack  in  the 
hearth,  another  sprawled  himself  on  the 
door  step.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  seven 
snakes  were  killed  in  the  house.  This  was 
pretty  good,  but  it  got  better.  Tom  Casey 
went  up  to  see  his  sister  (Mrs.  Tyler),  and 
he  and  Tyler  went  out  to  take  a  little  hunt, 
expectiag  to  kill  a  deer  in  a  thicket  that  had 
escaped  the  autumnal  fires.  One  took  each 
side  of  the  thicket  to  go  around  it.  Tj^ler 
saw  an  otter  in  the  branch,  stopped  to  watch 
it  until  Casey  came  round,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  saw  seven  snakes  crawl  down  to  the 
branch.  Thinking  like  the  Irishman,  that 
'  where  there's  two  snakes  there's  sure  to  be 
one,'  they  hunted  about  awhile  and  killed 
and  laid  out  170.  Next  day  they  raised  a 
little  help  and  dug  out  and  killed  217."  It 
seems  that  this  aroused  a  suspicion  in  the 
mind  of  Tyler  that  that  whole  hill  had 
"  snakes  in  its  boots,"  and  he  lost  no  time  in 
moving  away.  In  additiim  to  all  these,  a 
den  was  found  on  Joliff's  sugar  camp  branch, 
and  some  two  or  three  hundred  were  killed 
there.  Many  of  the  snakes  were  exceedingly 
venomous.  "Wallace  Caldwell  was  riding 
along  the  road  one  day,  and  a  snake  bit  his 
horse  on  the  leg.  With  all  these  stories,  it 
was  not  considered  strange  when  Mi-.  Ed- 
wards settled  where  Capt.  Henderson  lives, 
and  had  been  there  a  short  time,  his  wife, 
who  was  quite  a  nervous  woman,  became  so 
alarmed  over  snake  stories  she  could  not 
stay,  but  had  her  husband  pull  up  stakes 
and  return  to  Kentucky,  whence  they  had 
come. 

This  cleaning  out  of  snake  dens  and  the 
great  slaughter  of  the  reptiles  soon  had  the 
effect  of  visibly  diminishing  their  numbers. 


It  became  more  safe  and  pleasant  for  the 
timorous  to  perambulate  through  the  tall 
grass,  and  when  a  cow  or  horse  started  or  a 
hen  "  chuckled  "  in  alarm,  it  was  no  longer 
considered  a  "snake  sure."  But  it  was  many 
years  before  they  were  generally  gone;  «ven 
now  one  may  occasionally  be  seen.  North- 
east of  Rome  there  was  a  stream  named 
Snake  Den  Branch  in  memory  of  the  veno- 
mous reptiles. 

Thus  the  dangers  and  annoyances  of  the 
early  settlers  were  such  as  none  but  brave 
hearts  would  dare  to  encounter.  Nothing 
but  the  hopeful  insj^iration  of  manifest  des- 
tiny urged  them  to  persevere  in  bringing 
under  the  dominion  of  civilized  man  what 
was  before  then  a  howling  wilderness. 
They  were  exceptions,  in  a  great  degree,  of 
the  accepted  rule,  that  "  immigrants  in  set- 
tling in  a  new  country  usually  travel  on  the 
same  parallel  as  that  of  the  home  they  left." 
Coming  from  the  South  as  they  did,  where 
most  of  them  were  poor,  and  regarded  as  no 
better  than  the  black  slaves  by  the  haughty 
aristocracy,  they  launched  out  sovereign  citi- 
zens, independent,  free  and  equal,  and  ac- 
knowledging themselves  in  the  presence  of 
no  superior  being,  except  when  kneeling 
alone  in  prayer  to  the  King  of  Kings.  It  was  a 
wise  conclusion  that  prompted  them  to  come 
here,  where  they  were  far  more  useful  in 
church  and  State  than  the)'  ever  could  have 
been  in  the  regions  they  left  behind,  where 
others  held  the  places  of  influence. 

The  fashions  in  the  primitive  days  of  the 
county  were  few  and  simple,  compared  with 
the  gaudy  and  costly  paraphernalia  of  the 
present  time.  Comfort  and  freedom  wei"e 
always  consulted  in  preference  to  personal 
appearance,  and  the  dude  was  then  unknown. 
The  principal  articles  for  clothing  were  of 
home  manufacture,  such  as  linsey-woolsey, 
jeans,  tow  linen,  etc.  The  world  was  not 
laid   under  tribute,    as  now,  to   fiu-nish  the 


102 


HISTOKY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUXTT. 


thousand  and  one  mysteries  of  a  lady's  toi- 
let. Powders  and  lotions  and  dangerous 
cosmetics,  by  which  the  modern  belle  bor- 
rows the  transient  beauty  of  the  present,  and 
repays  with  premature  homeliness,  were  un- 
known to  hev  frontier  ancestors,  whose 
cheeks  were  rosy  with  the  ruddy  glow  of 
health,  painted  by  wholesome  exercise  and 
labor.  The  beauty  and  symmetry  of  the 
female  form  was  not  distorted  or  misshapen 
by  tight  lacing,  The  brave  women  of  those 
days  knew  nothing  of  ruffles,  curls,  switches 
or  bustles.  Instead  of  the  organ  or  piano, 
before  which  sits  the  modern  miss,  tortur- 
ing selections  from  the  majestic  operas  (!) 
the}'  had  to  do  their  part  of  the  work. 
"The  girls  took  music  lessons 

Upon  the  spinning  wheel, 
And  practiced  late  and  early 

On  spindle  swift  and  reel." 
and  were  contented  with  their  linsey 
(slothing,  their  rough- made  shoes,  and  a  sun- 
bonnet  of  coarse  linen  The  women  believed 
it  their  highest  duty — as  it  was  their  noblest 
aim — to  contribute  their  part  in  the  great 
work  of  life.  The  "  hired  girl  "  had  not  then 
become  a  class.  In  cases  of  illness — and 
there  was  plenty  of  it  in  the  early  times — 
some  young  woman  would  leave  home  for  a 
few  days  to  care  for  the  afflicted  household, 
but  her  services  were  not  rendered  for  the 
pay  she  received.  The  discharge  of  the 
sacred  duty  to  care  for  the  sick  was  the 
motive,  and  it  was  never  neglected.  The 
accepted  life  of  a  woman  was,  to  marry,  bear 
and  rear  children,  prepare  the  household  food, 
spin,  weave  and  make  the  garments  for  the 
family.  Her  whole  life  was  the  grand,  sim- 
ple poem  of  rugged,  toilsome  duty,  bravely 
and  uncomplainingly  done.  She  lived  his- 
tory and  her  descendant;!  write  and  read  it 
with  a  proud  thrill,  such  as  visits  the  pilgrim 
when  at  Arlington,  he  stands  at  the  base  of 
the    monument   which    covers   the   bones  of 


4,000  nameless  men  who  gave  their  blood  to 
preserve  their  country.  Her  work  lives,  but 
her  name  is  only  whispered  in  a  few  homes. 
Holy  in  death,  it  is  too  sacred  for  ojjen 
speech. 

Hard  Times. — The  financial  pressure  in 
the  early  days  was  very  heavy.  Quite  a  gale 
of  prosperity  swept  over  Illinois  just  after 
the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  a  large  flow 
of  immigration  followed  that  event.  People 
were  seized  with  a  spirit  of  speculation  and 
much  land  was  bought.  Land  sold  at  $2  per 
acre — $80  down  on  a  quarter  section,  the 
balance  to  be  paid  in  five  years.  Everybody 
botight  all  the  land  on  which  they  could 
make  the  advance  payment,  with  the  expec- 
tation of  selling  enough  to  emigrants  to 
make  the  other  payments.  Wild-cat  banks 
were  established  and  flooded  the  country 
with  their  worthless  bills,  and  then — "  bust." 
The  emigrants  so  confidently  expected  did 
not  come,  and  hence  there  was  little  or  no 
sale  for  real  estate.  The  flood  of  bank  notes 
had  driven  out  specie,  and  when  the  banks 
failed  there  was  no  money  of  any  kind,  and 
pelts,  tallow,  beeswax,  wolf-scalps,  etc.,  be- 
came the  circulating  medium  of  the  country, 
lender  a  State  law,  wolf  scalps  were  made  a 
legal  tender  for  taxes.  These,  together  with 
fox,  coon  and  opossum  skins,  passed  current 
for  tobacco,  whisky  and  other  necessaries  of 
life.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  a  man  would 
enter  a  "  grocery — "  there  were  no  saloons, 
they  were  all  groceries — for  a  glass  of  whis- 
ky, present  a  coon  skin,  receive  his  glass  of 
whisky  and  a  "possum"  skin  in  change. 
Under  these  depressing  circumstances,  the 
country  improved  and  settled  very  slowly 
for  a  number  of  years.  These  were  some  of 
the  trials  and  difficulties  and  dangers  the 
pioneers  of  Jefferson  County  had  to  contend 
with.  They  wotild  appear  almost  insur- 
mountable to  us  of  the  present  day. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


203 


CHAPTER     IX.* 


INTERNAL  IMPROVEMENTS— EARLY  ROADS  AND  TRAILS— SALINE  AND  WALNUT  HILL  ROAD- THE 
VANDALIA  ROAD— OTHER  HIGHWAYS  AND  BRIDGES— RAILROADS— HOW  THEY  GREW  OUT 
OF  THE  OLD   IMPROVEMENT   SYSTEM— JEFFERSON  COUNTY'S  EFFORTS  FOR  RAIL- 
ROADS—ST.  LOUIS  &  SOUTHEASTERN  — THE    AIR     LINE  —  PEOJECTED 
ROADS,  SOME  OF  WHICH  WILL   BE   BUILT,  ETC.,    ETC. 


"And  fast,  and  fast,  and  faster  still. 

As  though  some  superhuman  will 

The  Iron  Horse  did  guide." 

AMONG  the  internal  improvements  of  a 
country,  none  are  of  more  importance 
than  its  roads  and  public  highways.  It  has  been 
said  that  a  stranger  may  judge  of  the  civili- 
zation to  which  a  community  has  attained  by 
its  system  of  public  roads.  In  this  chapter 
we  propose  to  treat  of  the  public  roads  and 
railroads  of  the  county,  taking  them  from 
their  first  inception  to  their  present  perfected 
system.  First,  we  shall  consider  the  wagon 
roads  in  their  order,  and  then  direct  our  at- 
tention to  the  railroads. 

The  Saline  and  Walnut  Hill  Road. — The 
reader  will  pardon  us  for  giving  most  space 
to  this  fii'st  road,  and  the  one  hardest  to  get  of 
all  our  roads.  At  the  beginning,  the  Goshen 
road  was  the  only  one,  and  it  crossed  the  pres- 
ent Fairfield  road  four  miles  east  of  town,iust 
beyond  Samuel  Brace's.  It  was  necessary  to 
have  one  through  the  county  seat.  There 
were  a  few  trails,  but  not  even  a  trail  led  to 
Mount  Ve'-non,  It  was  said  that  all  roads 
led  to  Rome,  but  it  was  just  the  reverse  in 
regard  to  Mount  Vernon — all  roads  led  some- 
where else.  On  the  third  day  of  the  first 
term  of  the  County  Court,  June,  1819,  the 
subject  of  roads  came  before  the  Commis- 
sioners, and   it   was    "  ordered  that  William 

•By  Dr.  A.  rlark  Johnson. 


Goings,  Thomas  Jordan,  James  Abbott, 
James  Johnson  and  John  Abbott,  or  any 
three  of  them,  do  view  and  make  a  road  the 
nearest  and  best  way  from  Mount  Vernon  to 
where  the  old  road  leaves  the  county. "  It  was 
"further  ordered  that  John  Jordan,  Nicholas 
Wren,  John  C.  Casey,  Joseph  Reed  and 
Robert  Cook,  or  any  three  of  them,  do  view 
and  make  a  road  from  Mount  Vernon  to 
where  the  Prairie  road  crosses  the  east 
boundary  line  of  the  county,  near  Hodge' s  " 
— both  boards  of  Viewers  to  report  in  Sep- 
tember. These  intended  roads  were  what  is 
now  within  this  county  of  the  McLeansboro 
and  Centralia  roads. 

But  when  September  came  it  brought  no 
report  from  Viewers,  and  a  new  hoard  was 
appointed  for  the  whole  road  It  was  "ordered 
that  William  Casey,  William  Jordan,  Sr., 
and  Samuel  Bradford,  or  any  two  of  them, 
do  view  a  road,  beginning  at  or  near  the 
southeast  corner  of  this  county,  on  the  near- 
est and  best  way  to  Mount  Vernon;  from 
thence,  on  the  nearest  and  best  way,  to  the 
lower  end  of  Thomas  Jordan's  Prairie,  tak- 
ing into  consideration  a  road  hereafter  to  be 
cut  out  on  a  direction  to  Vandalia,  and  from 
Jordan's  Prairie,  on  the  best  and  nearest 
way,  to  where  the  old  road  crosses  the  north- 
ern boundary  lino  of  this  county,  and  re- 
port," etc. 

It   was    found   easier,    however,    to    make 


304 


HISTORY    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


orders  than  to  induce  men  to  do  what  they 
were  not  compelled  to  do,  and  indeed,  hard- 
ly knew  how  to  do.  On  the  same  day  with 
the  last  order — September  7,  1S19 — Curtis 
Caldwell,  John  Jordan  and  Robert  Mitchell 
were  appointed  to  view  a  road  from  the  ford 
of  the  creek  near  Jordan's — now  Garrison's 
— to  where  the  new  road  from  Maulding's 
intersected  the  county  line.  This  last  was  a 
road  that  Maulding  had  just  cut  out  from  his 
house  in  Hog  Prairie,  a  few  miles  this  side 
of  where  McLeansboro  now  stands,  to 
Hodge's — late  Abe  Irvin's — crogsing  the  east 
line  of  the  county  n  ear  the  southeast  corner. 
These  men  iu  due  time  made  a  report:  "We, 
John  Jordan  and  Curtis  Caldwell,  having 
been  appointed,  etc.,  do  hereby  certify  that 
we  have  examined  and  believe  that  the  near- 
est and  best  way  is  on  a  straight  line  from 
where  Maulding's  road  intersects  the  county 
to  Joseph  Jordan's;  thence  along  the  old 
road  to  the  ford  of  the  creek,  interfering 
with  no  person's  farm,  by  the  Overseers  mak- 
ing some  small  amendments  if  necessary." 
This  report  was  approved,  and  John  Jordan 
made  Overseer.  The  "  Old  Road  "  here  was 
a  trail  from  Jordan's  to  where  Lew  Beal 
lives.  The  "  Old  Road "  in  the  previous 
orders  was  the  Goshen  road.  William  Casey, 
James  Johnson  and  William  Goings  were 
now — October  4 — ordered  to  view  the  road 
toward  Carlyle.  But  still  some  were  dissat- 
i.'ilied  with  the  Viewers'  report  just  received, 
and  John  C.  Casey,  Samuel  Bradford  and 
Oliver  Morris  were  ordered  to  view  the  route 
over  again. 

Incredible  as  it  may  now  appear,  all  those 
orders  and  views  and  reports  failed  to  ac- 
complish anything;  and  this  arose  from  the 
fact,  wo  suppose,  that,  as  is  now  the  case 
when  a  railroad  is  talked  of,  almost  every 
man  thought  he  lived  exactly  where  the  road 
ought  to  be  made,  aud    a  man  was  unwilling  j 


to  offend  so  many   of   his   neighbors    as  did 
not  live  on  the  route  he  might   recommend. 

But  at  length  a  bold  and  working  board 
was  found.  January  4,  1820,  William  Jor- 
dan, James  Abbott  and  Reuben  Jackson  were 
ordered  to  view  and  mark  the  road,  and  James 
Kelly  was  requested  to  procure  the  services 
of  William  Hosick  as  surveyor.  A  month  or 
more  elapsed  and  Hosick  came  not.  It  was 
then  ordered,  February  10,  1820,  that  the 
order  authorizing  Kelly  to  employ  Hosick  he 
rescinded,  and  Joseph  Pace  be  appointed  in 
his  stead.      Let  this  rej^ort  speak  for   itself: 

"  We,  James  Abbott,  William  Jordan  and 
Reuben  Jackson,  appointed,  etc.,  met  at 
Mount  Vernon  on  Thursday,  the  24th  day  of 
February,  and  viewed  to  the  creek  (Muddy) 
and  adjourned  until  the  next  day;  25th, 
met  at  the  creek  below  the  ford  at  a  suitable 
place  for  a  bridge,  viewed  on  thence,  cross- 
ing the  little  prairie  at  the  upper  end; 
thence  on  to  the  Little  or  Jordan's  Creek, 
which  we  crossed,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  Hood's  Ford;  thence  on  to  an  arm  of 
Moores'  Prairie,  at  the  Bushy  Ridge;  thence 
on  to  Watkins',  and,  it  being  night,  ad- 
journed; 26th,  met  and  ran  on  a  straight 
line  to  Crenshaw's;  thence,  with  the  general 
direction  of  the  old  road  to  where  the  new 
road  cut  by  Thomson  and  Crenshaw  inter- 
sects the  said  old  road;  thence  down  said 
new  road  to  the  county  line.  We  met  on 
Monday,  the  2Sth,  agreeably  to  apjjointment. 
at  Mount  Vernon,  viewed  to  the  right  of 
Henry  Wilkinson's,  thence  on  a  line  through 
a  corner  of  Harlow's  tield,  thence  on  by 
Elisha  Perkins',  thence  on  to  a  small  creek, 
and,  it  being  night,  adjourned  till  morning. 
Tuesday,  the  29th,  we  met  agreeably  to  ap- 
j)ointment,  and  continued  our  course  on 
through  an  arm  of  Jordan's  Prairie,  running 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Wren's  place; 
thence  on  to  Gaston's,  thence   on  to   the  old 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


207 


road  where  it  comes  to  the  base  line.  We 
do  hereby  certify  that  we  believe  the  above 
to  be  the  nearest  and  best  way  for  a  road 
through  the  county,  and  as  near  to  the 
prayer  of  your  petitioners  as  one  can  be  got." 

This  report  was  dated  March  10,  182U;  the 
road  was  ordered  to  be  made  on  the  route  sur- 
veyed; it  was  to  be  opened  eighteen  feet  wide, 
and  for  their  services  Abbott,  Jackson  and  Jor- 
dan, the  Viewers,  and  A.  P.  and  G.  P.  Casey, 
the  chain  carriers,  were  ordered  $12  each, 
and  Joseph  Pace  §24  as  sm-veyor.  Daniel 
Crenshaw  was  appointed  Overseer  from  the 
county  line  to  the  ninth  mile  tree;  Joseph 
Reed,  from  the  ninth  mile  tree  to  Muddy; 
A.  P.  Casey  from  Muddy  to  the  fifth  mile 
tree,  northwest  of  town;  and  Samuel  Gaston 
the  rest.  Just  one  incident:  Two  of  the 
Viewers,  Jordan  and  Abbott,  were  veiy  fond 
of  drink,  and  when  they  ,  started  out  of  town 
the  second  time  they  took  a  bottle  of  whisky 
along.  When  they'  got  near  Harlow's,  as 
mentioned  in  their  report,  they  began  to 
drink,  and  after  drinking  freely  themselves, 
they  gave  Uncle  Joe  Pace  the  bottle  and  he 
tvu-ned  away  and  emptied  it  on  the  ground. 
But  he  was  too  late.  Jordan  already  had 
more  than  he  could  carry,  so  he  sat  down  to 
rest  while  the  others  went  on.  We  believe  the 
rest  all  put  up  at  Perkins'  that  night;  at  any 
rale,  no  Jordan  appeared  till  some  time  next 
day.  "When  he  had  rested  sufficiently  to 
travel,  he  had  lost  his  way  and  spent  the 
nigh'  in  the  wouda. 

The  road  crossed  no  stream  requiring  a 
bridge  but  Casey's  fork  of  Muddy.  Here 
the  first  bridge  in  the  county  was  built  by 
Ben  Hood  and  Carter  Wilkey.  From  the 
settlement  at  the  March  term,  1821,  it 
seems  that  the  structure  cost  $44.15.  Hood 
and  Wilkey  sawed  the  lumber  by  hand.  As 
soon  as  the  bridge  was  done,  old  Mr.  Harris 
came  along  and  was  anxious  to  be  the  first 


man  to  ride  over.  The  workmen  considered 
it  unsafe,  as  the  old  man  had  taken  some 
"tea;"  but  they  compromised,  the  old  man 
dismounted  and  led  his  horse,  and  so  got 
safely  over.  The  road  still  runs  very  nearly 
where  it  was  originally  located  throughout 
its  entire  length. 

The  Vandalia  Road. — Before  the  opening 
of  the  Vandalia  road,  there  was  a  trail  to 
Peddling  Billy  Hicks',  where  old  Mr.  Bruce 
afterward  lived,  and  a  trail  from  the  Carlyle 
road  by  Fleming  Greenwood's  to  the  White- 
sides  settlement,  near  where  Flowns  lived 
more  recently,  in  Jordan's  Prairie.  These 
were  the  avenues  leading  north.  But  Octo- 
ber 5,  1821,  Abraham  Casey,  James  Young 
and  William  Maxwell  were  ordered  to  "  view 
the  ground  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Lee  & 
Hicks'  mill  and  report  the  nearest  and  best 
route  for  a  road  from  Mount  Vernon  to 
said  mill."  Emboldened  by  this  beginning, 
the  court  also  "  ordered  that  the  said  re- 
viewers continue  the  review  of  said  road 
from  the  said  mill  on  the  nearest  and  best 
direction  toward  Vandalia  to  the  county  line 
of  Jefferson  County. " 

Ou  the  3d  of  December,  the  report  came 
in :  "By  order  of  the  County  Commissioners 
of  Jefferson  County, to  us,  the  undersigned,  to 
view  the  ground  from  Moimt  Vernon  to  Lee 
&  Hicks'  mill,  and  from  said  mill  to  the 
north  boundary  line  of  Jefferson  County,  ou 
the  direction  of  Vandalia,  and  report  whether 
there  is  ground  tit  to  make  a  road,  and 
we  having  received  a  plat  of  the  Clerk  of 
the  Court,  have  viewed  and  marked  one  as 
straight  as  we  possibly  could,  and  report 
that  we  think  we  have  gone  as  straight  as 
can  be  without  surveying,  and  think  that  the 
gromid  will  answer.  Signed  by  us,  Abra- 
ham Casey,  William  Maxwell,  James 
Young."     The  report  meeting  with  no  oppo- 

7 


208 


HISTORY    OF   JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


sition,  was  received  and  the  said  road  was 
"  established  a  public  highway." 

For  the  purpose  of  opening  this  road,  it 
was  next  day  ordered  that  Elihu  Maxey  be 
Supervisor  of  that  part  "  that  lies  between 
Mount  Vernon  and  the  north  line  of  Section 
No.  25,  Range  2,  Township  1;"  to  William 
Maxwell  was  assigned  the  portion  "  lying 
between  the  north  line  of  Section  No.  25 
and  the  north  line  of  Section  23,  Range  2, 
Township  1  north,  with  all  the  hands  east  of 
the  county  or  Carlyle  road;"  to  James 
Young  fell  the  part  "lying  between  the  north 
line  of  Section  No.  23  and  the  northern  line 
of  the  attached  part  of  this  county,  with  all 
the  hands  north  of  the  line  where  he  com- 
mences." "  The  said  road  to  be  opened 
eighteen  feet  wide  and  made  passable  for 
carriages;  to  be  opened  smooth,"  and  to  be 
completed  by  June. 

But  the  road  was  not  opened  very  smooth, 
and,  indeed,  was  not  used  a  great  deal,  so 
that  it  was  really  in  danger  of  growing  up. 
Hence  it  became  necessary,  September  1, 
1828,  to  order  "that  the  Sheriff  inform 
Thomas  D.  Minor  and  William  Maxwell, 
•Supervisors  on  the  Vandalia  road,  to  pro- 
ceed to  cut  out  said  road  twelve  feet  wide 
and  keep  the  same  in  rej^air."  This  impera- 
tive demand  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the 
road  became  a  permanent  highway. 

The  Frankfort  or  Golconda  Road. — The 
idea  of  this  road  seems  to  have  originated  in 
1822,  from  the  people  of  Franklin  County 
having  opened  one  leading  from  Frankfort 
to  oiix  county  line.  The  friendly  challenge 
from  Franklin  was  accepted  by  our  Com- 
missioners, and  at  their  March  term — March 
5,  1822— it  was  ordered  "that  Barton  Atchi- 
son, Esq.,  James  Dawson  and  Nicholas  Wren 
view  the  ground  for  a  road  from  where  the 
Frankfort  road  intersects  the  county  line  to 
where  the  said   road  will  intersect  (the  Sa- 


line) road  at  or  near  the  bridge."       In  due 
time  the  report  came  in: 

"  Agreeably  to  an  order  of  the  court,  we, 
the  undersigned  viewers,  have  viewed  and 
marked  the  intended  road,  beginning  one- 
half  mile  east  of  the  middle  line  dividing 
Range  3,  where  the  Frankfort  road  inter- 
sects our  county,  thence  a  little  northwest, 
until  we  come  to  the  Gun  Prairie;  continu- 
ing the  same  course  through  said  prairie 
until  we  striick  the  above  line;  thence  on  and 
near  the  said  line  to  the  Saline  road  near 
the  bridge.  We,  the  viewers,  think  this  to 
be  the  nearest  and  best  ground  for  said  road, 
allowing  the  Supervisor  to  vary  as  he  may 
think  necessary."     Dated  April  12.  1822. 

To  open  this  road,  James  Dawson  was  ap- 
pointed Supervisor,  with  all  the  hands  hith- 
erto belonging  to  Moses  Ham  on  the  Saline 
road,  where  Ham  bad  succeeded  Crenshaw, 
except  Young  Lenore,  Ignatius  Atchison, 
William  Southwood,  .Joseph  Jordan,  Daniel 
Crenshaw  and  John  Crenshaw;  "and  farther 
ordered  that  the  said  road  be  opened  twelve 
feet  wide  arid  it  be  done  by  the  December 
term  of  this  court." 

Notwithstanding  these  orders,  it  was  not 
"  done  by  the  December  tei-m,"  and  at  that 
time  it  was  found  necessary  to  order  that 
Amos  Chandler  be  "  Supervisor  on  that  part 
of  said  road  between  the  bridge  across 
Muddy  and  Rollin.s'  Creeks,  with  all  the 
hands  north  of  the  creek  on  which  Mr.  B. 
Atchison  lives,  except  the  hands  formerly  al- 
lotted to  Mr  Ham,"  and  that  Absalom  Estis 
supervise  the  portion  south  of  Rollins' 
Creek,  with  all  the  hands  south  of  Atchison's 
branch,  escej^t  those  formerly  allotted  to  JIi\ 
Ham.  This  move  secured  the  opening  of  the 
road.  In  1838,  William  Redman  built  the 
first  bridge  over  Gun  Prairie  Creek  for  S175. 

The  Covington  or  Richview  iJoad.— Cov- 
ington, as  many   of    our   readers  are  awai  • 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY 


209 


was  origiaally  the  county  seat  of  Washing- 
ton, and  stood  on  the  Okaw,  near  the  mouth 
of  Crooked  Creek,  about  fourteen  miles  north 
of  Nashville.  Indeed,  it  still  stands  there, 
but  in  considerably  reduced  prop  ortions. 
When  Clinton  was  formed  out  of  the  north- 
ern part  of  Washington.  Covington  was  no 
longer  central,  and  for  a  short  time  before 
Nashville  arose,  Georgetown,  almost  a  vil- 
lage, a  few  miles  west  of  Nashville,  was  the 
county  seat.  Clinton  County  was  formed  in 
1S25. 

Well,  the  Grand  Prairie  people,  who  had 
only  a  winding  trail  by  which  to  come  to 
town,  and  the  town  people  who  wished  to 
build  up,  asked  for  a  road  to  Covington, 
June  4.  1822,  the  court  ordered  that  Jacob 
Norton,  Isaac  Hicks  and  James  E.  Davis  view 
and  mark  the  route  as  far  as  the  county  line, 
and  report  in  September.  This  certainly 
was  sufficient  time,  but  September  brought 
no  report,  and  it  was  necessary  to  issue  a 
new  order:  "  Agreeable  to  an  order  asrreea- 
ble  to  a  petition  handed  into  this  court  at 
the  June  term,  on  which  Viewers  were  ap- 
poi  nted,  but  have  failed  to  act,  therefore  ordered 
that  Curtis  Caldwell,  Thomas  Jordan,  Jr.. 
and  William  Casey  be  appointed  to  act  as 
Viewers,  to  be  viewed  on  the  straightest  and 
best  way  on  ;i  direction  to  Covington,  as  far 
as  the  Washington  County  line,  and  make 
return  at  the  December  term." 

This  order  was  slightly  mixed,  but  "agree- 
able" and  easy  to  be  understood;  yet  it  was 
entirely  without  effect.  Nor  was  a  "'  view  " 
obtained  till  after  March  4,  1823,  when 
Thomas  T.  Tunstall,  Felix  McBride  and 
William  Deprist  were  ^appointed  for  the 
purpose  June  10,  they  reported  that  they 
had  marked  the  road  on  the  nearest  and  best 
way,  to  the  best  of  their  knowledge,  and  that 
the  "  course  generally  runs  west  of  north- 
west." This  road  ran  not  far  from  where 
the  Eriohview  road  now  runs. 


Still  the  road  was  not  opened  till  Decem- 
ber. Then.  December  1,  1823,  "for  the 
purpose  of  opening  said  road,"  it  was  "  or- 
dered that  William  Deprist  be  and  he  is  hereby 
appointed  Supervisor  on  that  part  of  said 
road  bptween  SEount  Vernon  and  the  Middle 
Fork  of  Muddy,  with  the  hands  as  follows, 
to  wit:  Isaac  Deprist,  Jordan  Tyler,  Lewis 
Johnson,  John  T.  Johnson,  Nicholas  John- 
son, James  E.  Davis,  Nicholas  Stull, 

Overbay  and  his  son-in-law,  Rhodam  Allen, 
William  Maxey,  Charles  H.  Maxey,  Joshua 
C.  Maxey,  Edward  Masey.  Zadok  Casey, 
Samuel  Hirons,  Jarvis  Pierce,  William  Wil- 
kerson,  Joel  Wilkerson,  Samuel  Reed  and 
Asahel  Batemen."  A.  P.  Casey  was  Su- 
pervisor on  the  rest  of  the  road,  "  with  all  the 
hands  west  of  Foster's  Creek,  including  the 
Long  Prairie  settlement,"  "  said  road  to  be 
opened  by  the  March  term  of  this  court 
wide  enough  for  carriages  to  pass."  In 
1828,  this  road  was  vacated,  but  in  a 
few  years  it  was  restored  as  the  Grand 
Prairie,  afterward  the  Richview,  road,  a 
change  being  made  at  the  west,  and  under 
Jacob  Breeze,  Joe  Baldridge  and  John 
Switzer,  and  at  the  east  end  under  L.  F. 
Casey,  H.  D.  Hinman  and  J.  C.  Maxey,  all 
in  1844.  The  present  western  terminus  was 
at  last  located  in  1846  by  Duncan  Cameron, 
Esq.,  Isaac  Casey,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  Watkins. 

The  Georgetotvn  or  Nashville  Road. — At 
the  June  Court,  1828,  at  the  same  time  the 
last  road  was  vacated,  a  new  one  to  George- 
town was  called  for.  It  was  to  "  cross  the 
Middle  Fork  of  Muddy  near  Shiloh  Meeting 
House  and  the  West  Fork  near  Hamlin's." 
Most  of  our  readers  will  no  doubt  recollect 
Noah  Bullock's  and  Bill  Maby's  "  meeting 
house "  better  than  this  Shiloh  that  stood 
about  the  same  j)lace.  William  Casey,  Robert 
Holt  and  A.  Buffington  were  the  viewers, 
and  on  their  report  the  Covington  road  was 
vacated   and   the    Georgetown    road    estab- 


210 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


lished.  Green,  Dysnish  and  Jim  Johnson  of 
Long  Prairie  were  chosen  to  open  the  road. 
It  issued  from  town  at  the  west  end  of  Main 
street,  and  ran  nearly  southwest  by  west  to 
W.  Casey's  house  on  the  hill. 

The  Fairfield  Road.— In  1824,  John  Sum- 
mers bought  A.  P.  Casey's  improvement  east 
of  town;  and  June  5,  1826,  he  and  others 
petitioned  for  a  road  toward  Fairfield.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  and  Joe  Jordan  and  Isaac 
Casey  were  appointed  to  view  the  route. 
September  4,  they  made  their  report: 

"Pursuant  to  an  order  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court  at  their  June  term,  1826, 
we,  John  Summers  and  Joseph  Jordan,  have 
viewed  and  marked  for  a  road  from  Moimt 
Vernon  to  the  county  line  to  Fairfield,  com- 
mencing at  the  court  house;  thence  to  John 
Summers';  thence  to  William  Jordan's; 
thence  intersected  the  road  from  Fairfield  at 
the  county  line."  John  Summers  was  ap- 
pointed to  open  the  road,  together  with 
Bridges  Hynes,  Edmund  Hines,  Jesse  Green, 
Thomas  Hopper,  John  Vance  and  Hiram 
Hodge.  The  next  spring  court  gave  him 
the  hands  in  Adam's  Prairie  also.  The  road 
as  then  established,  ran  near  where  it  now 
does,  except  that  it  struck  out  nearly  due 
east  from  the  court  house  ran  by  a  cabin 
that  stood  where  Dr.  Green  lives,  ran  nearly 
a  hundred  yards  south  of  the  Shields  House, 
tlien  wound  around  to  the  ford  below  where 
the  old  bridge  was.  In  1838,  Coleman  Smith 
built  the  first  bridge  over  Seven  Mile  for 
$25. 87^  In  1839,  James  Ross,  John  John- 
son and  E.  H.  Ridgway,  in  accordance  with 
an  act  of  the  Legislature,  relocated  the  road 
from  town  to  the  creek,  throwing  it  into 
Main  street,  and  so  on,  nearly  where  it  is  at 
present. 

The  Brownsville  and  Pinkneyville  Roads. 
— The  roads  toward  Brownsville  and  Pinkney- 
ville attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention,  con- 


sidering how  little  business  we  ever  had  at 
either  of  the  places.  The  Brownsville  road 
began  in  1834.  September  27,  "  the  Viewers 
appointed  to  view  and  mark  a  road  from 
Mount  Vernoa  to  intersect  a  cart  way  in 
Horse  Prairie  and  on  a  direction  to  Browns- 
ville, do  make  the  following  report:  That  we 
have  viewed  the  same  to  run  from  Mount 
Vernon,  the  present  leading  road  to  John 
Hays'  at  Elk  Prairie;  thence  angling  down 
said  prairie  near  the  east  side  of  John 
Black's  farm;  thence  down  a  little  arm  of 
said  prairie  to  the  lower  end  of  the  same; 
thence  crossing  Muddy  below  the  hurricane; 
thence  to  the  county  line  above  the  head  of 
Honey  Point."  Signed  by  Samuel  Boswell 
and  John  Hays. 

In  1835,  Isaac  Casey,  A.  Buffington  and 
Jesse  Green  were  sent  to  view  a  road  toward 
Pink-neyville,  and  failing  to  do  it  the  job  was 
next  year  assigned  to  John  Dodds,  I.  T. 
Davenport  and  AVilliam  Hicks.  They  located  it 
by  .Tohn  Dodd's  house  from  the  Nashville  road, 
by  Rhodam  Allen's  field  across  the  prairie,  and 
so  on  to  the  Brownsville  road.  Thus  it  re- 
mained till  1839,  when  A.  Milcher,  P.  Os- 
born  and  J.  A.  Dees  were  sent  out  to  see  if  it 
were  not  useless.  For  anybody  but  Dodds 
and  Rhodam  Allen,  it  certainly  was,  so 
there  it  died.  Then  an  Elk  Prairie  road 
sprang  up,  1837,  running  between  Joseph 
Pace's  and  Dr.  Greethan's,  to  Bodinis,  to 
Reed's  ford,  across  Muddy,  and  to  the  old 
road  at  the  county  line.  After  changing 
routes  frequently,  the  Pinkneyville  road, was 
located  not  far  from  where  it  now  runs,  in 
March,  1845,  by  Sam  Boswell,  Sid  Place 
and  Jesse  A.  Dees,  the  route  having  been 
suggested  by  J.  R.  Allen  and  Eli  Gilbert 
in  1844. 

Other  Roads. — We  have   given  details  of 

;  the  first  old  roads,  not    only   to   show    when 

and  where  they  were  located,   but  to  give  an 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


211 


idea  how  we  got  them;  and  the  recital  also 
gives  an  idea  that  the  best  evidence  as  to 
where  they  run,  is  the  fact  that  they  run 
there,  the  record  evidence  of  exact  location 
being  slim.  At  length,  however,  roads  be- 
came literally  too  numerous  to  mention.  We 
note  the  principal  ones:  In  1838,  a  road  from 
Nashville  to  Equality,  across  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  county,  was  laid  out  under  the 
direction  of  George  W.  Lee,  Thomas  Thompson 
and  George  McCary.  The  same  year,  a  road 
was  opened  from  Salem  to  Chester,  across  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  county,  and  Allen 
Dolson  was  the  first  Supervisor.  It  was  also 
in  the  same  year  that  the  Maysville  road  was 
located.  Isaac  Casey,  Azariah  Bruce  and 
Lloyd  BuflSngton  were  the  Viewers,  and  it 
was  described  as  running  with  the  Fairfield 
road  to  a  point  near  the  Goshen  road;  thence 
to  Wright  Ballard's,  thence  to  the  bridge 
over  Shiloh  Fork  above  Slocum's  mill.  In 
1839,  the  new  State  road  from  McLeans- 
born  to  Mount  Vernon  was  located,  Ben 
Hood,  Ophey  Cook  and  Wm.  Sturman  being 
the  Viewers.  It  was  described  as  coming 
through  John  Lowry's  field,  through  Willis 
Holder's  and  to  a  post  of  Atchison's  mill  and 
to  the  old  road  between  Atchison's  and  Os- 
born's.  In  1848,  a  road  was  opened  from 
the  Academy  by  Short's  mill  on  the  creek 
and  by  Samuel  Atchison's  to  the  county  line 
at  or  near  the  Spuriock  place.  The  Farming- 
ton  road  was  located  in  October,  1849,  by  Jona- 
than Gregory,  Joe  Bufiington  and  Lafayette 
Casey.  In  the  same  jear,  the  Richview  & 
Fairfield — now  the  Richview  &  Farmington 
— road  was  located  by  G.  P.  Casey,  N.  S. 
Johnson  and  P.  T.  Maxey.  The  east  Long 
Prairie  road  from  Seven-Mile  bridge  was 
laid  out  in  March,  1850,  Abram  Marlow, 
Alexander  Moore  and  Peter  Bruce  being 
Viewers.  The  same  year,  the  Frog  Island 
road  began,  A.  D.  Estes,  J.  Y.    Shelton  and 


Andy  Elkins  locating  it  from  the  Frizzell 
bridge  to  A.  D.  Estes',  and  southeast  to 
Shelton's  mill.  The  route  from  Ashley  to 
Willbanks'  was  completed  by  S.  S.  Manner) 
and  S.  K.  Allen  in  September,  1852.  A  road 
from  Rome  to  John  Foutts'  on  the  Carlyle 
road  was  viewed  in  1853  by  Owen  Breeze, 
John  Foxitts  and  Arch  Maxwell.  The  toll 
road  began  in  June,  1854,  and  a  road 
was  opened  from  Rome  to  Kuneville  by  E. 
Wimberly  and  others  in  1854.  Isaac  Gar- 
rison, Thomas  Moore  and  Rolla  M.  Williams 
located  the  Mount  Vernon  &  Lynchburg  road 
in  July,  1855.  B.  T.  Wood,  W.  A.  Dale 
and  D.  B.  Davis  located  one  from  Council 
Bluffs  to  Lynchbm-g  in  July,  1857.  The 
Spring  Garden  and  Tamaroa  road  began  the 
same  year,  viewed  bj-  J.  B.  Ward,  James 
Kirk  and  Henry  Williams,  and  in  the  same 
year  a  way  was  opened  from  Lynchburg  to 
Ham's  Grove  by  J.  Taylor,  W.  D.  Daily 
and  A.  D.  Estes,  and  the  next  year  one  from 
Ham's  Grove  south  by  G.  H.  Puehett, 
Joshua  Hopper  and  Morgan  Harris. 

And  now  roads  get  to  be  so  numerous  it 
makes  our  head  swim  to  try  to  follow  the 
story  any  further.  Indeed,  there  are  so  many 
that  a  stranger  can  hardly  get  anywhere. 
And  the  changes  have  been  so  many!  Some 
have  kept  wriggling  like  a  snake.  For  in- 
stance, the  Brownsville  road.  If  every  move 
had  made  a  move  forward,  too,  like  a  snake's, 
it  probably  would  now  be  in  the  middle  of 
Arkansas.  We  might  add  that,  under  town- 
ship organization,  we  have  very  expensive 
roads  and  hardly  any  good  ones. 

The  Railroads. — We  desired  to  give  a 
complete  history  of  the  struggles  made  bj 
our  people  to  secure  railroads,  but  the  story 
looms  up  before  us  now  st)  long  and  wide 
that  we  submit  in  despair  and  consent  to 
give  a  mere  outline. 

The   stniggle   began    long    ago.     Illinois 


312 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


had  a  large  amount  of  Saline  lands  in  Gal- 
latin County,  aboiit  four  townships  that  had 
long  been  withheld  from  aale  and  leased  out 
by  the  United  States,  but  at  length  donated 
to  the  State.  It  was  about  the  year  1831 
(L.  1831,  15.15),  it  was  determined  to  sell 
20,000  acres  and  distribute  the  proceeds 
among  the  counties.  Jefferson's  share  was 
$200,  but  we  never  got  it.     In   1836   (Laws, 


p.  120),  the  Illinois  Central   road  was  char\^road  was  chartered  (L.,  1853,  p.  177),    and 


tered  and  our  people  made  an  effort  to  get  it, 
but  got  only  about  400  yards  of  it  across  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  county.  The  older 
citizens  all  remember  the  crazy  lit  that  the 
Legislature  had  in  1836-37  and  1838.  It 
was  attempted  to  supply  the  whole  State 
with  railroads  at  once.  One  was  to  be  built 
from  Galena  to  Cairo,  one  from  Alton  to 
Shawneetown,  one  from  Alton  to  Mount  Car- 
mel,  one  from  Alton  to  Terre  Haute,  one 
from  Quincy,  by  Springtield,  to  the  Wabash, 
one  from  Bloomington  to  Pekin  and  one 
from  Peoria  to    Warsaw — over  1,300  miles. 


1100  at  one  time  and  $50  at  another,  secured 
by  the  persistent  efforts  of  H.  T.  Pace. 

Illinois  bonds,  credit,  railroads,  and  every- 
thing else  were  "  dead  as  a  mackerel  "  until 
1850-51,  when  the  new  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  was  chartered,  and  the  road 
now  bearing  that  name  was  begun.  This 
moved  hope  and  enterprise,  and  other  roads 
were  projected.      The   Sansramon    &  Massac 


February  15,  1855,  gave  birth  to  two  or  three 
charters  that  promised  roads  for  us  (L.,  p. 
24U.  296).  One  was  the  Belleville  &  Fair- 
field with  J.  L.  D.  Morrison,  et  al. ,  of  St. 
Clair;  A.  D.  Ha}%  et  al.,  of  Washington;  J. 
M.  Johnson,  T.  M.  Casey,  Z.  Casey  and  H. 
T.  Pace,  of  Jefferson;  and  D.  Turney,  et  al., 
of  Wayne,  composing  the  company,  capital 
unlimited  and  sis  years  to  begin  it.  The 
'Other  was  the  Mount  Vernon  Railroad,  capi- 
tal $500,000;  election  of  ofificers  at  Mount 
Vernon,  wben  $1,000  per  mile  should  be 
subscribed;  to  run  from  Mount  Vernon  to  the 


All  this  was  undertaken  just  as  the  State  had.  Central  or  the  Chicago  branch,  and  Jefferson 
begun  to  recover  from  a  general  financial  Vallowed  to  give  her  swamp  lands  if  the  peo- 
depression  and  had  got  out  of  debt.  The 
result  was  a  debt  of  $14,000,000  and  about 
100  miles  of  railroad  from  Springfield  to  the 
Illinois  River,  that  was  never  worth  over 
$100,000.  Our  Representative,  H.  T.  Pace, 
strongly  opposed  these  measm'es,  and  this 
was  one  cause  of  our  getting  none  of  the 
railroads.  But  in  1839  (L.,  p.  252),  by  the 
efforts  of  Noah  Johnston  in  the  Senate  and 
H.  T.  Pace  in  the  House,  an  act  was  passed 
which  gave  us  (?),  in  addition  to  the  $200, 
an  interest  in  $200,000  that  was  appropri- 
ated to  counties  that  failed  to  get  any  rail- 
road. Yet  if  a  future  sui-vey  should  put 
Mount  Vernon  on  the  road,  our  interest  in 
the  fund  was  to  "determine."  So  we  missed 
getting  a  railroad  that  time;  so  did  the  rest; 
Bo  did    we    miss    getting  the   money — except 


pie  so  voted.  The  charter  members  were  J. 
N.  Johnson,  Z.  Casey,  H.  T.  Pace,  S.  H. 
Anderson,  Q.  A.  Willbanks,  J.  R.  Allen,  S. 
K.  Allen,  S.  W.  Carpenter,  B.  T.  Wood,  J. 
H.  McCord,  Uriah  Mills  and  G.  W.  Pace. 
The  Bloomington  &  Toledo  road  was 
changed  to  or  united  with  the  St.  Louis  & 
Loi;isville.  February,  1857,  a  consolidation 
was  perfected  and  this  was  confirmed  by  the 
Legislature  February  22,  1861. 

Before  recurring  to  the  Mount  Vernon 
Railroad,  we  must  notice  the  swamp  lands, 
as  these  have  been  the  basis  of  all  our  efforts. 
Congress  passed  a  law  September  28,  1850, 
entitled  "An  act  to  enable  the  State  of  Ar- 
kansas and  other  States  to  reclaim  the  swamp 
lands  within  their  limits,"  which  gave  to 
the  States    named    in    the  act  all  the  swamp 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


213 


and  overflowed  lands  within  their  limits  for 
drainage,  education  or  internal  improve- 
ments. Our  Legislature,  in  the  winter  of 
1851-52,  accepted,  and  gave  the  land  to  the 
several  counties  whereia  it  lay.  September 
6,  1852,  GUI-  County  Court  appointed  Elijah 
Piper  Drainage  Commissioner,  with  power 
to  sell  iirst-class  lands  at  $1,  second  at  75 
cents,  and  third  at  50  cents  per  acre.  But 
Piper  gave  no  bond  till  December,  when  the 
order  was  made  for  a  sale  at  public  outcry. 
February  28,  1853,  for  cash  or  work  on  the 
drains.  From  some  cause,  perhaps  iinding 
an  injunction  staring  him  in  the  face,  Piper 
didn't  sell,  and  all  was  quiet  for  awhile. 
In  December,  1854,  the  Clerk  was  ordered 
to  notify  magistrates  to  watch  for  trespassers, 
and  all  was  quiet  again. 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  Mount  Vernon 
Railroad  Company  would  organize,  they,  by 
Scales,  asked  the  County  Court  for  a  vote  at 
the  judicial  election,  lirst  Monday  in  June, 
1855,  on  a  proposition  to  donate  the  swamp 
lands  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  road. 
On  the  eve  of  the  election,  it  was  postjaoned 
until  the  November  election.  The  donation 
was  conditional,  on  the  road  being  done 
in  three  years,  and  the  land  to  be  sold  for 
not  over  §2.50  per  acre  in  one  year,  or  $5 
after  one  year.     The  propositioH  carried. 

In  the  meantime  it  was  found  that  the 
Illinois  Central  had  taken  7,000  acres  of 
swamp  lands  in  this  county,  and  W.  B.  An- 
derson was  appointed,  August  17,  to  select 
other  lands  instead.  On  the  28th,  he  reported 
nearly  1,000  acres,  and  notices  were  sent  to 
the  land  offices  and  to  Springfield,  but  we 
believe  that  Mi-.  T.  A.  Hendricks  replied 
that  the  resolution  was  void.  A  list  of  our 
swamp  lands  was  received  from  T.  H.  Camp- 
bell, Auditor,  August  20,  footing  up  nearly 
19,000  acres. 

Soon  after  the  election,  a  Mr.  Alton,  from 


Wisconsin,  came  with  proposals  to  build  the 
road,  but  was  incontinently  snubbed.  Gov. 
Casey  founded  a  company  under  the  style  of 
Vanduzer,  Smith  &  Co.,  and  to  these  the 
work  was  awarded.  For  Gov.  Casey  was 
President,  and  A.  M.  Grant  Secretary  of  the 
old  company.  Vanduzer  was  from  Ohio, 
Smith  from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  Vooris  from  Ohio 
and  Gortschius  from  New  York,  but  at  that 
time  from  Peoria,  111.  They  came;  books 
for  subscription  were  opened  at  Anderson  & 
Mills' store,  and  about  $40,000  subscribed  and 
several  thousands  paid  in.  All  went  lively. 
The  track  was  cleared  from  Ashley  to  Fair- 
field and  the  road-bed  nearly  finished.  Joel 
Pace,  June  2,  1856,  was  appointed  Trustee 
of  the  swamp  lands,  and  June  11  filed  his 
bond  in  the  sum  of  $8,000.  Vanduzer, 
Smith  &  Co.  were  everybody's  pets.  Newby 
took  them  out  in  his  buggy  or  carried  out 
luscious  dinners  to  them  on  the  road.  They 
located  a  station  at  John  Wilkerson's  and 
went  for  his  beef  and  spotted  horse.  They 
■  went  in  debt  to  everybody.  Ties  were  piled 
along  the  lino.  They  borrowed  $6,000  from 
Shackelford  and  Givens  and  got  our  Trustee 
to  give  them  a  deed  to  4,500  acres  of  our 
land.  Dr.  Green  and  others  found  them- 
selves guarantors  for  them  to  the  tune  of 
about  $10,000.  One  of  them  married  one  of 
our  handsomest  ladies.  Vanduzer,  accom- 
panied by  Casey  and  Grant,  took  $500,000 
in  bonds  to  New  York  to  sell  and  we  believe 
his  report  is  not  in  yet.  Things  began  to 
drag,  slow,  slower,  slowest,  then  a  full  stop 
— one  gasp  and  all  is  over — the  company  is 
"smashed."  The  aforesaid  guarantors  at- 
tach what  little  there  is  to  attach,  and  are 
further  idemnified  by  the  county  with  a 
somewhat  dead  claim  on  Warren,  and  by 
another  party  with  a  somewhat  dead  note  on 
Vanduzer,  Smith  &  Co.  for  $3,000.  The 
note   died   entirely    when    suit  was  brought 


214 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOSr  COUNTY. 


upon  it,  and  the  indorsers  proved  that  it  was 
only  "a  goak."  Smith — not  Gen.  but  Dr. — 
■went  back  to  Troy  and  his  wife  got  rich; 
Vooris  went  to  Memphis  and  got  shot; 
Gortschius  went  to  Paducah  and  got  a  fatal 
fall,  and  Vanduzer  went  to  Michigan  and 
got  into  the  penitentiary.  Dr.  Green  didn't 
get  the  depot  on  his  land  as  promised; 
Capt.  Newby  didn't  get  it  on  his,  as  prom- 
ised; and  Gov.  Casey  didn't  get  it  on  his,  as 
promised;  most  of  us  got  "  skun  "  for  larger 
or  smaller  amounts,  and  none  of  us  got  any 
railroad. 

Of  course,  by  their  failure,  Vanduzer. 
Smith  &  Co.  forfeited  everything.  The 
original  company  brought  suit  for  recovery 
of  franchise,  etc.,  by  Scates's  advice  the  road 
bed  was  suffered  to  go  to  sale,  and  they  sent 
Tom  Hobbs  to  Springfield  with  $1,000  and 
he  bought  it.  A  new  charter,  however,  was 
procured  for  the  Ashley  &  Mount  Vernon 
Railroad.  February  21,  1861,  with  all  the 
privileges  of  the  Central.  Z.  Casey,  H.  T. 
Pace,  J.  R.  Allen,  W.  D.  Green,  T.  B.  Tan- 
ner, C.  T.  Pace  and  Noah  Johnston,  being  the 
company.  (This  was  to  cover  contingencies.) 
Then  came  Maurice  H.  Baron,  of  New  York, 
and  June  28,  1860,  contracted  to  build  the 
road — a  four-cornered  contract — Baron,  one 
County  Court,  two;  J.  Pace,  three:  several 
other  men,  four.  Baron  was  to  biiild  the 
road  and  run  it  ninety-nine  years  for  the 
road-bed  and  swamp  lands,  and  to  pay  the 
other  parties  $30,500  by  October  1.  The 
"several  other  men"  were  to  make  the  swamp 
lands  up  to  19,000  acres.  All  went  smooth- 
ly, especially  Baron,  and  he  went  to  London 
to  sell  bonds  and  never  came  back  again. 
The  enterprise  was  now  considered  as  dead 
and  bm'ied.  And  so  it  was,  for  it  didn't  ex- 
hibit a  sign  of  life  for  five  or  six  years. 

In  September,  1866,  came  in  petitions  for  a 
vote  on  the  $100,000  proposition  again,  and 


the  result,  November  6,  was.  for,  691 ; 
against,  1,188.  Nothing  daunted,  the  friends 
of  the  project  held  a  public  meeting  the  nest 
spring,  and  May  3,  1867,  court  was  again 
petiti-^ned  to  have  a  vote  on  it  at  the  June 
election.  The  petition  was  granted,  the 
county  was  "  stumped  "  and  the  proposition 
carried.  The  stock-holders  of  the  road  met 
in  Mount  Vernon,  November  8,  1867,  and 
chose  as  Directors  W.  D.  Green,  S.  T.  Strat- 
ton,  S.  K.  Casey,  H.  B.  Newby,  G.  H.  Var- 
nell,  T.  H.  Hobbs  and  T.  S.  Casey.  Dr. 
Green  was  chosen  President  and  T.  S.  Casey 
Secretary.  April  23,  1868,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  increase  the  capital  stock  $200,000, 
and  Varnell,  Stratton,  Newby,  Green  and 
Hobbs  went  in  $40,000  each.  Next  day  a 
contract  was  made  with  Crawford  &  Doane. 
John  H.  Crawford  was  from  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
where  he  had  been  engaged  in  lake  com- 
merce; and  Isaac  S.  Doane  was  from  Mead- 
ville,  Penn. ,  and  was  a  regular  railroad  man. 
The  same  day  Joel  Pace  resigned  and 
Thomas  H.  Hobbs  was  appointed  Trustee  in 
his  stead.  Crawford  &  Doane  agreed  to 
build  the  road  for  the  swamp  lands,  the 
right  of  way,  depot  grounds  and  $100,000,  to 
begin  work  July  1,  1868,  and  finish  by  May 
1,  1869.  If  work  was  not  progressing  by 
September  1,  all  was  to  be  null  and  void, 
Mr,  Crawford  was  elected  Vice  President 
and  fiscal  agint  for  the  company  -July  3, 
A  move  was  made  toward  organizing  an  Ash- 
ley &  St,  Louis  Company,  and  our  company, 
August  18,  approved  it  and  resolved  to  get  a 
through  line.  They  therefore  extended  the 
time  for  work  to  begin  to  October  1. 

It  was  difficult  at  that  time  to  raise  money, 
and  Crawford  &  Doane  could  not  begin  ac- 
cording to  contract,  though  backed  by  Bel- 
don  with  the  promise  of  help  to  the  amount 
of  $6,000,000,  During  the  pause  that  en- 
sued, March  10,  1869,  a  new  company  got   a 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


216 


charter  for  a  road  from  St.  Louis  to  Shaw- 
neetown  and  took  the  name  of  St.  Louis  & 
Southeastern  Railroad  Company.  The  com- 
pany was  O.  Poole,  James  H.  Wilson,  J.  J. 
Castl  es,  S.  S.  Marshall,  A.  G.  Cloud,  R.  W. 
Townsend,  S.  K.  Casey,  W.  D.  Green,  T.  H. 
Hobbs  and  E.  F.  Winslow.  All  these  were 
old  residents  except  Gen.  James  H.  Wilson, 
who  was  Grant's  chief  of  staff  during  the 
war,  and  Gen.  Winslow,  who  was  from 
Maine,  had  been  a  merchant  in  Iowa,  broke, 
went  to  the  war,  was  i  n  a  dry  goods  house  in 
Cincinnati, built  the  Bvough  road  by  Vandalia 
etc.,  sold  out  for  $100,000  profit  and  became 
a  railroad  man. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Rail- 
road Company,  in  Mount  Vernon,  March  26, 
1869,  Dr.  Green  was  directed  to  go  to  Chi- 
cago to  confer  with  Crawford,  who  now  re- 
sided there,  and  renew  the  contract  with  him 
or  foiTn  one  with  Mr.  Winslow,  or  otherwise, 
as  he  might  think  best.  He  here  met  with 
Douglas,  who  was  then  President  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  Company,  and  Douglas 
said,  "build  your  road  yourself;  we  will  in- 
dorse your  bonds  and  lease  your  road."  But 
Green  knew  that  nothing  but  a  through  road 
would  satisfy  his  company  and  reluctantly 
declined  the  generous  offer.  He  found 
Crawford  with  good  vouchers,  but  no 
through  charter,  and  Winslow  just  the  re- 
verse. As  our  company  had  been  repeatedly 
twitted  about  wanting  a  "  bob-tailed  ruad," 
for  the  benefit  of  Mount  Vernon,  Dr.  Green 
inclined  to  prefer  Winslow.  Another  fact 
conlirmed  this  inclination;  he  found  on  a 
slip  of  paper  that  Crawford  had  accidentally 
left  in  a  record  book,  a  list  of  distances, 
etc. ,  which  indicated  that  it  was  Crawford's 
design  to  make  the  railroad  junction  in 
Moore's  Prairie  and  build  up  a  large  town 
there  at  the  expense  of  Mount  Vernon.  So 
he    gave    the    contract  to   Winslow,    saying, 


"  You  shall  have  it  on  one  condition,  that 
you  build  the  depot  south  of  town,  opposite 
the  court  house."  "I  will  do  it,"  said 
Winslow. 

Dr.  Green,  knowing  there  had  been  irreg- 
ularities enough  in  the  elections  and  legal 
proceedings  in  regard  to  the  Mount  Vernon 
Railroad  to  vitiate  everything,  if  contested 
and  pushed  to  investigation,  went  to  Spring- 
field, and  by  help  of  W.  H.  Green,  lobby 
member  from  Cairo,  put  a  bill  through  by 
which  everything  hitherto  done  in  the  busi- 
ness was  legalized,  and  the  title  of  the 
Mount  Vernon  Railroad  Company  to  the 
road,  franchises,  etc.,  confirmed,  March  31, 
1869.  April  8,  the  contract  with  Crawford 
&  Doane  was  rescinded,  and  next  day  the 
contract  was  let  to  Winslow  &  Wilson.  It 
was  a  four-cornered  contract:  St.  Louis  & 
Southeastern,  one;  Mount  Vernon  Company, 
two;  Court,  three;  and  Hobbs  four,  thus: 

It  was  first  agreed  to  begin  May  24,  and 
finish  by  January  1.  Iron,  forty-five  pounds 
to  yard  and  fish-scale  joint;  guage  and  grade 
of  Illinois  Central;  ties,  eight  feet  long,  six 
inches  thick,  six-inch  face,  2640  to  the  mile; 
bridges,  workmanlike;  three  stations,  at 
Ashley,  Mount  Vernon  and  between. 

Second,  agreed  to  give  $100,000  county 
bonds,  14,700  acres  of  swamp  lands,  three 
acres  in  600  yards  of  court  house  for  a  depot 
and  right  of  way  from  Ashley  to  Mount 
Vernon. 

Third,  agreed  to  issue  the  bonds  on  order 
of  President  of  Mount  Vernon  Railroad  and 
completion  of  road  to  Ashley,  bonds  bearing 
8  per  cent,  principal  due  in  twenty  years, 
payable  after  five  years,  and  to  cause  swamp 
lands  to  be  conveyed — the  bonds  to  be  a  sub- 
scription to  the  capital  stock  of  the  railroad. 

Fourth,  agreed  to  convey  the  swamp  lands, 
etc.  This  was  signed  by  E.  F.  Winslow,  W. 
D.  Green.  T.  S.  Casey,  J.  R.  Satterfield,  W. 


216 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUITTY. 


Adams,  F.  S.  Casey  and  T.  H.  Hobbs.  The 
claim  of  the  county  against  the  United 
States  for  lands  entered  after  donated  by  the 
swamp  land  act,  which  sums  from  the 
County  Court  record  B,  page  632  to  have  been 
part  of  the  proposition  to  aid  the  Mount 
Vernon  Company,  is  entirely  omitted  in  this 
contract.  These  proceedings  secured  the  road. 
Perhaps  we  ought  not  to  go  back  to  say  that 
in  1855  a  Marion  and  Jefferson  Coimty  Rail- 
road was  chartered,  but  limited  to  two  years 
to  begin,  so  it  didn't  begin.  In  1865.  a 
Shawneetown  branch  of  the  Illinois  Central 
was  chartered,  which  was  expected  to  give 
lis  a  road  from  Tonti  through  Mount  Vernon. 
This  lay  pretty  still  until  1869,  when  April 
1,  the  St.  Louis,  Mount  Carmel  &  New  Al- 
bany Company  was  chartered.  So  at  the 
April  meeting,  1870,  the  Supervisors  re- 
ceived plenty  of  petitions,  some  asking  a 
vote  on  giving  Si500,0()0  to  the  St.  Louis  & 
Southeastern  when  the  road  extended  to  the 
east  county  line;  some  the  same  for  a  road 
toward  Benton;  some  the  same  for  the  St. 
Louis,  Mount  Carmel  &  New  Albany  Com- 
pany; some  the  same  for  almost  anybody. 
The  only  tangible  result  was  the  extension 
of  our  road  to  the  southeast,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  1871.  Then  those  splendid  ma- 
chine shops  were  built  which  were  bui'nt,  as 
we  shall  notice  hereafter. 

The  Air  Line.- — We  have  already  noticed 
that  imder  the  internal  improvement  scheme 
by  the  State  during  the  mania  of  1835  to 
1838,  a  road  was  undertaken  from  Alton  to 
Mount  Carmel.  The  $4,000,000  borrowed 
to  build  all  these  roads  was  exhausted  before 
any  railroads  were  built.  Gen.  William 
Pickering  was  specially  interested  in  this 
Albany  &  Mount  Carmel  road,  and  when  the 
whole  scheme  fell  through,  the  road  was 
seized  by  its  creditors,  and  thus  passed  into 
the  hands  of   Pickering.      He  undertook  to 


finish  it,  and  spent  his  fortune  upon  it,  but 
only  got  a  road  from  Princeton,  Ind.,  to  Al- 
bion, 111.  He  had  arrangements  made  with 
Eastern  capitalists  for  money,  but  when 
Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  was  killed  at  Alton  and 
his  press  thrown  into  the  river,  they  became 
alarmed,  considering  it  an  unsafe  country 
for  the  investment  of  money,  and  withdrew 
their  support.  Gen.  Pickering  could  go  no 
further,  but  he  held  on  to  what  he  had  till 
about  the  time  he  was  appointed  Governor 
of  Washington  Territoiy,  when  he  sold  out 
to  Blueford,  Wilson  and  others.  He  got 
none  of  the  money,  but  after  his  death  his 
heirs  got  about  $14,000.  To  cover  contin- 
gencies, a  charter  was  obtained,  April  1, 
1869,  for  the  St.  Louis.  Mount  Carmel  & 
New  Albany  Eailroad,  and  perhaps  another 
under  the  name  of  the  Louisville,  New  Al- 
bany &  St.  Louis  Air  Line  Railway  Com- 
pany. Under  the  latter  name,  the  company, 
by  Augustus  Bradley,  President,  and  George 
Lyman,  Secretary,  executed  a  mortgage  to 
Calhoun  &  Opdyke,  of  New  York,  for 
$4,525,000,  due  in  1902,  but  we  don't  think 
they  ever  got  any  money. 

Not  much  was  done  then  till  1881.  May 
20,  the  stockholders  met  at  the  office  of  Bell 
&  Green,  in  Mount  Carmel,  and  resolved  to 
issue  $3,000,000  first  mortgage  bonds  and 
$3,000,000  four  per  cent, fifty  jear  cumulative 
income  bonds  and  $1,000,000  second  mortgage 
bonds.  Robert  Bell  was  then  President, 
holding  two  shares,  while  Goldthwaite,  Burr 
&  Wilson  held  3,806.  The  same  day  it  was 
resolved  to  increase  the  capital  from  $3,000- 
000  to  $5,000,000.  In  November  of  the 
same  year,  the  name  was  changed  to  Louis- 
ville, Evansville  &  St.  Louis  Railway  Com 
pany.  But  in  June  1881,  the  company  had 
executed  a  mortgage  to  the  Mercantile  Trust 
Company  aud  Noble  C.  Butler,  in  which 
the   route    is  described    as  being  from  New 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


217 


Albany,  by  Huntingburg,  Intjleton,  Oakland 
City,  Princeton,  Mount  Cavmel,  Albion  and 
Fairfield,  to  Mount  Vernon,  about  192  miles, 
forty-five  miles  being  already  finished  from 
Ingleton  to  Albion.  Tlie  change  of  name 
was  made  necessary  by  a  consolidation  with 
roads  fi-om  Evansville  to  Jasper,  Ind,  and 
from  Rockport  to  Gentry vi lie,  Ind.,  making 
now  a  total  of  260  miles.  March  1,  1882. 
the  road  was  completed  from  Mount  Vernon 
to  Huntingburg,  in  all  202  miles,  and  by  a 
mortgage  $1,000,000  was  raised  to  finish  it 
to  New  Albany.  Jonas  H.  French  succeeded 
Ml-.  Bell  as  President,  and  he  was  succeeded 
in  turn  by  John  Goldthwaite,  the  present 
incumbent.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Air  Line  was  built  without  costing  our  peo- 
ple any  great  effort  or  ex-pense.  Most  of  the 
money  was  really  furnished  by  Ballon,  of 
Boston.  After  it  was  completed,  the  road 
was  much  damaged  by  high  waters,  and  lay 
quite  awhile  before  trains  ran  regularly, 
but  the  result  was  a  settling  of  the  earth 
whioh  made"  it  the  best  new  road-bed  in  the 
State.  Its  business  has  grown  rapidly,  and 
it  is  already  a  paying  road.  The  Salisbiu-y 
Company  do  its  repair  work  at  present,  but 
we  expect  other  shops  and  a  depot  at  no  dis- 
tant day.  The  Air  Line  is  using  the  Louis- 
ville &  Nashville  track  to  St.  Louis,  but  expect 
to  build  a  line  of  their  own,  when  a  connection 
with  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  will  give  us  the 
most  direct  route  from  St.  Louis  to  the  At- 
lantic. The  road  is  noted  for  the  courtesy 
of  it.s  ofi&cials. 

Coming  Boads. — The  Kaskaskia,  St.  Elmo 
&  Southern  Railroad  Companj'  was  incorpo- 
rated in  September,  1882,  but  by  a  delay  in 
the  notice  of  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders 
last  spring,  it  was  apprehended  that  damage 
might  result,  and  a  new  incorporation  was 
perfected  July  30,  1883.  B.  F.  Johnson, 
B.  C.  Smith,  L.  E.    Stocker,  I.  H.  Johnson, 


W.  H.  Smith,  A.  M.  Johnson,  Joseph 
Micksch  and  J.  B.  Leash,  all  of  St.  Elmo, 
are  the  incorporators;  capital,  $10,000; 
shares,  $50  each;  route,  Altamont  by  Blount 
Vernon,  etc.,  to  the  Ohio,  opposite  Puducah. 
From  Altamont  there  is  a  line  of  roads  to 
Chicago  already,  200  miles.  The  estimated 
cost  of  the  road  is  $3,500,000,  of  which 
$500,000,  to  be  )-aised  on  stock  and  $3,000,- 
000  on  bonds.  A  meeting  is  to  be  held  in 
October  to  issue  the  bonds.  Timothy  Genay 
and  G.  M.  Haynes  are  the  financial  agents. 
They  have  secured  the  indorsement  of 
Gov.  Hamilton,  ex-Gov.  CuUom,  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade,  Mayor  Harrison,  Farwell  & 
Co.,  the  Missottri  Pacific  and  the  Chesapeake 
&  Ohio  Railroad  Companies,  and  many 
others,  and  have  every  asstu-ance  of  being 
able  to  place  the  bonds  at  once  when  issued. 
The  right  of  way  has  been  seciu-ed  for  nearly 
the  entire  route. 

The  Mount  Vernon  &  Tamaroa  Railroad 
comes  in  place  of  the  Tamaroa,  Mount  "Vernon 
&  Vincennes  Railroad,  of  two  years  ago. 
The  latter  lapsed  by  the  two- years  clause. 
Its  length  will  be  twenty-six  miles;  estimated 
cost,  $450,000,  of  which  $50,000  are  to  be 
raised  on  .stock  and  $400,000  on  first  mort- 
gage bonds.  It  is  to  connect  with  the  Wa- 
bash, Chester  &  Western,  whose  eastern  termi- 
mis  is  Tamaroa,  with  the  Air  line,  and  be- 
yond the  Mississippi  with  the  Chester  & 
Iron  Mountain.  This  road  has  been  consol- 
idated with  the  Kankakee,  St.  Elmo  & 
Southern,  Col.  Evans,  of  the  Mount  Ver- 
non &  Tamaroa,  becoming  Treasurer  of  the 
consolidated  company,  and  R.  A.  D.  Will- 
banks  one  of  the  Directors.  All  the  right  of 
way  has  been  secured  except  a  short  distance 
neai-  Mount  Vernon. 

The  Toledo,  Texas  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad 
Company  began  June  7,  1882,  incorporated 
for  fifty  years.      The  route  is  from   Charles- 


318 


HISTOEY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


ton,  Coles  County,  by  Marti Qsvi lie,  in  Clark 
County,  to  Cairo.  Capital,  12,500,000.  The 
incorporators  are  J.  C.  Allen,  of  Olney, 
John  Mason,  of  Newton;  J.  G.  Rupert,  of 
Decatiu-;  E.  Pratt  Buell,  of  "Warsaw;  O.  B. 
Ficklin,  of  Charleston;  F.  A.  Vongassy,  of 
Effingham;  William  Lindsay,  of  Martins- 
ville; Robert  Hannah,  of  Fairfield;  John  H. 
Halley,  of  Newton.  Judge  J.  C.  Allen  is 
President,  J.  G.  Rupert,  Secretary.  The 
great  advantage  of  this  road  is  that  it  has 
its  outlet  to  the  northeast,  striking  the  lake 
commerce  600  miles  nearer   to  the  seaboard 


than  Chicago,  parallel  with  scarcely  any 
other  road,  crossing  them  all,  and  running 
through  an  excellent  but  chiefly  undeveloped 
or  very  imjaerfectly  developed  country.  The 
right  of  way  has  been  obtained,  the  timber 
cut  off,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  grading  done. 
It  runs  across  the  sou  theast  corner  of  the 
county,  through  the  flourishing  town  of 
Belle  Rive, 

Besides  these  roads,  the  Jacksonville, 
Northwestern  &  Southeast  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  chartered  in  1867,  and  is  gradually 
moving  down  upon  us  from  the  northwest. 


CHAPTER    X. 


EDUCATIONAL— EARLY  EFFORTS  AT  FREE  SCHOOLS— THE  DUNCAN  LAW— EDUCATION  AT  PRESENT 
—STATISTICS— THE   PRESS— EDITOR  .JOHN  S.  BOGAN— FIRST  NEWSPAPERS— MOUNT  VER- 
NON   A    NEWSPAPER    GRAVEYARD— THE   PRESS   OF  TO-DAY— RELIGIOUS 
HISTORY— OLD-TIME   CHRISTIANITY— PIONEER    MINISTERS- 
CHURCHES  ORGANIZED— REV.  JOHN  JOHNSON,  ETC. 


THE  subject  of  education  should  interest 
every  reader  of  this  work,  more,  per- 
haps, than  aay  other  mentioned  in  the  gen- 
eral history  of  Jefferson  County.  For  we  are 
told  that  it  "  is  education  forms  the  common 
mind,"  and  our  forefathers  appreciated  this 
fact  when  they  declared,  in  their  famous 
ordinance  of  1787,  that  "  knowledge,  with 
religion  and  morality,  are  necessary  to  the 
good  government  of  mankind."  In  that  little 
clause  they  struck  the  very  keynote  of  Ameri- 
can liberty.  The  governing  power  in  every 
country  upon  the  face  of  the  globe  is  an  edu- 
cated power.  The  Czar  of  the  Russias,  ig- 
norant of  international  law,  of  domestic  re- 
lations, of  finance,  commerce  and  the  organ- 
ization of  armies  and  navies,  could  never  hold, 

•By  W.  H.Perrin. 


under  the  sway  of  his  scepter,  70,000,000  of 
subjects.  An  autocrat  must  be  virtuous  and  in- 
telligent, or  only  waste  and  wretchedness  and 
wreck  can  wait  upon  his  reign.  England,  with 
scrupulous  care,  fosters  her  great  universities 
for  the  training  of  the  sons  of  her  nobility, 
for  their  places  in  the  House  of  Lords,  in 
the  army,  navy  and  church.  What,  then, 
ought  to  be  the  character  of  citizenship  in  a 
country  where  every  man  is  born  a  king,  and 
sovereign  heir  to  all  the  franchises  and 
trusts  of  the  State  and  Republic?  An  ig- 
norant people  can  be  governed,  but  only  an 
intelligent  and  educated  people  can  govern 
themselves. 

WTien  the  siu'vey  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tiOry  was  ordered  by  Congress,  it  was  decreed 
that  every  sixteenth   section  of  land    should 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


2iy 


be  reserved  for  the  maiDtenance  of  public 
schools  within  each  townshii?.  The  ordi- 
nance of  1787  proclaimed  that  "  schools  and 
the  means  of  education  should  forever  be  en- 
couraged." By  the  act  of  Congress  passed 
April  18,  1818,  eaabling  the  people  of  Illi- 
nois to  form  a  State  Constitution,  the  "  Sec- 
tion numbered  16  in  every  township,  and 
when  such  section  had  been  sold  or  otherwise 
disposed  of,  other  lands  equivalent  thereto 
and  as  contiguous  as  may  be,  should  be 
granted  to  the  State  for  thn  use  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  such  township  for  the  support  of 
schools."  The  act  further  stipiilates  "  That 
5  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  lands 
lying  within  said  State,  and  which  shall  be 
sold  by  Congress  from  and  after  the  1st  day 
of  January,  1819,  after  deducting  all  ex- 
penses incident  to  the  same,  shall  be  reservud 
for  the  purposes  following:  Two-fifths  to  bo 
disbursed,  under  the  direction  of  Congress, 
in  making  roads  leading  to  the  State;  the 
residue  to  be  appropriated  by  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  f  nr  the  encouragement  of  learn- 
ing, of  which  one  sixth  part  shall  be  exclu- 
sively bestowed  on  a  college  or  university." 
In  other  words,  Congress  donated  to  the 
State  a  full  township,  six  miles  square,  for 
seminary  purposes,  and  the  thirty-sixth  part 
of  all  the  residue  of  public  lands  in  the  State 
and  3  per  cent  of  the  net  proceeds  of  the  sales 
of  the  remainder,  to  support  common  schools 
and  pi'omote  education  in  the  then  infant 
State.  Truly  a  most  magnificent  and  prince- 
ly donation  and  provision  for  education. 
The  sixteenth  section,  so  donated,  amounted 
in  the  State  to  nearly  a  million  acres;  in 
Jeflerson  County  to  over  ten  thousand  acres. 
Laws  were  first  passed,  directing  Commis- 
sioners' Courts  to  appoint  three  Trustees  for 
the  school  land  in  each  township,  where  the 
inhabitants  of  such  townships  numbered 
twenty  white  persons.      These    Trustees  had 


power  to  lease  the  school  lands  at  public  out- 
cry, after  twenty  days'  notice,  to  the  highest 
bidder,  for  any  period  not  exceeding  ten 
years,  the  rents  to  be  paid  in  improvements, 
or  in  shares  of  the  products  raised.  The 
laws  were  crude,  and  fell  far  short  of  their 
intended  object.  The  school  lands,  under 
the  lessee  or  rental  arrangement,  yielded  lit- 
tle or  no  revenue;  many  of  the  renters,  hav- 
ing no  title  to  nor  common  interest  in  the 
land,  only  opened  and  cultivated  enough  for 
a  bare  support,  and  of  course  produced  noth- 
ing to  divide.  Then  squatters  took  posses- 
sion of  a  considerable  portion,  and  wasted 
the  timber,  and  in  many  ways  depreciated 
the  value  of  the  lands.  As  a  result,  the  cause 
of  education  languished,  and  was  at  a  stand- 
still for  years.  There  were  a  great  man}'  in- 
fluences and  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge.  The  settlements 
were  sparse,  and  money  or  other  means  of 
remunerating  teachers  were  scarce;  and 
teachers,  competent  to  impart  even  the  com- 
mon rudiments  of  an  English  education  were 
few  and  far  between. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  1825, 
when  Joseph  Duncan,  then  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate,  introduced  a  bill  for  the  sup- 
port of  common  schools  by  a  public  tax.  The 
preamble  to  the  act  was  as  follows:  "To 
enjoy  our  rights  and  liberties,  we  must  un- 
derstand them;  their  security  and  protection 
ought  to  be  the  first  object  of  a  free  peo2:)le; 
and  it  is  a  well-established  fact  that  no  na- 
tion has  ever  continued  long  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  civil  and  political  freedom  which 
was  not  both  virtuous  and  enlightened;  and 
believing  that  the  advancement  of  literature 
always  has  been  and  ever  will  be  the  means 
of  devolojjing  more  fully  the  rights  of  man; 
that  the  mind  of  every  citizen  in  a  republic 
is  the  Common  property  of  society  and  con- 
stitutes the  basis  of    its  strength  and  happi- 


220 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEESOX  COUNTY. 


ness;  it  is,  therefore,  considered  the  peculiar 
duty  of  a  free  government,  like  ours,  to  en- 
courage and  extend  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  the  intellectual  energies  of  the 
whole."  The  test  of  this  admirable  law  may 
be  divined  from  the  preamble.  It  gave  edu- 
cation a  powerful  impetus,  and  common 
schools  floimshed  in  almost  every  settlement. 
But  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  law  was  in 
advance  of  the  civilization  of  the  times. 
The  early  settlers  had  left  the  older  States — 
the  Southern  States,  where  common  scliool 
education  never  has  flourished  as  it  should — 
and  plunged  into  the  wilderness,  braving 
countless  dangers  and  privations  in  order  to 
better  their  individual  fortunes  and  to  escape 
the  burdens  of  taxation,  which  advanced  re- 
finement and  culture  in  any  people  invaria- 
bly impose.  Hence,  the  law  was  the  subject 
of  much  bitter  opposition.  The  very  idea  of 
a  tax  was  so  hateful,  that  even  the  poorest 
preferred  to  pay  all  that  was  necessary  for 
the  tuition  of  their  children,  or  keep  them  in 
ignorance — which  was  generally  the  case — 
rather  than  siibmit  to  the  mere  name  of  tax. 
This  law — the  Duncan  law,  as  it  was 
called — is  the  foundation  upon  which  rests 
the  superstructure  of  the  present  common 
school  system  of  Illinois.  The  law  provided 
for  the  division  of  townships  into  school 
districts,  in  each  of  which  were  elected  three 
School  Trustees,  corresponding  to  Directors 
of  the  present  day,  one  Clerk,  one  Treasurer, 
one  Assessor  and  one  Collector.  The  Trust- 
ees of  each  district  had  supreme  control  and 
management  of  the  school  within  the  same, 
and  the  employment  of  teachers  and  fixing 
their  remuneration.  They  were  required  to 
make  an  annual  report  to  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Com-t,  of  the  number  of  children 
living  within  the  bounds  of  such  district,  be- 
tween she  ages  of  five  and  twenty  one  years, 
and   what    number   of   them   were    actually 


sent  to  school,  with  a  certificate  of  the  time 
a  school  was  kept  ujj,  with  the  expenses  of 
the  same.  Persons  over  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  were  permitted  to  attend  school 
iipon  the  order  of  the  Trustees;  and  the  his- 
tory of  education  in  Illinois  discloses  the 
fact  that  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  men 
beyond  the  meridian  of  life  to  be  seen  at 
school  with  their  children.  The  law  required 
teachers,  at  the  close  of  their  schools,  to  pre- 
pare schedules  giving  alphabetically  the 
names  of  attending  pupils,  with  ^their  ages, 
the  total  number  of  days  each  pupil  attended, 
the  aggregate  number  of  days  attended,  the 
average  daily  attendance,  and  the  standing 
of  each  scholar.  This  schedule  was  submit- 
ted to  the  Trustees  for  their  ajaproval,  as  no 
teacher  was  paid  any  remimeration  except  on 
presentation  to  the  Treasurer  of  his  schedule, 
signed  by  a  majority  of  the  Trustees.  The 
law  further  provided,  that  all  commun 
schools  should  be  maintained  and  supported 
by  a  direct  public  tax.  School  taxes  were ' 
payable  either  in  money  or  in  produce,  and 
teachers  would  take  the  produce  at  market 
price,  or  if  there  was  no  current  value,  the 
price  was  fixed  by  arbitration.  Fancy  the 
schoolma'am  of  the  present  daj^,  taking  her 
hard-earned  salary  as  a  teacher  in  potatoes, 
turnips  or  coon  skins!  We  have  heard  it  re- 
lated of  a  teacher  in  one  of  the  counties  border- 
ing the  Wabash  River,  that  he  was  paid  in 
coon  skins  for  a  ten  weeks'  school ;  and  after 
his  school  was  out,  he  footed  it  to  Vincennes, 
with  his  pelts  upon  his  back,  a  distance  of 
over  thirty  miles,  and  there  disposed  of  them. 
When  this  wise  and  wholesome  law  was 
repealed  by  the  Legislature,  Gen.  Duncan 
wrote,  as  if  gifted  with  prophecy,  "  That 
coming  generations  would  see  the  wisdom  of 
his  law,  and  would  engraft  its  principles  on 
their  statute-books;  that  changes  in  the  con- 
dition of    society  might   render  difterent  ap- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOJT  COI'NTY. 


321 


plications  of  the  same  necessary,  but  that  the 
principle  was  eternal,  and  the  essence  of  free 
and  enlightened  government;  and  legislators 
who  voted  against  the  measui-e  will  yet  live 
to  see  the  day  when  all  the  childi'en  of  the 
State  will  be  educated  through  the  medium 
of  common  schools,  supported  and  main- 
tained by  direct  tax  upon  the  people,  the 
burden  falling  upon  the  rich  and  poor  in 
proportion  to  their  worldly  possessions." 
These  predictions,  yellow  with  the  years  of  a 
half-century  and  over,  have  been  faithfully 
fulfilled  and  verified. 

The  Duncan  school  law  remained  in  force 
only  a  little  over  two  years,  when  it  was  re 
pealed.  The  great  objection,  as  we  have 
said,  to  the  law,  was  the  tax  clause.  This 
was,  substantially,  that  the  legal  voters  of 
any  school  district  had  power,  at  any  of  their 
meetings,  to  cause  either  the  whole  or  one- 
half  of  the  sum  necessary  to  maintain  and 
conduct  a  school  in  said  district,  to  be  raised 
by  taxation.  And  if  the  voters  decided  that 
only  one-half  of  such  required  amount  was 
to  be  so  raised,  the  remainder  was  to  be  paid 
by  the  parents,  masters  and  guardians,  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  pupils  which 
each  of  them  might  send  to  such  school.  No 
person,  however,  could  be  taxed  for  the  sup- 
jjort  of  any  free  school  unless  by  his  or  her 
consent  fu'st  obtained  in  writing,  though  all 
persons  refusing  to  be  taxed  were  precluded 
from  sending  pupils  to  such  school.  In  al- 
most every  district  there  were  those  who  had 
no  childi'en  to  educate,  and  then  there  was 
an  uncivilized  element  of  frontier  life,  who 
believed  education  was  a  useless  and  un- 
necessary accomplishment,  and  only  needful 
to  divines  and  lawyers;  that  bone  and  muscle 
and  the  ability  to  labor  were  the  only  require- 
ments necessarv  to  fit  their  daughters  and 
sons  for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  A  prov- 
erb   then    current  was    (in  many   localities), 


"  The  more  book-learning  the  more  rascals." 
To  quote  a  localism  of  the  day,  "Gals  didn't 
need  to  know  nothin'  about  books,  and  all 
that  boys  orter  know  was  how  to  grub,  maul 
rails  and  hunt."  That  senseless  prejudice, 
born  of  the  crude  civilization  of  the  early 
period  of  the  country,  has  descended,  in  a 
slight  degree,  to  the  present,  and  yet  tinges 
the  complexion  of  society  in  many  different 
localities. 

After  the  repeal  of  the  Duncan  law,  edu- 
cation, for  nearly  a  generation,  was  in  any- 
thing but  a  flourishing  condition,  either  in 
this  county  or  in  the  State.  Like  the  stag- 
nant waters  of  a  Southern  lagoon,  it  was 
difficult  to  tell  whether  the  current  flowed 
backward  or  forward.  For  many  years  the 
schoolhouses,  school  books,  school  teachers 
and  the  manner  of  instruction  were  of  the 
most  primitive  character  throughout  the 
whole  of  Southern  Illinois.  The  houses 
were  the  proverbial  log  cabin,  so  often  de- 
scribed in  the  early  annals.  A  few  of  these 
humble  schoolhouses,  unused  and  almost 
rotted  down,  may  still  be  occasi'jnally  seen, 
eloquent  of  an  ago  forever  past.  The  early 
books  were  as  primitive  as  the  cabin  school - 
houses,  and  the  early  teacher  was,  perhaps, 
the  most  primitive  of  all.  The  old-time 
pedagogue  was  a  marked  and  distinctive 
character  of  the  early  history — one  of  the 
vital  forces  of  the  earlier  growth.  He  con- 
sidered the  matter  of  imparting  the  limited 
knowledge  he  possessed  a  mere  question  of 
effort,  in  which  the  physical  element  predomi- 
nated. If  he  couldn't  talk  or  read  it  into 
a  pupil,  he  took  a  stick  and  mauled  it  into 
him. 

The  schoolmaster  usually,  by  common  con- 
sent, was  a  personage  of  distinction  and  im- 
portance. He  was  of  higher  authority,  eveu 
in  the  law,  than  the  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  ranked  him  in  social   position.     He  was 


223 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


considered  the  intellectaal  center  of  the 
neighborhood  and  was  consulted  upon  all 
BubjectB,  public  and  private.  Most  generally 
he  was  a  hard-shell  Baptist  in  religion,  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  worshiped  Gen. 
Jackson  as  his  political  savior.  But  the 
old-time  pedagogue — the  pioneer  of  Ameri- 
can letters — is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  we 
shall  never  see  his  like  again.  He  Is  ever 
in  the  van  of  advancing  civilization,  and  tied 
before  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  or  the 
click  of  the  telegraph  was  heard.  He  can- 
not live  within  the  pale  of  progress.  His 
race  became  extinct  here  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago,  when  the  common  school 
system  began  to  take  firm  hold  and  become  a 
fixed  institution  among  the  people.  The 
older  citizens  remember  him,  but  to  the 
young  of  to-day  he  is  a  myth,  and  only  lives 
in  tradition. 

The  school  laws,  after  the  repeal  of  the 
Duncan  law,  were  often  changed — they  were 
revised  and  changed  again  before  they  at- 
tained to  the  perfection  we  at  present  have 
in  them.  Even  now,  they  are  susceptible  of 
improvement,  though  they  are  superior  to 
those  of  many  other  States.  A  ])eculiarity  in 
the  difl'erent  State  constitutions  is  that  per- 
taining to  education.  The  constitution  of 
1818,  while  indorsing  education  in  a  general 
way,  is  silent  upon  the  subject  of  educating 
the  masses  through  the  medium  of  the  com- 
mon schools.  The  framers  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  1848  went  a  little  further;  they  said 
that  the  General  Assembly  might  provide  a 
system  of  free  schools.  It  was  not,  however, 
till  cf  ter  half  a  century  of  existence  as  a  State, 
that  her  delegates,  in  convention  assembled, 
engrafted  upon  the  pages  of  her  organic  law 
a  mandatory  section,  declaring  "  that  the 
General  Assembly  sihall  provide  a  thorough 
and  efiicient  system  of  free  schools,  whereby 
all  children  of  this  State  may  receive  a  good 


common  school  education ;"  and  the  last  Gen- 
eral Assembly  (1882-83),  among  the  few  re- 
deeming acts  of  its  long,  turbulent  session, 
was  one  compelling  all  parents,  guardians, 
etc.,  to  educate  the  children  intrustedto  them. 
The  first  school  ever  taught  in  Jeiferson 
County  was  in  1820,  by  Joel  Pace,  whom  we 
have  mentioned  elsewhere  as  the  first  Coun- 
ty and  Circuit  Clerk.  It  was  taught  in  a 
floorless  cabin,  without  ceiling  or  window — 
perhaps  without  a  shutter  to  the  door.  The 
pupils  comprised  the  children  of  William 
Maxey,  probably,  and  John  and  Henry  Wil- 
kerson's,  one  or  two  of  Isaac  Casey's  and  a 
few  of  James  and  Lewis  Johnson's.  The 
next  school  was  taught  by  James  Douglas,  at 
Old  Shiloh.  Douglas  was  a  man  of  educa 
tion,  and,  it  is  said,  understood  several  dif- 
ferent languages.  He  boarded  at  Zadok 
Casey's  much  of  the  time,  and  from  him  Mr. 
Casey  received  the  rudiments  of  an  English 
education.  The  Shiloh  house  in  which 
Douglas  taught  was  burned  down  the  next 
fall,  and  hence  his  was  the  only  school 
taught  in  it.  Another  was  afterward  built, 
near  the  same  site.  Emory  P.  Moore  taught, 
perhaps,  the  third  school  in  the  county  at 
Union,  in  1820-21.  In  1822,  W.  L.  Howell 
taught  in  the  same  house.  About  1821-22, 
an  Irishman  named  Freeinan  taught  a  school 
on  Mulberry  Hill,  in  a  cabin  that  had  been 
built  by  Clark  Casey  and  afterward  aban- 
doned. Referring  to  the  early  schools  of  the 
coanty,  Mr.  Johnson  says:  "  The  schools 
were  not  large  nor  learned.  The  Testament, 
spelling-book  and  arithmetic,  with  writing, 
constituted  the  coarse  of  study;  audit  didn't 
'run  smooth,'  for  nearly  all  the  schools  were 
loud — just  as  loud  as  the  children's  lungs 
could  make  them,  every  one  studying  at  the 
top  of  his  voice;  yet  the  teachers  were  more 
rigorous  in  discipline  than  is  common  at 
present. " 


#•• 


ELI    GILBERT. 
(deceased.) 


;-  THE 
jN.VERSnV  OF  iUlNOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


225 


The  following    statistics  will    show    some- 
thing of  the    present  status  of    education  in 
the  county: 
Number  of  children  in  the  county  under 

twenty-one  years 11,041 

Number  of  children  between  six  and  twen- 
ty-one years 7,414 

Number  of  graded  schools  in  county.  ...  2 

Number  of  schoolhouses,  brick.  4  ;  frame, 

90;  log,  15;  total 109 

Number  of  males  attending  scliool,  2,942; 

females,  2.787;    total 5.729 

Number  of  male  teachers  employed,  89; 

female,  52;  total 141 

Fund  for  school  purposes  from  all  sources,  $38,139.37 
Total  expenditures  for  schools,  etc 32, 191.23 

Balance  on  hand  Juno  30,  1883 $  5,948.14 

The  Press. — A  history  of  the  county  which 
did  not  give  a  full  and  complete  histor}'  of 
the  press  woitld  be  incomplete,  to  say  the 
least.  JeiTerson  County,  like  many  other  por 
tions  of  the  State — and  many  portions,  even, 
of  the  whole  country -^has  been  a  great  news 
paper  graveyard.  For  a  history  of  the 
many  enterprises — living  and  dead,  past  and 
present — in  the  "art  preservative  of  all  arts," 
we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson, 
who  knows  more  of  the  press  history,  as  well 
as  the  entire  history  of  Jefferson  County, 
than  any  other  man.  living.  His  sketch  of 
the  jjress  is  as  follows: 

It  ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  prepai'e  a  full 
and  connected  account  of  our  newspaper  en- 
terprises, but  it  is  so;  and  chiefly,  we  suj)- 
pose.  because  oui-  papers  .changed  owners  so 
ofteu,  and  so  many  of  our  editors  and  pub- 
lishers have  left  us.  We  trust,  however, 
that  the  reader  will  find  nearly  all  the  lead- 
ing actors  and  events  in  this  line  in  the  fol- 
lowing sketch: 

Tlie  Jeffersonian.  —  Our  present  Circuit 
Clerk,  John  S.  Bogan,  was  the  principal  one 
"to  be,  to  do  and  to  sufier"  in  this,  our  lirst 
attempt.  A  few  words  of  him  are  not  out  of 
place  here.    The  son  of  a  printer,  Mr.  Bogan 


had  learned  the  art  in  the  Congressional 
Globe  office  at  Washington  City  in  early  boy- 
hood, and  followed  types  till  1840.  He  then 
located  a  few  miles  out  of  town,  near  the  line 
of  Montgomery  and  Prince  George  Coun- 
ties, in  Maryland.  He  was  born  in  Shenan 
doah  County,  Va.,  in  1820.  His  father, 
Benjamin  Bogan.  was  also  a  Virginian,  and 
a  fine  type  of  that  old  Virginia  gentleman 
now  fast  passing  away.  For  many  years  he 
edited  and  published  a  newspaper  in  both 
Virginia  and  Ohio,  and  then  located  in 
Washington  City.  Our  old  editor,  John  S. , 
has  been  with  us  so  long  that  we  all  know 
him.  He  is  a  part  of  us — a  very  large  part, 
for  his  heart  is  large  enough  and  warm 
enough  to  take  in  the  whole  human  race. 
He  came  here  young,  and  buoyant  with  hope 
and  life,  and  now  he  is  growing  old  and  is 
fast  descending  the  shady  side  of  life.  For 
forty  years  he  has  gone  in  and  out  among  us, 
and  his  long  and  active  life  is  without  spot 
or  blemish.  Although  he  long  ago  retired 
from  the  editorial  chair,  he  has  always  been 
in  public  life,  itntil  the  county  machinery 
would  hardly  run  without  his  aid. 

He  came  to  our  county  in  1846,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Gov.  Casey,  who  was  ever  trying 
to  bring  the  better  class  of  immigration 
hither,  and  bought  the  old  Sam  Casey  place 
in  Grand  Prairie.  He  was  quite  a  success- 
ful farmer,  aad  remained  here  till  1851.  T. 
B.  Tanner,  having  learned  from  Gov.  Casey 
that  Bogan  was  a  printer,  rode  out  to  his 
farm  and  remained  a  day  or  two  with  him, 
discussing  the  project  of  starting  a  paper  in 
Mount  Vernon.  The  result  was  that  the 
paper  was  determined  upon,  and  a  subscrip- 
tion by  the  citizens  footed  up  $156.  A  pause 
ensued.  H.  T.  Pace  inquired  how  much 
more  was  wanted,  and  finding  it  was  §200 
offered  to  loan  that  sum,  taking  notes  due  in 
one  and  two  years. 


326 


HISTORY   OF  JEPFERSOiN'  COUNTY. 


Bogan  found  a  partner  in  the  person  of 
Augustus  A.  Stickney,  then  at  Centralia. 
Stickney,  we  believe,  was  originally  from  St. 
Clair  County,  and  was  related  to  the  O'Mal- 
venys.  He  was  a  man  of  brain  and  vim,  but 
not  much  physical  strength.  An  old  Ram- 
mage  2:)ress  was  secured  at  Belleville.  It  had 
formerly  done  service  at  Alton.  It  was  inked 
with  balls  instead  of  a  roller.  Its  mahogany 
frame  would  indicate  that  it  had  once  been  a 
line  one,  but  it  required  four  tremendous 
pulls  to  print  a  paper.  This  was  too  much 
for  Stickney,  who  got  to  spitting  blood  when 
he  went  to  strike  off  the  paper;  so  in  a  few 
weeks  he  retired,  went  to  Faii-tield  and 
started  a  paper  there.  Let  us  finish  him: 
From  Fairfield  he  went  South,  and  at  length 
brought  up  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  pub- 
lished, and  perhaps  still  publishes,  the 
Alaska  Herald.  We  have  a  copy  of  his 
paper.  Vol.  VI.,  No.  140  agooddeal  English, 
some  Russian,  and  in  his  terms  he  agrees  to 
take  greenbacks  at  par. 

The  first  number  of  the  Jefferson ian  was 
issued  in  August,  1851.  It  was  a  modest 
sheet,  of  six  column  size,  with  some  adver- 
tisements, and  enjoyed  a  circulation  of  about 
six  hundred  copies.  The  Hamilton  County 
printing  was  done  here,  but  beyond  this  the 
job  work  did  not  amount  to  much.  Prob 
ably,  in  the  way  of  Eastern  exchanges,  the 
Jeffersonian  excelled  any  other  paper  we 
ever  had.  The  Alton  Telegraph  and  the 
State  Register,  both  dailies,  were  also  on  the 
exchange  list,  besides  the  few  papers  then 
published  in  Southern  Illinois,  as  the  Cairo 
Argus,  Benton  Standard,  Shavpneetown  Ad- 
vocate, Belleville  Advocate,  Salem  Advocate 
and  the  rest  of  the  Advocates,  whether  so- 
called  or  not.  It  was  not,  however,  a  finan- 
cial success,  resembling,  in  this  respect, 
Grossman's  Benton  Standard,  and  most  of 
the  papers  of  that  day  in  Southern  Illinois. 


After  Stickney  left,  Bogan  had  helps — 
"Wallace;  Matchett,  the  universal  tramper, 
who  could  scare  all  the  boys  bj'  his  fearful 
recitations  of  Shakespeare;  Frank  Manly, 
who  married  and  went  to  Mount  Carmel  and 
died;  John  A.  Wall  for  a  short  time,  T.  T. 
Wilson,  E.  V.  Satterfield,  et  at.  This  office 
produced  the  first  roller  ever  used  in  the 
county.  Bogan  was  the  building  committee, 
and  Ed  Satterfield  the  master  mechanic.  Ed 
Noble  made  a  tin  mold;  the  materials  were 
mixed  and  cooked  in  an  old  iron  pot,  and 
the  whole  performance  took  place  in  the  mid- 
dle of  Main  street,  in  front  of  the  office. 
Thus  the  modern  improvements  were  intro- 
duced. Yet  the  enterprise  failed  to  pay,  and 
in  three  years  was  hopelessly  in  arrears — as 
papers  are  apt  to  be  when  their  subscribers  are. 
Pace  sued  on  his  notes,  and  finally  Bogan, 
his  paper  and  his  farm  all  "went  under"  to- 
gether. 

Tanner,  at  this  time,  was  Circuit  Clerk, 
having  been  elected  in  1852,  and  he  re- 
proached himself  as  the  cause  of  Mr.  Bogan' s 
misfortune.  Downing  Baugh  was  now  Judge, 
filling  the  unexpired  term  of  S.  S.  Marshall. 
So  Tanner,  having  first  obtained  a  promise 
of  Judge  Baugh,  resigned  his  office  and  Bo- 
gan was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  Thus 
began  Bogan's  somewhat  protracted  term  as 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  dating  from  Sep- 
tember. 1854. 

In  August  of  that  year,  however,  in  wind- 
ing up  his  affairs,  he  had  sold  his  old  press 
to  Bowman  &  Robinson  for  $325  in  gold. 
These  gentlemen  were  from  St.  Louis;  the 
former  a  son  of  wealthy  parents,  the  latter 
fresh  from  California;  both  nice  young  men 
— too  nice  to  be  satisfied  with  so  rough  a 
press.  Before  they  had  run  it  long,  they 
offered  to  sell  Mr.  Bogan  the  whole  concern 
for  about  $200.  Robinson  soon  quit,  and 
Bowman    persevered    for    about  six   montiis 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


when  he  sold  out  to  Dodds,  Johnson  &  Co. 
The  origin  of  this  company  was  peculiar. 
The  county  had  recently  come  in  possession 
of  about  19,000  acres  of  swamp  lands.  One 
party  was  in  favor  of  selling  these  lands  im- 
mediately, and  talked  of  a  groat  system  of 
drainage  and  numerous  new  schoolhouses  as 
the  result.  Dodds  favored  selling,  partly, 
it  may  be  —and  very  naturally — because  ho 
was  County  Clerk,  and  would  receive  $1.50 
for  every  deed  made  by  the  county.  A 
caucus  of  those  opposed  to  selling  and  in 
favor  of  holding  the  lands  as  a  means  of 
some  day  securing  a  railroad,  was  held — 
Casey,  Seates,  Johnson  and  Tanner,  perhaps, 
forming  the  caucus.  They  resolved  to  form 
a  company  and  buy  the  Jeffersonian,  and 
run  it  in  the  interests  of  their  raiboad  proj- 
ect, fighting  the  pi'oposed  sale  of  the  lands. 
Of  course  this  design  was  not  even  whispered 
to  Dodds.  The  company  was  soon  formed, 
composed  of  W.  Dodds,  John  N.  Johnson, 
Z.  Casey,  W.  B  Scales,  T.  B.  Tanner,  An 
ders'jU  &  Mills,  J.  Pace  &  Son.  This  was  in 
April,  1855. 

Tanner,  fresh  from  the  Legislature,  be- 
came the  editor.  A  Mr.  Smith — not  John, 
but  Lute  B.,  from  Evansville — an  inferior 
printer  but  not  easy  to  get  rid  of,  was  fore- 
man, aided  by  any  boys  he  could  pick  up, 
especially,  and  for  most  of  the  time,  by 
John  A.  Wall.  Tanner  went  to  St.  Louis 
and  secured  a  number  of  advertisements. 
The  people  were  talked  to,  and  the  subscrip- 
tion list  ran  up  to  eleven  or  twelve  hundred. 
A  new  press  was  bought  from  Frank  Manly, 
and  Daniel  Anderson  took  a  wagon  to  Gray- 
ville  and  hauled  it  home.  In  short,  the  en- 
terprise was  quite  a  success.  After  Dodds, 
Johnson  &  Co.  had  run  the  concern  one  year, 
and  had  accomj)lished  their  design — the  sell- 
ing of  the  lands  had  been  voted  down  by  the 
people — but  still   wishing  to   have  a  county 


paper,  they  fell  into  the  generous  course  of 
giving  the  use  of  the  press  to  anybody  that 
would  take  it  and  publish  a  paper. 

The  Sentinel. — This  was  the  nest  paper 
that  made  its  appearance.  Tanner  and  Tom 
Casey  were  practicing  law  together  and  Will- 
iam Ander.'ion  was  studjing.  Casey  and 
Anderson  were  ambitious,  and  wished  to  try 
their  hands  at' the  newspaper  awhile,  and 
Tanner  consented  to  the  use  of  his  name. 
So  Tanner,  Casey  &  Anderson  it  was.  They 
took  the  office  for  one  year.  The  paper  was 
styled  the  Sentinel,  and  Anderson  was  the  os- 
tensible editor.  John  A.  Wall  and  Joel  V. 
Baugh  were  the  typos.  John  had  been 
"devil"  a  good  deal,  but  we  believe  Joe  just 
went  in  with  scarcely  any  initiation.  It  was 
before  Casey  had  learned  to  write — we  mean 
like  he  does  on  the  Judge's  docket  —so  the 
boys  could  read  nearly  all  his  articles.  Tan- 
ner wrote  the  long  articles — so  long,  the  boys 
did  not  have  time  to  correct  the  pi-oofs  care- 
fully; and  Anderson  not  being  a  born  wi-it- 
ing  master,  it  went  hard  with  the  editorials. 
Tanner  said  that  sometimes  when  the  paper 
came  out,  and  he  looked  at  the  "  leader, "  he 
could  hardly  remember  whether  he  had  ever 
written  anything  like  it  or  not.  The  Sentinel 
did  not  prove  very  profitable,  in  fact,  it  be- 
gan at  the  wrong  time — just  after  the  Presi- 
dential election  in  1856,  when  everybody 
was  cooling  off  so,  when  the  year  was  out, 
Tanner,  Casey  &  Anderson  went  out.  And 
Baugh  went  out. 

The  Egyptian  Torchlight.  — Dodds,  John- 
son &  Co.  now  sold  their  press  and  fixtures 
to  William  R.  Hollingsworth  and  John  A. 
Wall.  They  christened  their  paper  the 
Egiipiian  TorchUght,  and  published  under 
the  fii-m  style  of  Hollingsworth  &  Wall,  Ed 
Sattertield  and  Sam  Bird  assisting.  In  the 
fall,  1857,  Wall  withdrew  and  went  to  Mur- 
freesboro,  Tenn.,  and  Hollingsworth  went  on 


228 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY 


alone,  but  not  long.  The  Torchlight  did  not 
shine  so  long  as  the  Sentinel  did — not  much 
over  six  months — say  from  spring  till  late  in 

1857.  Hollingsworth  then  surrendered  .the 
office,  not  having  yet  paid  for  it,  and  went 
to  Missoui-i  or  Arkansas.  He  came  from 
Iowa.  After  Hollingsworth  &  Wall  had  both 
gone,  Ed  Satterfield  issued  the  paper  for  a 
few  weeks,  making  no  notable  change  in  it 
except  the  adoption  of  a  motto  that  some 
were  wicked  enough  to  say  was  ambiguous: 
"  Egyptian  darkness  and  Jackson  Democracy 
• — one  and  inseparable."  The  paper  then 
again  changed  hands  and  name 

The  Advocate. — This  was  the  name  of  the 
new  paper.  S.  Tm'ner  Brown  was  the  new 
proprietor  and  Ed  Satterfield  and  Frank 
Dowler  were  his  forces.  This  enterprise 
lasted  from  "late  in  1857,"  vide  supra,  imtil 
very  late  in  1857 — that  is,  for  about  three 
weeks.  Dr.  Brown  was  from  Alabama  by 
way  of  Metropolis,  and  his  tall,  slender  fig- 
ure, his  very  [tall,  slender  coat,  his  nervous 
locomotion,  his  fi'ay  with  Mi".  Thorn,  his  real 
estate  speculations,  his  marriage  to  Miss  Jen- 
nie Lewellyn  and  his  departiu-e  will  be  well 
remembered  by  many.  The  lady  mentioned 
was  a  niece  to  H.  D.  Hinman,  was  out  on  a 
visit  from  West  Virginia,  was  ij[uite  hand- 
some and  accomplished  and  was  with  the 
Doctor  when  they  were  heard  from — what 
was  long  the  last  time;  they  were  then  at 
Memphis,  he  a  surgeon  in  McCullough's 
ai-my,  which  was  moving  into  Arkansas.  Re- 
cently we  learn  that  the  Doctor  now  lives 
near  Little  Bock,  and  is  succeeding  well. 
After  the  Doctor  left,  Ed  Satterfield  again 
came  in  as  the  forlorn  hope,  and  kept  the 
paper  going  till  after  the  publication  of  the 
delinquent  tax  list  in  the  spring  of  1858. 

The  Mount  Vernon  Star. — Up  to' January, 

1858,  the  press  was  still  owned  by  Dodds, 
Johnson  &  Co. ,  and  occupied  the  room  over 


Joel  F.  Watson's  store,  east  of  the  present 
Phcenix  Block.  J.  E.  Satterfield  now  bought 
the  office  for  about  $250,  and  kept  it  till 
after  the  sale  of  delinquent  tax  lands,  as 
above-mentioned,  when  he  sold  it  to  Curtis 
&  Lane  for  §300,  and,  we  suppose,  "was 
happy."  The  new  men,  S  B.  Curtis  and 
James  S.  Lane,  were  both  fi-om  Y'psilanti, 
Mich.,  both  were  school  teachers  and  Curtis 
had  studied  law.  Wall  was  in  Centralia. 
and  Curtis  &  Lane  sent  for  him  to  take 
charge  of  the  type  and  press'  work,  as  they 
were  not  printers,  and  Wall  felt  "  passing 
rich"  on  a  promise  of  §450  a  year.  Todd 
Wilson  was  his  only  "  devil."  We  now  find 
the  office  over  James  M.  Pace's  store,  in  the 
Johnson  House,  and  the  paper  comes  forth 
as  the  Mount  Vernon  Star,  with  a  Latin 
motto,  something  like  Non  nobis  solum,  sed 
toto  mundo  nati.  The"  proprietors  were 
strongly  anti-slavery — perhaps  Abolitionists 
would  not  be  too  strong  a  word;  but  they 
tried  to  make  the  Ijaaper  neutral  and  failed, 
as  usual.  People  found  them  out,  and  did 
not  support  them  well.  So,  in  1859,  at  the 
end  of  one  year,  they  retired,  giving  Wall  a 
lease  for  another  year.  We  believe  they  both 
returned  to  Michigan.  Lane  went  into  the 
army  and  was  killed,  and  Cm-tis  is  practic- 
ing law. 

"Wall  soon  after  moved  the  office  into  the 
basement  of  the  old  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  Todd 
Wilson  and  Ham  Watson — now  Dr.  ^\'atson, 
of  Woodlawn — were  his  helpers.  At  the  end 
of  nine  months,  Curtis  &  Lane,  and  Wall 
and  all  of  them  failed  to  finish  paying  for  the 
press;]  Wall's  lease  succiunbed  to  a  prior 
claim,  and  Judge  Sattei-field  closed  up  the 
business  by  taking  possession.  But  the  Star 
was  not  extinguished.  The  Satterfield  boys, 
Ed  and  John,  moved  into  a  room  up-stairs  in 
the  com-t  house,  where  it  remained  until  they 
sold  out  to  Haves  in  the  fall  of   1865.     In 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


229 


the  meantime  it  was  still  changing  hands. 
We  had  Satterlield  Bros.,  or  Sattertiold  & 
Bro.,  till  1861.  Ned  went  to  the  war,  and 
John  ran  it  till  the  close  of  the  year,  then  he 
went  South,  and  Judge  Sattertield  and  Wm. 
Davissim  ran  it  till  the  next  spring.  Ned 
came  back  and  ran  it  till  fall,  then  both  ran 
it  till  Hayes  bought  it. 

The  Mount  Vernon  Guardian. — In  April, 
1860,  the  Guardian  appeared.  It  was  pub- 
lished by  Eussell  &  Wall.  Alex  Russell  was 
from  Minnesota,  and  was  son-in-law  to  Mr. 
Erwin,  who  had  bought  and  located  on  the 
hill  where  L.  N.  Beal  lives.  Eussell  &  Wall 
bought  their  press  from  Judge  O'Malveny, 
of  Centralia;  it  was  the  same  that  had  been 
used  by  the  somewhat  noted  J.  G.  D.  Petty- 
john, when  he  was  publishing  his  Modern 
Pharos.  It  was  located  upstairs  in  the  build- 
ing now  occupied  by  W.  E.  Jackson,  south 
side  of  the  public  square.  This  was  our  first 
Republican  paper;  indeed,  it  rather  |claimed 
to  be  a  War  Democrat.  Thus  it  went  on  for 
one  year,  when  Wall  joined  the  army,  and 
was  succeeded  by  William  Durlinger,  an- 
other son-in-law  of  Mr.  Erwin.  In  a  few 
months,  Russell  sold  his  interest  to  Durlin- 
crer,  and  went  to  Belleville,  and  started  the 
Bellville  Democrat.  Durlinger  held  up  man- 
fully for  some  time,  but  at  last  gave  way, 
and  retii-ed  to  a  farm  near  Tamai-oa.  Not 
liking  that,  he  changed  again,  went  to  Belle- 
ville, and  is  still  there  with  Russell,  publish 
ing  the  Democrat.  We  believe  it  was  in 
March,  1863,  that  the  Guardian  went  down. 
The  Unconditional  Unionist. — By  this 
time — 1863 — Wall  came  home  from  the  ai-my, 
crippled,  and  some  of  his  friends  aided  him 
to  piu-chase  the  Guardian  office.  He  moved 
to  the  room  formerly  occupied  by  Jack  Fly 
as  a  furniture  shop,  near  the  old  stand  of  D. 
Baltzell,  and  gave  his  paper  the  name  of 
Unconditional    Unionist.     Of    course   it  was 


unquestionably  Republican.  After  piiblish- 
ing  this  paper  for  three  years.  Wall  pulled 
out  and  went  to  Salem.  Then  A.  B.  Barrett 
and  others  formed  a  stock  company,  that  we 
might  not  be  left  without  a  Republican 
paper,  find  soon  found  a  man — A.  J.  Alden 
— to  publish  it.  Jack  kept  it  going,  aided, 
of  course,  by  Barrett  and  others,  until  the 
summer  of  1867.  He  then  went  to  Mc- 
Leansboro,  and  started  the  Hamilton  Sucker, 
and  was  succeeded  by  George  W.  Moray. 
But  Moray  did  not  seem  to  succeed  any  fur- 
ther, for  in  five  weeks  he  subsided  and  went 
to  Princeton,  Ky.,  and  started  a  paper  there. 
The  Statesman. — This  paper  followed  the 
Unionist.  Henry  Hitchcock,  from  Indian- 
apolis, bought  the  press  and  fixtures,  put 
Theodore  Tromley  in  as  chief  "  type  tosser," 
and  issued  his  first  paper  Septembers,  1867. 
Hitchcock  was  a  nice,  pleasant  gentleman, 
and  his  paper  did  well  until  domestic  afflic- 
tions compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  busi- 
ness.    He  sold  out  in  1873. 

The  Free  Press. — C.  L.  Hayes,  as  before 
noticed,  bought  the  Star  office  from  Satter- 
field  in  November,  1865,  and  on  the  6th  day 
of  December  issued  his  first  paper,  with  the 
name  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Free  Press.  From 
the  court  house  he  m(3ved  to  the  room  over 
Tom  Goodrich's  store,  where  it  was  burned 
in  the  great  fire  of  March  16,  1869.  His 
friends  promptly  rallied  to  his  aid,  and  in 
about  a  month  after  the  fire  he  had  n  new 
press,  and  resumed  the  publication  of  his 
paper.  Hayes,  with  all  that  bitterness  which 
sometimes  injured  him,  must  ever  [be  ranked 
very  high  as  an  editor  and  newspaper  man- 
ager. He  was  a  good  hand  to  gather  news, 
judicious  in  the  use  of  the  scissors,  and  much 
above  the  average  in  his  editorials.  He  pub- 
lished the  first  history  of  Jefferson  County, 
and  expended  $100  in  assisting  the  writer  in 
gathering   up   materials   and    preparing  the 


230 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


sketches  that  appeared  from  week  to  week  in 
his  columns.  In  March,  1872,  he  sold  to  R. 
A.  D.  Wilbanks  and  G.  M.  Haynes,  under 
whose  management  it  continued  till  the  next 
October,  John  Wightman  being  chief  print- 
er. This  last  purchase  may  have  been  made 
for  a  political  pui-pose — we  can't  say. 

The  press  was  still  nearly  new;  it  was  one 
that  Wilbanks  &  Haynes  had  traded  the 
old  Star  press  for  in  Chicago,  paying  the 
difference.  These  gentlemen,  now  having  no 
special  object  to  accomplish,  let  the  ofSee  to 
W.  H.  Mantz.  He  continued  till  the  spring 
of  1870,  when  he  assumed  a  hostile  attitude 
toward  Wilbanks  &  Anderson,  whereupon 
they  "  elected  that  his  lease  should  termi- 
nate," and  he  went  out,  and  became  corre- 
spondent of  the  Missouri  Republican.  He 
was  succeeded  in  the  Press  office  by  Don 
Davisson.  Don  was  a  Greenbacker  now.  and 
so  was  the  Free  Press,  and  the  editorials 
presented  a  rare  combination  of  softness  and 
roughness.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
Greenbackers  that  year — 1877 — elected  two 
of  their  candidates — John  N.  Satterfield, 
County  Clerk,  and  John  D.  Williams.  Su- 
perintendent of  Schools. 

But  it  soon  became  necessary  to  do  some- 
thing more;  so,  in  April,  1879,  the  Jefferson 
Couuhj  Greenback  Printing  Company  was 
organized.  William  B.  Anderson,  Seth  F. 
Crews  and  William  H.  Smith  were  the  Com- 
missioners to  obtain  license,  etc.,  from  the 
State.  The  object,  as  stated  in  their  ap- 
plication, was  to  print  and  publish  a  weekly 
newspaper  and  to  do  a  general  printing,  pub- 
lishing and  book-binding  business,  with 
power  to  change  the  weekly  to  a  semi-week- 
ly, tri-weekly  or  daily.  Their  capital  was 
$2,000,  in  200  shares  of  $10  each,  and  their 
corporation  was  to  run  for  ninety-nine  years. 
The  principal  stockholders  were  W.  B.  An- 
derson,   W.  H.  Smith   and   S.  F.    Crews,  fif- 


teen shares  each;  G.  W.  Evans,  G.  L.  Var- 
nell,  John  Wilbanks.  Ananias  Knowles  and 
Jesse  H.  Smith,  ten  shares  each;  the  rest 
running  from  nine  shares  down  to  one.  No- 
vember 8,  1879,  they  elected  as  Directors, 
for  three  years,  T.  Anglen,  L.  B.  Gregor}% 
J.  B.  Pearcy,  Ananias  Knowles,  Alonzo  Jones 
and  G.  W.  Evans.  Thus  backed — and  green- 
backed — the  thing  looked  fearfully  strong; 
but  the  high  colors  soon  began  to  fade,  and 
in  February,  1880,  they  sold  out  to  H.  H. 
Simmons,  of  the  News.  During  the  brief 
existence  of  the  Free  Press,  in  its  last  days, 
Anderson  was  the  editor,  and  the  vigor  and 
earnestness  —  not  to  say  acrimony, —  with 
which  he  threw  hot  shot  into  the  defunct  old 
parties  are  too  fresh  in  mind  'to  be  referred 
to  here. 

The  News. — September  2,  1871,  is  the  date 
of  the  lirst  issue  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Neivs. 
It  was  published  by  Lawrence  F.  Tromly, 
the  auxiliary  side  being  furnished  by  Kim- 
ball &  Taylor,  of  Belleville,  and  the  style  of 
the  concern  being  L.  F.  Tromley  &  Co. 
Theodore  Tromley,  who  had  handled  some 
types  for  Satterfield,  and  had  graduated  un- 
der Jack  Alden,  on  the  Hamilton  Sucker, 
joined  Lawrence  and  they  bought  the  office. 
Under  the  style  of  Tromly  Bros.,  they  then 
changed  the  paper  to  a  quarto  of  eight  pages, 
and  moved  from  Varnell's  Block  to  the  Phoe- 
nix Block.  L.  F.  Tromly  began  his  experi- 
ence with  Durlinger  &  Russell,  in  1861,  and 
now  publishes  the  Shawnee  Neivs. 

In  the  spring  of  1876,  the  Tromly  brothers 
sold  out  to  C.  L.  Hayes,  and  Hayes  to  C.  A. 
Keller  in  Januaiy,  1877,  Hayes  retaining 
possession  till  April  1.  November  28,  Kel- 
ler sold  to  H.  H.  Simmons.  Simmons  was 
an  Eastern  man,  who  came  West  in  1849. 
After  exploring  the  W'est,  from  Dubuque  to 
New  Orleans,  he  went  into  the  Alton  Demo- 
crat office  with    John  Fitch,    and    remained 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY, 


231 


there  two  years.  He  then  went  to  Greene 
County,  and  published  the  CaiToUton  Demo- 
crat for  cue  year,  and  then  the  Logan  Coun- 
ty Democrat  for  one  year,  and  through  the 
Presidential  campaign,  lighting  Fremont. 
He  was  then  correspondent  for  the  Herald 
for  a  time,  after  which  he  traveled  several 
years  in  the  East,  in  the  in*^erest  of  the  North 
Missouri  and  the  Atlantic  &  Great  Western 
Railroad.  In  1867,  he  started  the  Lebanon 
Journal,  as  an  independent  and  local  news- 
paper, and  continued  it  for  several  years, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Eckert  and  went  back  to 
Washington  County,  Ohio.  He'there  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  Democratic  paper  and 
remained  one  year,  when  his  wife  died  and 
he  went  to  Cleveland,  where  his  sister  lived. 
Thence,  he  came  here  in  April,  1877,  and  ran 
the  News  for  C.  A.  Keller  till  November  28, 
when  he  bought  it,  as  before  stated. 

In  February,  1880,  Mr.  Simmons  bought 
the  Free  Press,  and  his  paper  is  now  the 
Mount  Vernon  News  and  Free  Press.  He 
paid  what  was,  perhaps,  a  good  price  for  the 
Free  Press — $1,100;  but  he  has  shown  him- 
self what  most  printers  are  not- -a  good 
financier,  and  has  the  whole  outfit  of  both 
papers  paid  for.  The  News  is  the  first  paper 
in  the  county  that  proved  a  financial  success. 
By  this,  and  by  a  dignified  course,  with  a 
good  deal  of  editorial  ability,  the  News  has 
attained  a  high  rank  among  the  local  papers 
of  the  State. 

r/ie  Si(cfcerS/a/e.— In  May,  1873,  C.  L. 
Hayes  and  R.  M.  Morrison  bought  Henry 
Hitchcock's  Statesman  oifice,  and  began  the 
publication  of  the  Sucker  State.  In  changing 
hands,  the  News  changed  politics  —  from 
Republican  to  Democratic — without  change  of 
name;  but  in  case  of  the  Statesman  the 
change  of  name  was  as  conspicuous  as  that  of 
its  political  complexion.  Morrison  retired 
from  the  Sucker  State  December  27,    1873, 


and  January  17,  1874,  Hayes  drup[)ed  the 
co-operative  outside,  after  which  he  claimed 
to  have  "  the  only  paper  printed  in  Jefferson 
County."  But  this  county  is  too  small  a 
stream  to  float  large  or  heavily-laden  craft, 
so  he  finally  ran  aground  and  went  to  pieces. 

The  Weeldy  Exponent.— In  our  biograph- 
ical department  will  be  found  a  sketch  of 
Mr.  Edward  Hitchcock,  the  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Exponent.  This  supersedes 
the  necessity  to  notice  here  his  previous  la- 
bors as  a  journalist.  In  November,  1878, 
when  solicited  by  Rejaublicans  of  Jeflerson 
County  to  publish  a  paper  here,  he  was,  and 
had  been  for  two  years,  publishing  a  paper 
at  Casey,  in  Clark  County,  bearing  the  name 
of  the  Exponent.  At  that  date — November, 
1878 — the  Republicans  of  Jefferson  County 
invited  Mr.  Hitchcock  to  locate  at  Mount 
Vernon,  and  to  bring  hither  his  press  and 
printing  material.  He  did  so;  and  on  the 
5th  day  of  December,  1878,  the  first  number 
of  Vol.  Ill  of  the  Exponent  was  issued  in 
Mount  Vernon.  Since  that  date,  and  up  to 
the  present,  during  a  period  of  nearly  five 
years,  the  paj)er  has  regularly  appeared,  not- 
withstanding difficulties  and  trials  that  can 
scarcely  be  appreciated  by  those  who  never 
tried  to  stem  the  tide  of  adverse  political 
sentiment  and  contend  with  a  majority  such 
as  uniformly  sweeps  all  before  it  at  election 
in  Jefi'erson  County.  The  paper  is  now  well 
established,  with  a  good  circulation  and 
liberal  patronage  in  the  way  of  job  work  and 
advertising.  The  office  has  been  recently 
moved  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  same 
block  to  rooms  in  the  Crews  building,  corner 
of  Bunyan  and  Washington  streets.  It  will 
not,  perhaps,  detract  from  Mr.  Hitchcock's 
reputation  to  attribute  his  success,  in  part,  to 
the  amiable  character  of  his  family,  as  well 
as  to  his  own  ability  as  a  jom-nalist. 

Church  History.  — The  state  of  society  fifty 


233 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


or   si  sty  years  ago  here  was  rough  and  rude. 
But    for  all    this,    that   curse   of  huuianity, 
intemperance,    was    no    more    pre-valent,    in 
proportion  to  population,  than  now— perhaps 
not  as  much.     Scarcely  was  the  nucleus  of  a 
settlement    formed    ere     a     distillery    was 
started;  for  where  there  was  such  profusion 
of  snakes  there  must  be  whiskj-  to  cure  their 
bites!     The    settlers  endured  privations  and 
hunger,  and  their  children  cried  for  bread 
for  want  of  mills,  they  groped  in   ignorance 
for   want  of   schools    and   churches,  but  the 
still  house  was   reared  in  their  midst,  where 
the  farmer  exchanged  his  bag  of  corn  for  the 
pioneer  beverage  of  the  border.     This  is  but 
the   history  of  Illinois,    and  particularly  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  State.   In  every  fam- 
ily the  jug  of  bitters   was   to  be  found,  and 
was  regularly  partaken  of  by  every  member 
of  the  household,   especially  during  the  chill 
season.      The  visit  of  a  neighbor  was  signal- 
ized  by  producing  the    bottle  or    demijohn. 
At  all  rustic  gatherings,  liquor  was  consid- 
ered an  indispensable  article,  and  was  freely 
used.      Everybody  drank  whisky.    Even  min- 
isters  sometimes   took    a  little  as  an — ague 
preventive,  or  for  the  stomach's  sake.    There 
were  some  rough  neighborhoods  in  which  the 
people  resisted  all    advancement   and   prog- 
ress.    In  these,  liquor  was  used  to  great  ex- 
cess, and  then,   as    now,    was  an   active  pro- 
moter of  broils,  disturbances  and  tights.    In 
these  affrays — to  their  credit  be  it  said— fists 
and    feet    were  alone  used,    and  were  called 
"rough  and  tumble."     The  knife,  the  pistol 
and  the  bludgeon  were   then  unknown,    and 
are  the  products  of    a  much    later  and    more 
advanced  civilization.     These  sections  were 
known  as  "hard   neighborhoods,"  and   were 
shunned  by  all  respectable  emigrants  seeking 
homes,  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  find  out 
their  reputation. 

Into   this  rude  state  of  society  came   the 


pioneer  preacher,  as  "  oae  crying  in  the  wil- 
derness."     These    old-time    ministers    were 
characters,    in    their    way.      They    were  pos- 
sessed of    an    individuality    peculiarly  their 
own,  and    as    different    from   the    high-bred 
clergymen  of  the  present  day  as  possible.    As 
a  class,  they  were  uneducated,  rough  and  res- 
olute,   and   exactly    suited   to   the  day  and 
civilization  in  which  they  lived.     They  en- 
countered and  overcame  obstacles  that  would 
appall  their  effeminate  representatives  of    a 
later  period.      They   were  exactly  suited,  we 
repeat,    to    the    civilization    in     which    they 
lived,  and  seem  to  have  been  chosen  vessels 
to  fulfill  a  certain   mission.      These    humble 
pioneers  of  frontier  Christianity  proclaimed 
the   glad   tidings  to  the   early   settlers,  at  a 
time  when  the   country  was  so   poor  that  no 
other  kind  of  ministers  could  have  been  main- 
tained.     They  spread  the   Gospel  of  Christ 
where  educated  preachers  with  salaries  could 
not  have  been  supported.    They  preached  the 
doctrine   of    free   salvation,    without  money 
and    without  price,    toiling    hard  in    the  in- 
terim of  their   labors  to  provide    themselves 
with  a  scanty  subsistance.      They  traversed 
the  wilderness  through  sunshine  and   storm; 
slept  in  the  open  aii,    with  the  green  eai-th 
for  a  couch  and  the  blue  sky  for  a  covering; 
swam  swollen  streams,    suffered  cold,  hunger 
and  fatigue  with  a  noble  heroism,  and  all  for 
the  sake  of   doing  their   Master's  will  and  of 
saving  precious  souls  from  perdition. 

Many  of  these  old-time  preachers  sprang 
from  and  were  of  the  people,  and  were  with- 
out ministerial  ti-aining,  except  in  religious 
exercises  and  the  study  of  the  Scriptures. 
In  those  days  it  was  not  thought  necessary 
that  a  minister  should  be  a  scholar,  but  that 
he  might  be  from  the  common  people,  just  as 
some  of  the  disciples  were  from  the  lowly 
fishermen  of  Gallilee,  and  that  it  was  suffi- 
cient for  him  to  preach  from  a  knowledge  of 


HISTOEY  or  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


233 


the  Bible  alone;  to  make  appealH  warm  from 
the  heart;  to  paint  the  joys  of  heaven  and 
the  miseries  of  hell  to  the  imagination  of  the 
sinner;  to  terrify  him  with  the  one  and  ex- 
hort him,  by  a  life  of  righteousness,  to  attain 
the  other.  Many  of  these  added  to  their 
Scriptural  knowledge  a  diligent  perusal  of 
Young's  Night  Thoughts,  Milton's  Paradise 
Lost,  Jenkins  on  Atonement  and  other  kin- 
dred works,  which  gave  more  compass  to  their 
thoughts  and  brighter  imagery  to  their  fancy. 
In  profuse  and  flowery  language,  and  with 
glowing  enthusiasm  and  streaming  eyes,  they 
told  the  story  of  the  crown  of  thorns,  of 
Golgotha  and  Calvary. 

Their  sermons  sometimes  turned  upon 
matters  of  controversy — unlearned  arguments 
on  the  subjects  of  free  grace,  baptism,  free- 
will, election,  faith,  jusitfication  and  the 
final  perseverance  of  the  saints.  But  that 
in  which  they  excelled  was  the  earnestness  of 
their  words  and  manner,  the  vividness  of  the 
pictures  they  drew  of  the  ineffable  bliss  of 
the  redeemed  and  the  awful  and  eternal 
torments  of  the  unrepentant  They  painted 
the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone  and  the  tor- 
ments of  hell  so  plain,  that  the  startled  sin- 
ner, in  his  excited  imagination,  could  hear 
the  ponderous  iron  doors  open  and  their 
rusty  hinges  creiik.  But,  above  all,  they 
inculcated  the  great  principles  of  justice  and 
sound  morality,  and  were  largely  instrumental 
in  promoting  the  growth  of  intellectual  ideas, 
in  bearing  the  condition  and  in  elevating  the 
morals  of  the  people:  and  to  them  are  we 
indebted  for  the  first  establishment  of  Chris- 
tian institutions  throughout  the  county. 

The  first  religious  sect  represented  in  the 
county  was  the  Methodists,  and  of  course 
they  organized  the  first  church  society.  This 
was  different  from  most  of  Southern  Illinois, 
for  in  many  other  portions,  in  fact  in  a  ma- 
jority of  the  counties,  the  Baptists— the  hard 


shells — were  the  pioneers  of  religion.  But 
here  the  Methodists  got  the  start.  We  have 
said  elsewhere  that  Jefferson  County  was  a 
stronghold  of  Democracy;  it  was  also  a 
stronghold  of  Methodism.  Several  of  the 
very  earliest  settlers  were  not  only  Method- 
ists, but  were  Methodist  preachers.  Among 
these  were  Zadok  Casey,  Edward  Maxey  and 
Lewis  Johnson.  John  Johnson,  another 
pioneer  preacher,  came  in  later.  As  pioneers, 
these  men  are  noticed  in  other  chapters. 
They  were  the  old-time  ministers  we  have 
already  described, plain  and  unvarnished, and 
preached  the  Word  of  God,  not  for  "the 
world's  di-oss,"  but  from  a  sincere  conviction 
of  riffht  and  a  desire  to  benefit  their  fellow- 
men.  Next  to  the  Methodists,  the  Baptists 
were  the  strongest  in  numbers  and  earliest  in 
settlement.  Elder  Harris  was  one  of  their 
early  preachers.  The  first  sermon  preached 
in  the  county  is  said  to  have  been  delivered 
by  Zadok  Casey.  It  was  preached  in  the  fall 
of  1817,  in  a  house  that  had  been  just 
erected  by  Isaac  Hicks,  and  we  have  the  au- 
thority of  Johnson,  the  historian,  for  stating 
that  every  man,  woman  and  child  then  within 
the  present  limits  of  Jefferson  County  was  pres  ■ 
ent.  The  first  house  iised  for  church  purposes 
was  the  one  already  mentioned  as  the  one  in  • 
which  Joel  Pace  taught  the  first  school.  It 
■  was  used  until  the  fall  of  1820,  when  it  was 
destroyed  by  tire. 

In  the  spring  of  1819,  or  thereabouts,  the 
first  religious  oi-ganization  in  the  county  was 
effected.  It  was  at  a  meeting  held  at  Edward 
Maxey's  cabin,  and  the  society  thus  formed 
comprised  Edward  Maxey  and  wife,  William 
Maxey  and  wife,  Burchett  Maxey  and  wife, 
Fleming  Greenwood  and  wife,  James  Davis 
and  wife  and  Zadok  Casey.  In  the  fall  of 
1820,  a  house  was  built  at  Union,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1821,  that  at  Shiloh.  These  were 
used   both  for  school    and  church    purposes. 


3U 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


We  cannot,  however,  go  into  details  of  or- 
ganization of  the  different  churcheH  in  this 
chapter,  but  in  the  history  of  the  towsnhips 
shall  devote  considerable  space  to  each  of 
them. 

Rev.  John  Johnson. — A  more  fitting  con- 
clusion, perhaps,  could  not  be  given  to  this 
chapter  than  to  append  a  sketch  of  the  Rev. 
John  Johnson.  No  minister  of  his  day  stood 
higher  in  Southern  Illinois.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Robbins,  who  preached  his  funeral  sermon, 
only  -ipoke  the  unanimous  verdict  of  all  who 
knew  him  best,  when  he  said  "  John  Johnson 
was  no  ordinary  man."  He  was  born  in 
Louisa  County,  Va.,  Januaiy  7,  1783.  Born 
in  poverty,  he  was  left  an  orphan  when  less 
than  two  months  old,  and  sank  to  the  ex- 
tremes of  poverty  more  trying  still.  When 
her  sons  had  grown  to  manhood  and  had 
gained  sufficient  wealth  to  own  a  cart  and 
yoke  of  rattle,  the  mother  moved  to  Sumner 
County,  Tenn.  There  Mr.  Johnson,  slender 
and  feeble  in  his  youth,  lived  to  the  age  of 
twenty-eight,  developing  a  strength  of  frame 
that  would  be  deemed  almost  gigantic  at  the 
present  day.  With  increasing  strength,  there 
came  a  desire  for  improvement.  By  the  help 
of  a  slave,  he  learned  the  alphabet,  and  by 
the  help  of  a  piece  of  an  old  song  book,  con- 
taining songs  he  knew  by  heart,  he  learned 
to  read.  He  was  converted,  and  felt  himself 
called  to  preach  before  he  could  yet  read  so 
as  to  be  understood.  By  the  light  of  pine- 
knots,  lie  studied  at  night,  after  his  hard 
day's  work  was  over,  and  on  Sundays,  at 
some  little  cabin  on  the  hillside,  he  would 
proclaim  the  Gospel,  with  little  of  man's 
learning  but  with  a  pathos  and  a  power  that 
always  carried  the  hearts  of  his  rustic  hear- 
ers by  storm.  He  applied  for  admission  into 
the  old  Western  Conference,  but  even  that 
primitive  body,  looking  at  his  uncouth  garb 
and    listening    to  his    stammering    e£fort   to 


read,  rejected  his  application  and  kindly  ad- 
vised him  to  abandon  his  design  of  trying  to 
preach.  He  was  not  humbled  by  this — he 
was  as  humble  as  man  could  be  before.  He 
returned  to  his  home,  his  studies  and  his  toil. 
The  next  year,  the  Conference  admitted  him 
on  trial,  but  seemed  curious  to  see  how 'much 
hardship  he  could  bear.  They  sent  him  to 
the  Sandy  River,  where  climbing  mountains 
and  swimming  unbridged  streams  was  his 
daily  work.  Two  hundred  times  he  had  to 
swim  in  the  course  of  the  year.  He  then 
traveled  two  years  in  diiferent  parts  of  Ohio 
— then  the  frontier — and  was  next  sent  to 
Natchez,  in  Mississippi,  a  jpoint  it  required 
1,500  miles'  travel  by  the  zigzag  routes  to 
reach,  most  of  this  distance  being  by  paths 
and  trails,  600  miles  of  it  through  the  "  In- 
dian nations." 

We  have  not  space  to  follow  Mr.  Johnson 
through  his  various  experiences  of  trial  and 
toil.  August  10,  1814,  he  married  Miss 
Susannah  Brooks,  who  showed  herself  a 
worthy  helper  for  such  a  man,  and  who  still 
lives,  one  of  the  most  aged  and  venerable  of 
the  few  survivors  of  her  generation  in  Jeffer- 
son County.  Without  a  trace  of  ambition  or 
a  suspicion  of  self-seeking,  but  by  the  over- 
powering weight  of  mind  and  character  alone, 
Mr.  Johnson  rapidly  made  his  way  to  the 
very  front.  In  the  palmiest  days  of  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  when  it  contained 
many  such  men  as  Peter  Cartwright,  Peter 
Akers,  Thomas  A.  Morris,  Jonathan  Stamper 
and  Henry  B.  Bascom,  it  was  asserted  by  a 
writer  of  that  day  that  "  Bro.  Johnson  was 
the  most  poj)ular  and  effective  preacher  in 
the  State."  An  evidence  of  his  standing  is 
found  in  the  fact  that,  in  1822,  when  the  con- 
ference sat  at  Bells'  Camp  Ground,  near 
Lexington,  Mr.  Johnson  was  unanimously 
chosen  to  preach  the  funeral  of  that  great 
and  saintly  man,  Valentine  Cook,  to  one  of 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


235 


the  largest  and  most  august  assemblies  that 
had  ever  met  in  Kentucky.  After  filling 
nearly  all  the  most  important  positions,  hav- 
ing been  stationed  at  Nashville,  Maysville, 
Louisville,  Hopkinsville  and  other  points, 
and  Presiding  Elder  for  several  years  on  the 
Hopkinsville  District,  Gum  River  District, 
etc.,  he  located  and  came  to  Mount  Vernon 
in  1834:,  and  here,  on  the  8th  day  of  April, 
1858,  he  passed  away. 

In  person,  Mr.  Johnson  was  of  medium 
height — about  five  feet  eleven  inches — his 
weight  170  to  180  pounds,  complexion  dark, 
hair  black  as  the  raven.  His  movements 
seemed  slow,  but,  he  pushed  forward  what 
ever  work  he  had  to  do  with  an  energy  that 
never  tired.  In  his  labors,  whether  on  the 
circuit  or  the  farm,  he  seemed  incapable  of 
fatigue  and  had  physical  strength  sufiicieut 
for  all  demands.  But  with  all  his  rugged 
vigor  he  had  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's, 
and  a  sympathy  that  extended  even  to  the 
insect  under  his  feet.  He  had  a  voice  of 
most  unusual  power.  Even  when  speaking 
in  tones  so  loud  that  he  could  be  heard  two 
miles  away,  he  seemed  to  speak  with  ease, 
and  his  voice  never  lost  that  peculiar  quality 
that  melted  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard.  His 
profound  learning  and  his  masterlj'  intellect 
commanded  the  respect  of  all;  but  it  was 
more,  perhaps,  by  the  tenderness  and  inten- 
sity of  his  emotions  that  he  swayed  the  mul- 
titudes. Yet  his  discourses  were  short,  sel- 
dom over  twenty  or  thirty  minutes.  A  camp 
meeting  was  once  held  near  his  home;  he 
returned  fi-om  a  business  trip  on  Satm-day 
evening;  the  meeting  was  dragging  on, 
heavy  and  cold;  he  jsreached  on  Sunday,  at 
11  o'clock,  and  it  was  as  if  a  cyclone  had 
struck  the  congregation,  carrying  saint  and 
sinner  alike  before  it.  The  uproar  after  ho 
closed  lasted    longer  than  the  sermon.     One 


evening  in  Hopkinsville,  the  sexton  was  ab- 
sent with  the  church  key,  and  Mr.  Johnson 
talked  a  few  moments  to  the  group  that  was 
shut  out,  and  when  he  closed,  all  were  in 
tear.s,  and  they  went  shouting  along  down 
the  streets  in  every  direction.  Perhaps  there 
never  was  a  man  who  could  open  a  shorter 
way  to  the  heart.  At  a  love- feast  at  old 
Union,  he  once  spoke  not  more  than  half-a- 
dozen  words,  but  everybody's  cup  seemed  to 
run  over  at  once,  for  a  general  shout  was  the 
result.  He  was  not  fond  of  debate,  but 
when  it  was  forced  upon  him  showed  him- 
self a  David  ready  for  any  Goliath  he  might 
meet..  While  stationed  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  as- 
sailed, and  defiance  thrown  out  by  a  Mr. 
Vardiman,  distinguished  alike  for  polished 
manners,  learning  and  skill  as  a  debater. 
Mr.  Johnson  accepted  his  challenge.  When 
the  appointed  day  came,  Johnson  walked 
humbly  in,  alone,  and  soon  Vardiman  strode 
in,  with  Felix  Grundy  on  one  arm  and  An- 
drew Jackson  on  the  other.  The  contest  was 
to  last  three  days.  On  the  second  morning 
Vardiman  failed  to  appear,  and  he  never  was 
seen  in  Nashville  again.  It  may  be  that  there 
was  what  some  ministers  term  a  divine  power 
about  his  ministry;  for  he  was  one  of  the 
most  fully  consecrated  of  men,  and  there  was 
a  solemn  gravity  about  the  man  such  as  is 
very  rarely  seen.  It  may  have  been  this  that 
made  a  certain  man  declare  that  it  "made 
the  cold  chills  run  over  him  to  see  Mr.  John- 
son walk  down  the  aisle  to  the  pulpit."  It 
is,  no  doubt,  largely  owing  to  his  influence 
that  the  Methodist  Church  has  grown  from 
D.  Baugh  and  wife,  the  only  members  at  the 
time  he  came,  to  400  members  now.  His 
remains,  with  those  of  his  youngest  son,  who 
died  in  1853,  repose  in  Salem  Cemetery. 


236 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER     XI.* 


AGRICULTURE— ITS  RANK  AMONG  THE  SCIENCES— HOW  TO   KEEP  THE   BOYS   UPON  THE    FARM- 
EDUCATE  THEM  TO  IT— PROGRESS  OF  AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  COUNTY- SOME  STATISTICAL 
INFORMATION— COUNTY  FAIRS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS— OFFICIALS  OF  THE  SAME— HOR- 
TICULTURE—VALUE  OF  FRUIT  GROWING— STATISTICS— THE  FORESTS,  ETC. 

The  people  of  Southern  Illinois    generally 


"  Oft  did  the  harvest  to  their  sickle  yield, 

Their  furrow  oft  the  stubborn  glebe  has  broke; 
How  jocund  did  they  drive  their  team  afield! 
How  bowed  the   woods   beneath   their   sturdy 
stroke." — Oray. 

THE  advantages  of  science,  a  superior 
soil  and  the  use  of  machinery  will  al- 
ways render  agriculture  the  most  attractive, 
manly  and  profitable  branch  of  industry  in 
which  the  people  can  engage,  contributing, 
more  than  any  other  pursuit  to  individual 
comfort,  and  proportionally  adding  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  country.  The  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  in  all  ages,  has  furnished  employ- 
ment for  the  largest  and  best  portion  of  man- 
kind; yet  the  honor  to  which  they  are  en- 
titled has  never  been  fully  acknowledged. 
Though  their  occupation  is  the  basis  of  na- 
tional prosperity,  and  upon  its  progress, 
more  than  any  other  branch  of  industry,  de- 
pends the  march  of  civilization,  yet  its  his- 
tory remains,  to  a  great  extent,  unvirritten. 
Historians  duly  chronicle  the  feats  of  the 
warrior  who  ravages  the  earth  and  beggars  its 
inhabitants,  but  leaves  unnoticed  the  labors 
of  him  who  causes  the  desolated  country  to 
bloom  again,  and  heals,  with  the  balm  of 
plenty,  the  miseries  of  war.  When  due  worth 
is  recognized,  instead  of  the  mad  ambition 
which  subjugates  nations  to  acquire  power, 
the  heroism  which  subdues  the  soil  and  feeds 
the  world  will  be  the  theme  of  the  poet's 
song  and  the  orator's  eloquence. 

«  By  W.  H.  Perriu. 


have  not  fully  comprehended  the  natm-al  ad- 
vantages of  their  soil,  and  its  agricultural 
advantages.  Hence,  they  have  worked  in  the 
dark,  so  to  speak,  for  many  years,  and  the 
development  of  the  country,  as  a  conse- 
quence, has  fallen  behind  what  was  its  just 
due.  The  farmer  will  take  his  place  among 
the  best  and  noblest  of  the  earth,  only  when 
he  forces  his  way  there  by  the  superior  in- 
telligence, culture  and  elegance,  with  which 
such  a  mode  of  life  is  capable  of  surrounding 
itself.  Each  branch  of  the  science  of  prop- 
erly cultivating  the  earth  is  dignified  and 
ennobling,  if  the  farmer  himself  will  exert 
his  abilities  to  make  it  so.  It  is  worthy  of 
the  devotion  of  the  greatest  intellects,  and 
offers  a  field  for  the  finest  powers  of  the  best 
endowed  of  mankind.  A  great  need  of  the 
times  is  to  make  rural  life  so  attractive,  and 
pecuniary  profit  in  it  so  possible,  as  to  hold 
the  boys  and  young  men  on  the  farm,  that, 
not  by  mistaken  ideas  of  gentility,  of  ease 
of  life  and  opportunities  for  winning 
fame,  so  large  a  percentage  of  them  may  be 
drawn  into  the  so-called  learned  professions 
or  into  trade.  With  proper  surroundings, 
education  and  administration  of  the  econ- 
omies of  the  farm,  with  a  sufficient  under- 
standing of  the  opportunities  for  a  high 
order  of  intellectital  and  social  accomplish- 
ment in  the  rural  life  of  the  coiintry,  this 
need  not    and    would    not  be  so.     A    bright. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


237 


high-spirted  boy  is  not  afraid  of  labor,  but 
he  despises  drudgery,  ile  will  work  hard  to 
accomplish  a  liue  end,  when  the  mind  and 
heart  both  work  together  with  the  muscles; 
but  he  will  escape  from  dull,  plodding  toil. 
Let  the  boys  learn  that  rural  life  is  di'udgery 
only  when  the  mind  is  dull;  that  the  spade 
and  the  plow  are  the  apparatus  with  which 
he  manipulates  the  wonderful  forces  of  the 
earth  and  sky,  and  the  boy  will  begin  to  rank 
himself  with  the  professor  in  the  laboratory 
or  the  master  at  the  easel.  The  farmer 
should  be  educated  to  feel  that  there  is  no  oc- 
cupation in  life  that  leads  the  educated  man 
to  more  fruitful  fields  of  contemplation  and 
inquiry.  The  scientific  mind  finds  every 
da)%  in  the  fields  and  orchai'ds,  new  material 
to  work  upon,  and  the  cultivated  taste  end- 
less opportunities  for  its  exercise. 

Agriculture,  then,  should  rank  first  among 
the  sciences,  for  vvithout  it  life  itself  would 
soon  cease.  All  important  interests,  all  thriv- 
ing industries  and  all  trades  and  professions 
receive  their  means  of  support,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  from  it,  a  ad,  therefore,  are  but 
secondary  to  it  in  actual  importance. 

It  is  too  often  the  case  that  farmers  do  not 
pay  the  attention  to  their  lands  necessary  to 
keep  them  in  a  highly  productive  state,  but 
through  excessive  cultivation  exhaust  their 
vitality  while  yet  they  should  only  be  in 
their  prime.  Johnston,  in  his  "  Chemistry 
of  Common  Life,"  gives  the  following  des- 
cription of  the  system  of  farming  commonly 
adopted  by  the  first  settlers  on  this  continent, 
and  the  truths  uttered  apply  with  as  much 
force  to  a  single  county  or  community  as  to 
the  country  at  large.     He  says: 

"  Man  exercises  an  influence  on  the  soil 
which  is  worthy  of  attentive  study.  He  lands 
in  a  new  country,  and  fertility  everywhere 
surrounds  him.  The  herbage  waves  thick  and 
high,  and  the  massive'trees  sway  their  proud 


stems  loftily  toward  the  sky.  He  clears  a 
farm  in  the  wilderness,  and  ample  returns  of 
corn  repay  him  for  his  simple  labor.  He 
plows,  he  sows,  he  reaps,  and  the  seemingly 
exhaustless  bosom  of  the  earth  gives  back 
abundant  harvests.  But  at  length  a  change 
appears,  creeping  slowly  over  and  gradually 
dimming  the  smiling  landscape.  The  corn 
is  first  less  beautiful,  then  less  abundant,  and 
at  last  it  appears  to  die  altogether  beneath 
the  scourge  of  an  unknown  insect  or  a  para- 
sitic fungus.  He  forsakes,  therefore,  his  long- 
cultivated  farm,  and  hews  out  another  from 
the  native  forest.  But  the  same  early  plenty 
is  followed  by  the  same  vexatious  disasters. 
His  neighbors  partake  of  the  same  experi- 
ence. They  advance,  like  a  devouring  tide, 
against  the  verdant  woods;  they  trample 
them  beneath  their  advancing  culture;  the 
ax  levels  its  yearly  prey,  and  generation  after 
generation  proceeds  in  the  same  direction — 
a  wall  of  green  forest  on  the  horizon  before 
them,  a  half  desert  and  naked  region  behind 
them.  Such  is  the  history  of  colonial  cult- 
lU'e  in  our  own  epoch ;  such  is  the  history  of 
the  march  of  Euroiaean  cultivation  over  the 
entire  continent  of  America.  No  matter  what 
the  geological  origin  of  the  soil  may  be,  or 
what  the  chemical  composition;  no  matter 
how  warmth  and  moisture  may  favor  it,  or 
what  the  staple  crop  it  has  partially  yielded 
from  yeai'  to  year;  the  some  inevitable  fate 
overtakes  it.  The  influence  of  long-continued 
human  action  overcomes  the  tendencies  of  all 
natural  causes.  But  the  influences  of  man 
upon  the  productions  of  the  soil  are  exhibited 
in  other  and  more  satisfactory  results.  The 
improver  takes  the  place  of  the  exhauster  and 
follows  his  footsteps  on  these  same  altered 
lands.  Over  the  sandy  and  forsaken  tracts 
of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  he  ^spreads 
large  applications  of  shaly  marl,  and  the 
herbage  soon  covers  it  again  with   profitable 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


crops;  or  he  strews  on  it  a  thinner  sowing  of 
gypsum,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the  yield  of 
previous  years  is  doubled  and  quadrupled;  or 
he  gathers  the  droppings  of  his  cattle,  and 
the  fermented  produce  of  his  farmyard,  and 
lays  it  upon  his  fields,  when  lo!  the  wheat 
comes  up  luxuriantly  again,  and  the  midge. 
and  the  rust  and  the  yellows  all  disappear 
from  his  wheat,  his  cotton  and  his  peach 
trees.  But  the  renovator  marches  much 
slower  than  the  exhauster.  His  materials  are 
collected  at  the  expense  of  both  time  and 
money,  and  barrenness  ensues  from  the  early 
labors  of  the  one  far  more  rapidly  than  green 
herbage  can  be  made  to  cover  it  again  by  the 
most  skillful,  zealous  and  assiduous  labors  of 
the  other. " 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  the  above 
extract,  and  we  see  it  illustrated  in  every 
portion  of  the  country.  The  farmer,  as  long 
as  his  land  produces  at  all  plentifully,  seems 
indifferent  to  any  effort  to  improve  its  failing 
qualities.  And  hence,  the  land,  like  one  who 
has  wasted  his  life  and  exhausted  his  ener- 
gies by  early  dissipation,  becomes  prema- 
turely old  and  worn  out;  when,  by  proper 
care  and  timely  improvement,  it  might  have 
retained  its  rich,  productive  qualities  thrice 
the  period. 

The  agricultural  history  of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty is  but  little  more  than  a  repetition  of  the 
history  of  almost  every  county  in  Southern 
Illinois.  The  area  of  the  county  is  576  square 
miles,  and  the  greater  portion  of  it  is  suscep- 
tible of  cultivation.  But  little  of  this  is 
prairie — perhaps  about  one-fifth.  These 
prairies  occiipy  the  more  or  less  elevated 
lands  between  the  creeks  ajud  water- courses, 
and  are  generally  very  productive.  The 
white  under-clay,  which  is  such  an  unwel- 
come feature  of  some  of  the  prairies  farther 
north,  hardly  anywhere  extends  into  Jeffer- 
son County.   The  land  outside  of  the  prairies, 


is   mostly  well   adapted  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain  and  all  sorts  of  fruit. 

For  the  first  twenty  to  forty  years  of  settle- 
ment in  the  county,  there  could  be  little 
incentive  to  grow  crops  there  was  no  market 
for.  Each  settler  raised  corn  and  potatoes 
and  "  garden  sass"  enough  for  his  own  use 
and  no  more.  The  implements  of  agricult- 
ure consisted  of  a  small  bull-tongue  plow, 
an  old  "  Cary  "  plow  and  a  hoe  made  by  the 
blacksmith.  The  main  [point  in  farming,  in 
those  days,  was  to  have  a  herd  of  wild  hogs 
in  the  woods,  corn  enough  for  bread  and  to 
feed  the  pony — when  the  settler  was  so  fort- 
unate as  to  have  one — and  a  few  ears  to  toll 
the  hogs  home  to  mark  them. 

When  spring  came,  the  crop  time  was 
rather  a  hard  life  to  live.  About  all  the 
revenue  that  could  be  counted  on  was  hens' 
eggs — after  these  domestic  fowls  'had  been 
introduced — ^to  buy  the  small  luxuries,  such 
as  coffee,  sugar,  salt  or  anything  in  that  line ; 
and  if  the  hens  failed  to  come  to  time  on  the 
"  lay,"  the  old  man  and  the  childi-en  would 
strike  out  to  the  woods  to  dig  ''  ginseng." 
This  was  after  game  began  to  get  a  little 
scarce.  A  large  sack  of  the  then  staple 
article  of  ginseng  could  be  dug  in  a  few 
days,  and,  when  dried,  would  bring  ?3  or  $4 
— a  sum  that  would  help  out  the  family 
finances  in  gootl  shape.  There  was  but  little 
provision  made  for  the  cattle,  as  they  could 
almost  live  through  the  winter  in  the  woods. 
But  very  little  wheat  was  grown  here  then, 
as  there  were  no  mills  to  grind  it,  and  no 
market  for  the  surj^lus.  Indeed,  the  early 
settlers  were  at  great  inconvenience  to  get 
their  corn  ground;  there  were  but  few  mills, 
mostly  run  by  horse  power.  But  all  this  is 
changed  now.  The  coming  of  railroads  has 
produced  a  wonderful  revolution  in  the  mode 
of  farming.  Saw  mills  have  cut  the  timber 
off,  to  a  great  extent,   and  much  of    the  land 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


239 


has  been  brought  under  cultivation.  From 
the  sickle  and  old-fashioned  scythe  and 
cradle,  the  wheat  is  now  mostly  harvested 
with  self-binders.  The  hay  crops  are  of 
great  value.  Timothy,  red -top  and  clover 
flourish  as  finely  here  as  in  any  part  of  the 
State 

In  the  early  history  of  the  county,  the 
pioneers  were  favored  by  the  mildness  of  the 
climate,  the  abundance  of  wild  game  and 
the  fertility  of  the  land  when  brought  into 
ctiltivation.  Step  by  step,  the  hardy  settlers 
made  their  inroads  into  the  heavy  forests,  en- 
larged their  farms  and  increased  their  flocks 
and  herds  until  they  found  a  surplus  beyond 
their  own  wants  and  the  wants  of  their 
families.  There  was  then  but  little  outlet 
for  the  products  of  the  farms,  and  far  less  of 
the  spirit  of  speculation  than  at  the  present 
day.  The  result  was  that  after  a  few  years 
the  farmers  had  plenty  at  home;  they 
handled  less  money,  it  is  true,  but  they  lived 
easier.  They  did  not  recklessly  plunge  into 
debt;  they  lived  more  at  home  with  their 
families,  and  were  far  happier.  There  was, 
too,  much  more  sociability,  neighborly  feel- 
ing and  good  cheer  generally  among  them. 
There  was  not  such  a  rush  after  great  wealth, 
and  hence  fewer  failures  among  farmers. 
The  accumulated  wealth  of  farm  products  di- 
rected attention  to  the  question  of  markets, 
which  had  hitherto  been  confined  to  a  kind  of 
neighborhood  traffic  among  the  farmers  them- 
selves. Until  the  openingof  railroads, markets 
were  mostly  reached  by  hauling  on  wagons 
to  St.  Louis,  Vincennes,  Shawneetown  and 
Cairo.  Much  of  the  surplus  produce  was 
hauled  to  Shawneetown  and  Cairo,  and 
shipped  from  those  places  to  New  Orleans. 
But  the  opening  of  railroads  changed  all  this, 
and  the  best  markets  of  the  country  are  now 
easily  accessible. 

The  following   statistics,    compiled    from 


the  last  report  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture, show  something  of  the  products  of 
Jefferson  County,  and  will,  doubtless,  be  of 
interest  to  many  of  our  readers: 

No.  of  acres  of  corn  cultivated 37,231 

No  of  bushels  produced 577,016 

No.  of  acres  of  wheat 63,458 

No.  of  bushels  produced 678,633 

No.  of  acres  of  oats 8,853 

No.  of  bushels  produced 133,344 

No.  of  acres  of  Timothy 8.601 

No.  of  tons  produced 7,353 

No.  of  acres  of  clover    845 

No.  of  tons  produced 161 

No.  of  acres  of  prairie 1,534 

No.  of  tons  produced 1,293 

No.  of  acres  of  Hungarian  and  millet 114 

No.  of  tons  produced 123 

No.  of  acres  of  sorghum 109 

No.  of  gallons  of  sirup 8,677 

No.  of  acres  of  pastures 18,07'5 

No.  of  acres  of  woodland 93,835 

No.  of  acres  of  uncultivated   13,341 

No.  of  acres  of  city  and  town  real  estate  . .         383 

No.  of  acres  not  included  elsewhere 10,373 

Total  number  of   acres  reported   for   the 

county 258,574 

No.  of  fat  sheep  sold 1,766 

Gross  weight  of  same — pounds 159,140 

No.  of  sheep  killed  by  dogs* 490 

Value  of  same $1,170 

No.  of  pounds  of  wool  shorn 33,736 

No.  of  fat  cattle  sold 1,713 

Gross  weight  of  same — pounds 1,418,364 

No.  of  cows  kept 3,661 

No.  of  pounds  of  butter  sold 53,539 

No.  of  pounds  of  cheese  sold 300 

No.  of  gallons  cream  sold 100 

No.  of  gallons  milk  sold    370 

No.  of  fat  hogs  sold 6,985 

Gross  weiglit  of  same — pounds 1,320,165 

In  I860,  an  agricultiu-al  association  was 
organized,  which,  with  some  changes,  is 
still  in.  existence.  Its  first  officers  were  J 
R.  Allen,  President;  Jeremiah  Taylor,  Vice 
President;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secre- 
tary; Dr.  E.  E.  Welborn,  Corresponding 
Secretary,  and  Joel  Pace,  Treasurer.    Direo- 

*  From  these  statistics,  it  will  be  seen  that  one-fourth  as 
many  sheep  were  killed  by  dogs  as  were  sold,  and  yet  farmers 
still  persist  in  keeping  worthless  dogs. 


240 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


tors,  F.  S.  Casey,  William  Woods,  Jesse  A. 
Dees,  John  Dodds,  James  J.  Fitzgerell.  John 
Wilbanks,  Dr.  "W.  Adams,  Benjamin  T. 
Wood,  S.  W.  Carpenter,  Joseph  Baldridge, 
Charles  McClure  and  S.  K.  Allen.  Forty- 
acres  of  land,  the  site  of  the  present  fair 
grounds,  were  bought  on  a  credit  from  A.  M. 
Grant.  The  sura  agreed  on  was  §800,  with 
10  per  cent  interest  until  paid.  On  motion 
of  Judge  Tanner,  a  Committee  to  solicit  sub- 
scriptions for  the  association  was  selected, 
as  follows: 

Jordan's  Prairie  Precinct — Samuel  Cum- 
mins,   J.  F.  Caldwell  ,and  Hiram  Williams. 

Grand  Prairie  Precinct — J.  C.  Baldridge, 
Lemon  Fouts  and  Henry  Breeze. 

Blissville  Precinct — H.  Creet,  Thomas 
Bagby  and  Andrew  Welch. 

West  Long  Prairie  Precinct — James  Smith, 
J.  Q.  A.  Bay  and  Isaac  Hicks. 

Knob  Prairie  Precinct — John  Hagel, 
Sidney  Place  and  Joseph  Laur. 

Horse  Prairie  Precinct — William  Clampitt, 
J.  B.  Wood  and  Joseph  Hartley. 

Elk  Prairie  Precinct. — William  Wells, 
Elisha  Wilson  and  W.  B.  Anderson. 

Gun  Prairie  Precinct — C.  G.  Vaughn, 
Henry  W.  Williams  and  Solomon  Goddard. 

Jackson  Precinct  — F.  jHicks,  John  Ham 
and  H.  W.  Goodrich. 

Moore's  Prairio  Precinct  —David  Kiffin, 
David  Eotramel  and  John  Lowry,  Sr. 

Lynchburg  Precinct — Curran  Jones,  S.  V. 
Bruce  and  Jesse  Laird. 

Horse  Creek  Precinct — B.  E.  Wells,  Eob- 
ert  French  and  E.  H.  Flowers. 

Mount  Vernon  Precinct — Capt.  H.  B. 
Newby,  John  Bagwell  and  D.  Baltzell. 

The  foregoing  Committee  was  selected 
by  a  committee  consisting  of  Dr.  Green, 
Samuel  Schenck  and  William  Dodds,  which 
had  been  appointed  on  the  motion  of  Prof. 
B.  C.   Hillman.      The   following   committee: 


Dr.  Green,  W.  B.  Anderson,  J.  R.  Allen  and 
J.  S.  Bogan,  was  appointed  and  drafted  a 
constitution  and  by  laws. 

The  first  fair  was  held  on  the  23d,  24th 
and  2r)th  of  October,  1860,  and  was  well  at- 
tended and  proved  successful.  The  old 
officers  were  reelected,  except  Charles  T. 
Pace  was  elected  Treasm-er  in  place  of  Joel 
Pace.  In  1862,  no  fair  was  held,  on  account 
of  the  excitement  of  the  civil  war  then  in 
progress.  The  Directors  elected  this  year 
were  F.  S.  Casey,  Jesse  A.  Dees,  William 
Wood,  J.  J.  Fitzgerrell,  John  Wilbanks, 
Joseph  Baldridge,  P.  T.  Maxey,  John 
Arnold,  C.  G.  Vaughn,  S.  Place,  S.  Cum- 
mins, T.  G.  Holland  and  A.  Kiffin. 

For  1863,  the  following  officers  were 
elected:  J.  E.  Allen,  President;  S.  V. 
Bruce,  Vice  President;  Charles  T.  Pace, 
Treasurer;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secretary, 
and  E.  J.  Winton,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
Directors — S.  Cummins,  Joseph  Baldridge, 
E.  B.  Harvey,  William  Wood,  J.  A.  Dees, 
Isaac  Place,  J.  J.  Fitzgerrell,  John  Wilbanks, 
C.  G.  Vaughn,  J.  H.  Smith,  John  Ai-nold, 
J.  C.  Jones,  R.  S.  Young  and    F.  S.  Casey. 

For  1861— J.  C.  McConnell,  President; 
John  Wilbanks.  Vice  President,  Chai-les  T. 
Pace,  Treasurer;  T.  H.  Hobbs,  Assistant 
Treasurer;  Dr.  Welborn,  Corresponding 
Secretary;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secre- 
tary. Directors — F.  S.  Casey,  John  Ai-nold, 
W.  Knowles,  J.  H.  Smith,  Curran  Jones,  S. 
Cummins,  J.  C.  Baldridge,  Sr.,  E.  B.  Hai-- 
vey,  William  Wood,  J.  A.  Dees,  John  Dodds, 
J.  J.  Fitzgerrell,  James  Bodine  and  JMark 
Hails. 

For  1866*— G.  H.  Varnell,  President:  J. 
C.  Jones,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor, 
Treasurer;  W.  D.  Watson,  Assistant  Treas- 
urer; J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secretary;  J. 
W.    Baugh    and    A.     M.    Green,    Assistant 

*No  election  of  officers  fer  18ti5. 


j^Jv^-}yy^^ 


LIBRAriy 

1."  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


243 


Secretaries.  Directors — F.  S.  Casey,  Will- 
iam Wood,  John  Arnold,  T.  J.  Williams,  Q. 
A.  Wilbanks,  J.  Foster,  B.  E.  Wells,  J.  C. 
McConnell,  Jacob  Breeze,  E.  B.  Harvey,  J 
A.  Dees,  J.  Q.  A.  Bay,  J.  J.  Fitzgerrell  and 
John  W^ilbanks. 

For  1867— G.  H.  Varnell,  President;  J. 
C  Jones,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor, 
Treasurer;  Dr.  Welborn,  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary; J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secretary; 
J.  W.  Baugh  and  T.  J.  Casey,  Assistant  Sec- 
retaries. Directors— F.  S.  Casey,  M.  Fitz- 
gerrell, J.  K.  Jones,  J.  C.  McConnell,  E.  B. 
Harvey,  J.  A.  Dees,  J.  J  Fitzgerrell,  J. 
Arnold,  C  H.  Judd,  B.  E.  Wells,  Jacob 
Breeze,  William  Wood,  John  Dodds  and  Col. 
W.  B.  Anderson.  The  same  oiScers  were  re- 
elected in  1868,  with  one  or  two  changes  in 
the  directory.  Mr.  Varnell,  during  the  year, 
resigned  as  President,  and  J.  C.  McConnell 
was  elected,  August  13,  to  till  the  vacancy. 
The  same  officers  served  through  186U. 

For  1870 — Jesse  A.  Dees,  President;  J. 
M.  Galbraith,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor, 
Treasurer;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secre- 
tary; R.  F.  Pace  and  G.  W.  Johnsoa,  Assist- 
ant Secretaries;  C.  H.  Patten,  Con-esponding 
Secretary.  Directors— F.  S.  Casey,  J.  M. 
Scott,  John  Gibson,  G.  L.  Cummings,  E,  B. 
Harvey,  H.  Moore,  J.  R.  Knowle.s,  J.  Arnold, 
J.  Walters,  B.  E.  Wells,  Jacob  Breeze,  Will- 
iam Wood,  A.  J.  Norris  and  John  Wilbanks. 
For  1871— S.  W.  Jones,  President;  S.  H. 
Allen,  Vice  President;  W.  E.  Collins,  Treas- 
urer; J.  F.  Baltzell,  Assistant  Treasui-er; 
A.  F.  Taylor,  Corresponding  Secretary;  J. 
S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secretary;  Capt.  J.  R. 
Moss,  General  Superintendent.  Directors — 
J.  C.  McConnell,  G.  L.  Cummins,  J.  W. 
Johnson,  S.  V.  Bruce,  S.  K.  Casey,  B.  W. 
Towner,  E.  B.  Harvey,  J.  A.  Dees,  John 
Wilbanks,  John  Arnold,  J.  C  Jones,  C.  H. 
Judd,  C.  M.  Brown,  D.  C.  Jones,  S.  S.  Man- 


nen    and    Jacob    Breeze.        In    1872,    there 
seems  to  have  been  no  election. 

For  1873— Capt.  J.  R.  Moss,  President; 
Edgar  Jones,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor, 
Treasurer;  C.  D.  Ham,  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary; J.  S.  Bogan,  Recording  Secretary; 
J.  C.  McConnell,  General  Superintendent. 
Directors — John  Hawkins,  H.  N.  Maxey.  G. 
S.  Cummins.  R.  Howell,  Dr.  W.  D.  Green, 
T.  C.  Moss,  T.  B.  Lacy,  J.  A.  Dees,  G.  W. 
Evans,  John  Frizell,  J.  Foster,  M.  McPher- 
sen,  C.  M.  Brown,  J.  C.  Gwinn,  J.  Willis 
and  H.  Breeze. 

For  1876*— J.  S.  Bogan,  President;  T.  B. 
Lacy,  Vice  President;  J.  AV.  Baugh,  Record- 
ing Secretary;  G.  M.  Haynes,  Corresponding 
Secretary;  A.  F.  Taylor,  Treasurer  and  James 
A.  White,  General  Superintendent.  Direct- 
ors—J.  C.  McConnell,  J.  C.  Maxey,  J.  M. 
Gaston,  A.  Marlow,  W.  A.  McConnell,  J.  C. 
Johnson,  W.  R.  Champ,  T.  H.  Mannen,  W. 
Dodds,  G.  D.  Jones,  G.  W.  Clark,  J.  A. 
Glazebrook,  G.  W.  Bodine,  Dr.  T.  F.  White 
and  Jacob  Breeze. 

For  1878— S.  Gibson,  President;  J.  R. 
Moss,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor,  Treas- 
urer and  J.  S.  Bogan,  Secretary.  Directors 
— S.  Moffitt,  J.  C.  Gwinn,  J.  A.  White,  J.  E. 
Goodrich,  E.  Jones,  J.  C.  McConnell,  J.  S. 
Bogan,  John  AVilbanks,  W.  A.  McConnell, 
J.  A.  Dees  and  A.  F.  Taylor. 

For  some  time,  efforts  had  been  made  to 
change  the  association  into  a  joint-stock  com- 
pany. This  was  accomplished  during  the 
year  1879,  when,  on  the  10th  day  of  May, 
an  agreemeat  was  "signed,  sealed  and  de- 
livered "  to  the  Jefferson  County  Fair  Asso- 
ciation. The  first  officers  under  the  new  re 
gime  were  as  follows: 

For  1879 — Jesse  A.  Dees,  President;  John 
Wilbanks,  Vice  President;  A.  F.  Taylor,  Re- 


•  ThiB  year  (1876)  soems  to  have  been  the  next  election  of  of 
fleers. 


244 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


cording  Secretary;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Correspond- 
ing Secretary;  G.  W.  Evans,  Treasurer,  and 
J.  C.  McCounell,  General  Superintendent. 

For  1880— J.  A.  Dees,  President;  John 
Wilbank,  Vice  President;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Re- 
cording Secretary;  A.  F.  Taylor,  Correspond- 
ing Secretary;  C.  D.  Ham,  Treasurer,  and 
J.  C.  McConnell,  General  Superintendent. 

For  1881— J.  G.  Gee,    President;  Dr.   H. 

F.  White,  Vice  President;  G.  W.  Evans, 
Treasurer;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Secretary,  and  J.  A. 
Dees,  Marshal. 

For  1882— J.  G.  Gee,  President;  A.  Gil- 
bert, Vice  President;  J.  S.  Bogan.  Secretary; 

G.  W.  Evans,  Treasurer,  and  Dr.  H.  F. 
"White,  General  Superintendent. 

For  1883— John  Wilbanks,  President:  A. 
Gilbert.  Vice  President;  J.  S.  Bogan,  Secre- 
tary; G.  W.  Evans,  Treasurer,  and  S.  H. 
Watson,  General  Superintendent.  Directors 
— S.  H.  Watson,  J.  Wilbanks,  A.  Gilbert,  C. 
D.  Ham  and  E.  A.  Jones. 

Horticulture. — Gardening,  or  horticulture 
in  its  restricted  sense,  cannot  be  regarded  as 
a  very  prominent  or  important  feature  in  the 
histoiy  of  Crawford  County.  If,  however, 
we  take  a  broad  view  of  the  subject,  and  in- 
clude orchards,  small  fruit  culture  and  kin- 
dred branches,  outside  of  agriculture,  we 
should  find  something  of  more  interest  and 
value.  The  flourishing  trade  the  writer  has 
witnessed  in  apples  alone  in  the  city  of 
Mount  Vernon,  since  he  commenced  his  work 
of  writing  this  history,  is  the  most  convinc- 
ing proof  that  horticulture  and  fruit-grow- 
ing is  a  valuable  industry,  to  which  the  coun- 
ty is  well  adapted.  The  following  statistics, 
Wb  think,  will  bear  us  out  in  the  assertion: 

Number  of  acres  in  apple  orchards 3,801 

Number  of  bushels  produced 139,487 

Number  of  acres  in  peach  orchards 65 

Number  of  bushels  produced 2,116 

Number  of  acres  in  pear  orchards 2 

Number  of  busliels  produced 40 


Number  of  acres  in  vineyard 6 

Number  of  bushels  produced 240 

Number  of  acres  in  fruits  not  included  in 

orchards 2 

Value  of  same f  150 

Number  of  pounds  of  grapes  produced 11,979 

There  can  be  little  doubt  but  that,  if  the 
farmers  were  to  devote  more  of  ,_the  attention 
that  is  given  to  wheat — a  crop  that  has.  of 
late  years,  proven  to  be  very  uncertain  in  this 
latitude — to  fruitgrowing,  the  experiment 
would  pay,  and  pay  well.  The  climate  of 
this  portion  of  the  State  is  better  adapted  to 
fruit  culture  than  further  north,  though,  as  a 
fruit-growing  section,  it  is,  perhaps,  not  to 
be  compared  to  some  portions  of  our  coun- 
try. 

The  apple  is  the  hardiest  and  most  reli- 
able of  all  the  fruits  for  this  region,  and 
there  are  more  acres  in  apple  orchards  than 
in  all  fruits  combined  in  the  county.  The 
first  fruit  trees  wore  brought  here  by  the  pio- 
neers, and  were  sprouts  taken  from  varieties 
around  the  old  home,  about  to  be  forsaken 
for  a  new  one  hundreds  of  miles  away. 
Lewis  Johnson,  Sr.,  brought  the  first  fruit 
trees  here  that  ever  flourished  in  the  county, 
except  the  wild  fruits  found  here  by  the 
early  settlers.  Apples  are  now  raised  in  the 
county  in  great  quantities,  also  peaches 
somewhat,  while  small  fruits  are  receiving 
more  and  more  attention  every  year.  Many 
citizens,  too,  are  engaging,  to  a  greater  or 
less    extent,    in  grape    culture. 

That  the  cultivation  of  fruit  is  a  union  of 
the  useful  and  beautiful  is  a  fact  not  to  be 
denied.  Trees  covered  in  spring  with  soft 
foliage,  blended  with  fragrant  flowers  of 
white  and  crimson  and  gold,  that  are  suc- 
ceeded by  fruit,  blushing  with  bloom  and 
down,  rich,  melting  and  grateful  through  all 
the  fervid  heat  of  summer,  is  indeed  a  tempt- 
ing prospect  to  every  land  holder.  A  people 
so  richly  endowed  by  nature  as  the  people  of 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


245 


Southern  Illinois  should  give  more  attention 
than  they  do  to  an  art  that  supplies  so  many 
of  the  amenities  of  life,  and  around  which 
cluster  so  many  memories  that  appeal  to  the 
liner  instincts  of  our  nature.  With  a  soil  so 
well  adapted  to  fruits  as  that  of  Jefferson 
CouQty,  horticulture  should  be  held  in  that 
high  esteem  which  becomes  so  important  a 
factor  in  human  welfare. 

Tlie  Forests.— Our  rapidly  disappearing 
forests  have  awakened  apprehensions  in  the 
minds  of  many  close  observers,  and  is  calling 
out  much  discussion  of  the  subject.  A  late 
writer  has  remarked:  "  The  disappearance 
of  our  old  forests  threatens  to  fulfill  the  pre- 
diction of  Frederick  Gerstaecker,  who  pro- 
phesied that  the  progress  of  our  reckless 
civilization  would  soon  make  the  United 
States  as  barren  as  Western  Asia.  But  be- 
fore the  end  of  this  century,  protective  legis- 
lation would  not  come  too  laie.  Our  mount- 
ain ranges  at  least,  have  still  forests  enough 
to  preserve  the  agricultural  regions  from  any- 
thing like  an  Asiatic  drought."  Forest  cult- 
ure has  already  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  Legislatures  of  many  of  the  older  States, 


and  steps  are  even  now  being  taken  to  not 
only  protect  the  forests,  but  for  planting  for- 
ests in  the  less  timbered  regions  of  the  coun- 
try. Indeed,  the  only  measure  of  relief  thus 
far  suggested,  with  any  definite  prospect  of 
success,  is  the  planting  of  new  forests.  Much 
has  been  said,  and  many  plans  proposed,  for 
the  preservation  of  those  that  remain,  but 
the  words  seem  meaningless  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  private  property  is  beyond  the  con- 
trol of  the  Government,  and  Congress  de- 
clines even  to  grant  means  to  prevent  the 
destruction  of  that  which  still  pertains  to  the 
public  domain. 

No  one  now  living,  it  is  true,  can  reason- 
ably expect  to  see  our  forests  entirely  de- 
stroyed, yet  that  they  are  disappearing  more 
rapidly  than  new  forests,  of  spontaneous 
growth,  attain  maturity,  it  naturally  follows 
that,  unless  some  means  are  adopted  to  pro- 
tect them,  sooner  or  later  Frederick  Ger- 
staecker's  prediction  will  be  fulfilled.  No 
doubt  the  time  will  conie,  and  that  soon, 
when  the  protecticm  and  improvement  of  our 
forests  will  receive  the  attention  they  un- 
questionably merit. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


WAR  HISTORY— THE   REVOLUTION   AND  THE  WAR  OF  1812— WHAT  WE  GAINED   BY   THEM- 

MEXICAN  WAR— JEFFERSON   COUNTY'S   PART   IN    IT— HER  OFFICERS  AND  SOLDIERS— 

THE   LATE   CIVIL    WAR— SKETCHES    OF   THE    REGIMENTS   IN    WHICH  THE 

COUNTY   WAS    REPRESENTED— GEN.   ANDERSON,   COL.    HICKS 

AND   OTHER   VETERANS— INCIDENTS,   ETC.,   ETC. 


■THE 


"Rash  fruitless  war,   from  wanton  glory  waged. 
Is  only  splendid  niunler." — Thomson. 

AS  a  nation,  we  have  had  liut  few  wars  aside 
from  our  troubles  with  the  Indians. 
Wliile  still  colonies  we  took  part  in  the  old 
French    and   Indian    war,  which,  for    a   time, 

*Bj  W.  H.  Pcrriu. 


settled  the  question  as  to  the  ownership  of  the 
vast  Northwest  Territory.  The  war  of  the 
Revolution  transferred  this  magnificent  domain 
to  us,  and  the  war  of  1812  settled  its  owner- 
ship perhaps  for  ages  to  come.  The  result  of 
these  several  wars  was  the  securing  to  the 
puny  Republic  of  the  thirteen  American  Colo- 


246 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


nies,  an  empire  greater  than  that  over  which 
the  Roman  eagles  soared  in  gilded  triumph. 
A  grand  result  truly,  and  one  that  has  made 
the  American  Republic,  or  contributed  very 
largely  to  making  it,  the  foremost  nation  on 
the  globe. 

It  is  not  known  that  any  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Jefferson  County  participated  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  but  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  they  did.  Many  of  the  early 
settlers  in  Southern  Illinois  were  Revolutiouarj' 
soldiers,  and  hence,  some  of  the  pioneers  of 
Jefferson  County  may  have  been  ;  but  if  so,  we 
have  not  learned  their  names.  Quite  a  number 
of  them,  however,  took  part  in  the  war  of  1812. 
But  as  both  of  these  wars  occurred  before  there 
were  an^-  settlements  made  in  the  county,  they 
are  of  no  special  interest  to  this  work,  except 
as  a  kind  of  introduction  to  the  general  war 
history-  of  the  county,  and  to  show  the  ad- 
vantages   we  as  a  people  received  from  them. 

77ie  Mexican  War. — The  Black  Hawk  war — 
a  war  which  personally-  effected  the  people 
here — has  been  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter. 
Next  in  order  comes  the  Mexican  war.  Early 
in  1846,  war  was  declared  against  Mexico,  and 
Illinois  was  required  to  furnish  three  regiments. 
Later  she  was  allowed  to  furnish  another  regi- 
ment, making  four  altogether.  Jefferson. 
County'  contributed  two  companies,  one  under 
the  first  call  and  one  under  the  second  call  for 
troops.  The  first  was  enrolled  in  June,  1846, 
as  Compan3-  II,  of  the  Third  Regiment,  Col. 
Ferris  Foreman,  of  Vandalia,  commanding. 
The  roster  of  Company  H  is  as  follows : 
Stephen  Gr.  Hicks,  Captain  ;  Lewis  F.  Casej-, 
First  Lieutenant  (resigned  November  1,  1846, 
at  Matamoras,  Mexico)  ;  William  A.  Thomas, 
promoted  from  Second  to  First  Lieutenant 
November  1,  1846  ;  Thomas  S.  Livingston, 
Second  Lieutenant.  Sergeants — John  Bag- 
well, Gazaway  Elkins,  J.acob  Casey  and 
Marcus  D.  Bruce.  Corporals  — •  Joseph  F. 
Thomasson,  John  Q.  A.  Bay,  William  Summers 


and  John  McConnell.  Privates — Thomas  J. 
Atchison,  Peter  Bean,  James  R.  Brown, 
Thomas  H.  Ballard,  Eli  Blalock,  John  Brady, 
Samuel  Bullock,  John  Butler,  James  C.  Bate- 
man,  Benjamin  Buckout,  Loring  R.  Beal, 
James  F.  Caldwell,  James  A.  Donohoo,  Will- 
iam H.  Dorris,  Jesse  J.  Fly,  Abraham  W. 
Fields,  Nicholas  Gray,  J.  J.  Garrison,  James 
M.  Galbraith,  James  Hull,  Thomas  Harlow, 
John  Hawkins,  Jesse  Hawkins,  Marcus 
Hailes,  William  Hicks,  Albert  Hailes,  Johnson 
Hatfield,  George  Knox,  James  Kelle}-,  John  B. 
Lynch,  John  T.  Lisenby,  James  W.  Lewty, 
James  Murphy,  John  Nielburn,  Alexander 
Moore,  James  McCarver,  Pleasant  McFarlaud, 
Andrew  McGivin,  Edward  McAtee,  James  C. 
Overbay,  Benjamin  Patterson,  John  M.  Poston, 
James  Scott,  H.  H.  Wilkerson,  Quincy  A. 
Wilbanks.  James  Westcott  and  David  H. 
Warren.  Discharged  —  Sergt.  William  B. 
Braden,  and  Privates  Joseph  T.  Atchison, 
Samuel  W.  Avant,  William  Foster,  Alexander 
M.  Hill,  E.  B.  Harvey,  Benj.  Ivey,  William  J. 
Crisel,  L.  C.  -Moss,  William  R.  McClenden,  S. 
R.  Owens,  John  E.  Xewby,  Robert  B.  Rankin, 
Charles  W.  Stearns,  James  E.  Summers,  Will- 
iam J.  Stephenson,  Daniel  Smith,  P.  T.  Thur- 
man,  James  Teeters,  Benjamin  Veasy,  J.  A. 
Wallace,  V.  P.  Williamson,  Harrison  Wilkey, 
John  Yearwood,  John  Williams,  all  on  surgeons 
certificate  of  disability.  Died — Corporals  James 
Bruce,  January  16.  1847,  en  route  to  Tampico. 
Mexico,  and  James  Wimberl}-  (killed)  April 
30,  1847,  near  Jalapa,  Mexico.  Privates 
Jonathan  H.  Breeze,  died  December  6.  1846, 
in  general  hospital  at  Blatamoras  ;  Moses 
Harlow,  died  October  26,  1846,  in  hospital  at 
Matamoras;  Joseph  Harvey,  May  13,  1847, 
fell  overboard  on  the  way  to  New  Orleans  ; 
James  C.  Newby,  died  August  13,  1846,  at 
Brazos  Santiago,)Texas. 

The  company  left  Mount  Vernon  on  the  18th 
of  June,  and  marched  to  Alton,  the  place  of 
rendezvous,    where  the   regiments,    after  they 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY 


347 


were  organized  and  equipped,  embariced  for 
Mexico.  They  saw  hard  service  during  their 
term,  and  were  at  Vera  Cruz,  Cerro  Gordo,  and 
in  other  battles  and  sliirmishes.  At  Matamo- 
ras,  the  companj-  was  divided,  a  part  of  it  under 
Lieut.  Casey  going  to  Comargo  in  charge  of  a 
wagon  train,  the  main  part,  under  Capt.  Hiclis, 
remaining  on  guard  duty  at  Matamoras.  Lieut. 
Casey's  squad,  after  remaining  a  month  at 
Comargo,  was  ordered  back  to  Matamoras  to 
report  to  Gen.  Taylor.  Lieut.  Casey,  from 
failing  health  resigned  here  and  returned  home. 
In  January,  Gen.  Taylor  marched  for  Buena 
Vista,  but  Gen.  Shield's  command,  to  which  the 
Mount  Vernon  troops  belonged,  was  ordered  to 
report  to  Gen.  Scott  at  Vera  Cruz.  After  the 
surrender  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  next  move  was  on 
Cerro  Gordo.  In  the  operations  here,  they 
were  actively  engaged,  and  acquitted  them- 
selves with  honor  and  distinction.  Their  cour- 
age at  Cerro  Gordo  elicited  from  Gen.  Twiggs 
the  well-merited  compliment ;  "  Well,  I  never 
saw  such  fellows  as  you  Illinois  men  are  in  my 
life  1  Here  the  regulars  are  broke  down  and 
the  horses  are  all  given  out,  and  you  darned 
ragged  rascals  pitching  around  like  squirrels, 
or  something  that  never  get  tired  and  hungry." 

After  the  capture  of  Jalapa,  they  remained 
in  camp  on  the  Puebla  road  until  their  term  of 
service  had  expired,  when  they  returned  home 
and  were  discharged. 

The  second  company  was  enrolled  at  Mount 
Vernon  June  3,  1847,  under  the  President's 
second  call  for  troops.  The  rank  and  file  were 
as  follows  :  James  Bowman,  Captain  ;  he  died 
at  Jalapa  December  28,  1847,  and  L.  H.  Powell 
became  Captain  ;  Eli  D.  Anderson  was 
First  Lieutenant  ;  he  died  at  Vera  Cruz  Sep- 
tember 11,  1847,  of  yellow  fever,  and  Willis  B. 
Holder  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  ;  he 
died  at  Jalapa  January  2,  1848,  and  James  B. 
Hinde  became  First  Lieutenant  ;  H.  B.  Ncwby, 
Jr.,  Second  Lieutenant ;  he  died  at  National 
Bridge   September  16,   1847,  of  yellow   fever. 


and  J.  J.  Anderson  became  Second  Lieutenant. 
A.  H.  Cox  and  Jacob  Keller  were  also  pro- 
moted to  Second  Lieutenants.  Sergeants — 
Jonathan  Wells,  Gilford  D.  Connolly,  John  P. 
Newell  and  Jonathan  S.  Cook.  Corporals^ 
Edward  Bond,  Robert  R.  Ingram,  Elias  M. 
Holmes  and  William  Bullock.  Privates — John 
Ames,  R.  C.  Anderson,  Calvin  M.  Brown,  Will- 
iam Cassidy,  James  Cummins,  Richard  Chil- 
ders,  Martin  Clark,  Thomas  D.  Crey,  Julian 
Elee,  John   B.  Green,  Caleb  Godfrey,  Newton 

A.  Gastin,  R.  S.  Hillhouse,  Lewis  Johnson 
Henderson  Kimball,  Peter  Kaltenbach,  A.  J. 
Kinman,  Damon  C.  Kennedy,  Josiah  McCor- 
mick,  Preston  McCulloch,  William  McCassilin, 
Thomas  Mullen,  Aaron  Messecher,  Martin 
McRorgh,  James  McDonald,  Job  A.  Orton, 
James  L.  Osborne,  Welcome  Root,  John  Rose, 
Andrew  Stephens,  Alonzo  Soule,  Oliver  Safford, 
Laurence  Stull,  Jacob  Sanders,  William  A 
Thornton,  Thomas  J.  Vance,  Isaac  Wilson 
John  D.  Watts,  Thomas  Weymon,  Bennett  M. 
Weldon,  Sherman  D.  Wood  and  Henry  Went- 
worth.  Died— Sergeant  James  Mathewson,  in 
hospital  at  Vera  Cruz  October  28,  1847  ;  Ser- 
geant Benjamin  F.  Bogan,  in  hospital  at  Jalapa, 
Mexico,  January  11,  1848;  Corporal  William 
0.  Cook,  in  liospital  at  Jalapa  December  2, 
1847  ;  Corporal  Jonathan  Reilly,  in  General 
Hospital  at  New  Orleans  September  14,  1847. 
Privates,  died — John  Bodine,  November  13, 
1847,  General  Hospital  at  New  Orleans  ;  Mat- 
thew Ballard,  November  22,  1847,  General 
Hospital  at  Vera  Cruz  ;  Hiram  Bruce,  May  17, 
1847,  at  Puebla;  William  Cummins,  December 
18, 1847,  in  Regimental  Hospital,  Jalapa  ;  John 
Crooms,  February  1,  1848,  at  Jalapa  ;  Dillard 

B.  Caster,  January  15,  1848,  at  Jalapa;  Will 
iam  Clark,  December  14,  1847,  at  Jalapa ; 
Isaac  Dawson,  January  2,  1848,  at  Jalapa  ; 
Joseph  Dorrell,  September  10,1847,  in  General 
Hospital  at  Vera  Cruz  ;  George  W.  Dornell, 
August  17,  1847,  at  Jalapa  ;  James  F.  Griffith, 
December  16,  1847,  at  Jalapa  ;  Robert  Good- 


248 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


rich,  August  28,  1847,  in  General  Hospital  at 
New  Orleans  ;  John  Gilbert,  May  4,  1848,  in 
General  Hospital  at  Puebla  ;  John  A.  Jenkins, 
September  17,  1847,  in  General  Hospital  at 
Vera  Cruz  ;  William  Knox,  April  21,  1848,  at 
Puebla;  John  Kfller,  January  11,  1848,  at 
Jalapa  ;  John  Mylett,  December  16,  1847,  at 
Jalapa  ;  Hiram  Leonard,  December  2,  1847,  at 
Jalapa  ;  Thomas  A.  Long,  November  24,  1847, 
at  Vera  Cruz  ;  Henry  Lawson,  December  1, 
1347,  at  New  Orleans  ;  Reuben  Light,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1847,  at  Jalapa  ;  Zedick  Marlow,  De- 
cember 1, 1847,  at  Jalapa  ;  William  R.  Maynor, 
June  30,  1847,  at  Carrolton,  La.,  James  Mc- 
Connell,  September  12,  1847,  at  Camp  Bergara, 
Mexico ;  William  N.  Moss,  August  16,  1847, 
at  Alton,  111.  ;  John  McLaughlin,  April  2,  1848, 
at  Puebla  ;  Henry  Piper,  December  5,  1847,  at 
Jalapa;  William  Pierce,  October  12,  1847,  at 
Vera  Cruz  ;  John  Redmon,  December  29.  1847, 
at  Jalapa  ;  William  Reynolds,  March  5,  1848, 
at  Jalapa  ;  William  G.  Stewart,  January  23, 
1848,  at  Jalapa  ;  John  H.  Stull,  December  20, 
1847,  at  Camp  Bergara  ;  Wright  Taylor,  May 
6,  1848,  at  New  Orleans  ;  William  G.  Worley, 
September  10,  1847,  at  Vera  Cruz  ;  Charles 
Weston,  September  2,  1847,  at  Camp  Bergara  ; 
Thomas  A.  White,  February  1,  1848,  at  Jalapa, 
and  Daniel  Wallace,  February  15,  1848,  at 
Jalapa.  Discharged — Sergeant  Jeremiah  Mor- 
gan, disabilitj-  ;  Privates  William  Baker,  Will- 
iam C.  Brooks,  Clinton  Brown,  Robert  Ballard, 
Oliver  Forward,  George  W.  Green,  S.  A.  Honey, 
Arthur  Leach,  Robert  Osborne  and  John 
Vickey  for  disability.  The  company  was  A  of 
the  Second  Regiment,  commanded  by  James 
Collins,  Colonel,  Stephen  G.  Hicks,  of  Mount 
Vernon,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  Thomas  S. 
Livingston,  Major. 

The  company  proceeded  to  Alton,  and  there 
on  the  26lh  of  June,  1847,  was  mustered  into 
the  United  States  service.  Maj.  Noah  John- 
ston, of  Mount  Vernon,  was  Paj'master  of  the 
army  during  the  last  years  of  the  war,  and  a 


more  faithful  officer  in  that  important  line  of 
duty  never  wore  the  livery  of  Uncle  Sam.  The 
troops  did  not  leave  Alton  until  the  13th  of 
August,  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  month  they 
arrived  at  Vera  Cruz.  They  were  on  active 
duty  until  after  the  close  of  the  war,  though 
they  were  engaged  in  no  hard  fighting.  On  the 
2d  of  June,  they  were  ordered  home,  and 
arrived  at  Alton  July  7,  where  they  were  in 
due  time  paid  off  and  discharged. 

The  Rebellion. — After  the  close  of  the  Mexi- 
can war,  for  a  little  more  than  a  decade,  we 
remained  in  peace  and  tranquillity,  save  an  oc- 
casional skirmish  with  the  Indians.  But  war 
clouds  were  gathering,  and  our  political  atmos- 
phere foreboded  the  coming  storm.  No  outside 
foe  or  foreign  enemy,  however,  now  opposed 
us.  Internal  dissensions  were  shaking  the 
countr}'  from  center  to  circumference,  and  it 
bade  fair  to  become  a  "  house  divided  against 
itself"  In  1860,  the  storm  grew  dark  and 
angry,  and  at  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
to  the  Presidency,  and  his  inauguration  in  1861, 
it  burst  in  all  its  fury.  It  involved  us  in  a 
civil  war,  the  magnitude  of  which  the  world 
had  never  before  seen.  When  the  stars  and 
stripes  were  hauled  down  from  the  battlements 
of  Sumter,  and  the  palmetto  of  the  so-called 
Confederacj'  raised  in  its  stead,  it  set  the  coun- 
try in  a  blaze  of  excitement.  Old  soldiers  who 
had  fought  in  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mexican 
wars  came  to  the  front,  and  scarcelv  had  the 
President  made  his  first  call  for  troops  ere  the 
quota  was  filled,  and  many  left  out  who  were 
clamoring  to  enlist.  JeflTerson  County  was  no 
laggard  in  the  path  of  dutj-,  and  her  patriotism 
was  equal  to  any  of  her  sister  counties.  She 
was  not  into  the  fraj-  quite  as  soon  as  many 
other  counties,  but  when  once  in  she  stuck  to 
it  until  the  old  flag  waved  in  triumph  again 
over  every  State  and  Territory. 

The  Fortieth  Infantry  is  the  first  regiment 
in  which  we  find  the  county  represented,  and 
only  in  this  by  a  ver)'  few   men  and  officers. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY 


249 


The  regiment  was  made  up  principally  in  Mar- 
ion, Wayne,  Hamilton  and  Franklin  Counties, 
with  a  few  representatives,  as  we  have  said, 
from  this  county.  It  was  commanded  by  that 
brave  old  warrior-hero  of  the  Black  Hawk  and 
Mexican  wars — Stephen  G.  Hicks.  John  W. 
Baugh  was  Adjutant,  and  Albion  F.  Taylor, 
Quartermaster,  both  honorable  citizens  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and  perhaps  others,  of  whom  sketclies 
will  be  found  in  the  biographical  department 
of  this  volume. 

Stephen  Or.  Hicks,  a  Sergeant  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  a  Captain,  and  afterward  Lieutenant 
Colonel  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  Colonel  of 
this  (the  Fortieth)  regiment,  was  born  for  a  sol- 
dier. He  was  the  son  of  a  soldier,  possessed 
all  the  elements  for  a  good  soldier,  and  was 
one  than  whom  none  braver  ever  wore  the 
uniform,  nor  followed  the  flag  of  the  Union. 
He  was  bora  February  22  (the  anniversary 
of  Washington's  birthday),  1809,  in  Jackson 
County,  Ga.,  and  was  the  son  of  John  Hicks, 
one  of  the  seven  men  killed  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans,  January  8, 1815.  Hence,  he  was 
left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  six  years,  with 
few  advantages  for  education  or  mental  culture. 
But  he  was  an  energetic  lad,  had  a  vigorous 
body  and  an  active  mind,  that  could  not  be 
content  in  idleness.  After  his  father's  death, 
his  mother  married  Jacob  Weldon,  by  whom 
young  Stephen  considered  he  was  cruelly 
treated,  and  long  before  arriving  at  manhood 
he  left  the  parental  roof  and  hired  to  a  man 
living  near  SpringQeld..  He  worked  during  the 
summer,  and  went  to  school  in  winter,  thus 
picking  up  a  moderate  education,  and  finally 
he  found  his  way  to  the  lead  mines  at  Galena. 
Returning  a  few  j-ears  later,  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  with  iiis  uncle,  Carter  Wilkey. 
When  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out  in  1832 
he  was  among  the  first  to  enlist,  and  was  ap- 
pointed First  Sergeant  of  Capt.  Bowman's 
Company,  in  which  position  he  faithfully  served 
during  the  war.     He  was  married,  in  October, 


1829,  to  Miss  Eliza  R.  Maxey,  a  daughter  of 
Burchett  Maxey,  who  still  survives  him,  and  is 
a  resident  of  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  Hicks  rep- 
resented Jefferson  Count}'  in  the  Lower  House 
of  the  State  Legislature  from  1842  t6  1848, 
and  as  a  legislator  proved  himself  worthy  and 
efficient,  receiving  the  highest  commendations 
of  his  constituents.  He  studied  law,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  and  practiced  law  for  a 
number  of  years. 

At  the  breaking-out  of  the  Mexican  war, 
Col.  Hicks  recruited  Company  H,  of  the  Third 
Regiment  (Col.  Foreman),  and  when  his  term 
of  service  had  expired,  he  re-enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate, but  was  promoted  Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
the  Second  Regiment  as  re-organized,  before  it 
left  Alton,  the  place  of  rendezvous.  His  rec- 
ord throughout  the  Mexican  war  was  that  of 
an  excellent  and  efficient  officer,  and  a  brave 
soldier.  The  following  incident  is  illustrative 
of  the  man,  and  of  his  courage  and  bravery  : 
A  bad  feeling  was  engendered  during  the  first 
year  of  the  war  between  Maj.  Marshall  and 
himself,  and  in  their  difference  Col.  Hicks  pro- 
posed to  go  down  on  the  river  bank  and  fight 
it  out.  Maj.  Marshall  accepted  the  proposition, 
and,  armed  with  pistols,  they  were  about  to 
test  each  other's  courage,  when  the  Lieutenant 
Colonel  of  their  regiment  found  it  out,  and  put 
a  stop  to  it.  He  and  Lieut.  Bagwell  had  a  lit- 
tle "  spat  "  also  during  the  first  jear  in  Mexico, 
in  which  Bagwell  (juestioned  Hicks'  bravery. 
In  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  when  bullets  were 
flying  as  thick  as  hail,  Hicks  held  his  hand 
aloft,  and  cried  out,  •'  Lieut.  Bagwell,  show 
your  hand,  and  we  will  see  who  is  the  bravest." 
Both  men  were  brave  even  to  rashness.  Bag- 
well was  at  one  time  Sheriff  of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty. He  recruited  a  company  during  the  late 
war,  and  joined  the  confederate  army,  and  was 
killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  gallantly  fighting 
at  the  head  of  his  men.  Hicks  became  Colonel, 
as  we  have  seen,  of  the  Fortieth  Infantrj', 
in    the    late    rebellion,   and   served    his    (Jov- 


250 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ernment  faithfully  to  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  severely  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Shiloh.  while  leading  his  regiment  in 
the  thickest  of  the  fight.  Waving  his  sword 
in  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  and  turning  in 
his  saddle  to  cheer  his  men,  a  ball  struck  him 
in  the  back  or  shoulder,  and  he  fell  from  his 
horse.  His  men  swept  on  to  avenge  his  fall, 
and  Col.  Hicks  crawled  a  half  a  mile  to  water, 
and  washed  the  blood  from  the  wound  with  his 
own  hand.  During  his  service  in  the  late  war, 
he  had  four  horses  shot  under  him.  After  he 
recovered  from  his  wounds,  Gen  Sherman, 
struck  with  the  bravery  of  Col.  Hicks,  and  in 
consideration  of  the  wounds  he  had  received, 
offered  him  the  command  of  any  post  between 
Cairo  and  New  Orleans.  Col.  Hicks  had  been 
stationed  for  awhile  at  Paducah  in  the  early 
part  of  the  war,  and,  liking  the  place,  told  Gen. 
Sherman  he  would  accept  the  command  of  Pa- 
ducah. which  Sherman  readily  granted.  Hicks 
also  asked  that  Capt.  Taylor,  his  Regimental 
Quartermaster,  and  who  was  his  son-in-law, 
might  be  detached,  and  go  with  him  as  Post 
Adjutant.  This  Gen.  Sherman  also  granted. 
Col.  Hicks  remained  in  command  of  Paducah 
from  October,  1863,  for  about  one  and  one-half 
years,  and  then  went  to  Columbus,  where  he 
remained  in  command  until  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  While  in  command  at  Paducah,  the 
place  was  attacked  by  the  confederate  Gen. 
Forrest,  who  sent  in  a  demand  to  Col.  Hicks 
for  its  unconditional  surrender,  otherwise  no 
quarter  would  be  shown  if  it  was  captured  by 
force.  Hicks  sent  him  word  that  his  Govern- 
ment had  placed  him  there  to  protect  its  prop- 
erty, and  he  would  prove  a  traitor  if  he  surren- 
dered it,  and  wound  up  by  telling  Forrest  he 
would  have  to  come  and  take  it.  Gen.  Thomp- 
son, of  Mayfield,  Ky.,  who  commanded  a  bri- 
gade, had  asked  the  favor  of  Forrest  to  let 
him  take  the  fort  where  Hicks  commanded  in 
person,  and  was  granted  the  request.  He 
attacked  it  with  great  fury,  but  was  struck  by  a 


cannon  ball  and  literally  torn  in  pieces,  his 
bowels  being  scattered  over  the  ground,  and  a 
portion  of  his  spinal  column  being  thrown  sev- 
eral rods  from  where  he  fell.  The  battle  was 
terrible  while  it  lasted,  the  rebels  losing  1.200 
men  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  Union  forces, 
who  were  protected  b}-  a  fort,  lost  but  seventeen 
killed  and  a  number  wounded. 

Col.  Hicks  remained  in  the  service  until  the 
establishment  of  peace.  His  defense  of  Padu- 
cah was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  achievements 
of  the  war,  and  won  for  him  unqualified  praise, 
but  did  not  bring  the  promotion  he  merited. 
After  his  return  from  the  war,  he  made  his 
home  in  Salem,  Marion  County,  where  he  had 
some  time  lived.  He  died  there  December  14, 
1869,  and  his  widow  now  lives  in  Mount  Ver- 
non, a  highly  respected  elderly  lady. 

The  Forty-fourth  Infantry  was  a  regiment  in 
which  Jeflferson  County  was  well  represented. 
Company  F  contained  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
men  from  this  county,  together  with  its  first 
and  Second  Lieutenants,  William  Hicks  and 
George  W.  Allen.  Hicks  resigned  April  5, 
1862,  and  Allen  was  promoted  from  Second  to 
First  Lieutenant,  and  resigned  January  1.  1865. 
The  other  commissioned  officers  of  the  company 
were  from  Ashley  and  Richview. 

Company  I  was  almost  wholly  from  this 
county,  and  was  enrolled  with  the  following 
commissioned  officers  ;  Jasper  Partridge,  Cap- 
tain ;  Russell  Brown,  First  Lieutenant ;  and 
Jesse  C.  Bliss,  Second  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Part- 
ridge and  First  Lieut.  Brown  were  mustered 
out  at  the  end  of  three  years,  and  Lieut.  Charles 
M.  Lyon  was  promoted  to  Captain  of  the  vet- 
eran company,  and  T.  J.  Abbott  became  First 
Lieutenant.  Second  Lieut.  Bliss  was  mustered 
out  at  the  end  of  his  term,  and  Andrew  J. 
Young  appointed  Second  Lieuteuant  under  re- 
organization. The  non-commissioned  officers 
were  Cyrus  A.  Barrett,  John  A.  Wall  and  Mor- 
ris H.  Taylor,  Sergeants  ;  and  Learner  B.  Allen, 
Franklin    S.   Parker,   Henry   P.  Daniel,   Isaac 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


251 


Price,  Edwin  R.  Bliss.  Andrew  J.Watson.  Will- 
iam H.  Pavey  and  John  C.  Crawford,  Corpo- 
rals. Wall  was  discharged  April  8,  1862,  on 
account  of  wounds  ;  Taylor  re-enlisted  as  a 
veteran  ;  Daniel  was  discharged  April  8,  1862, 
from  disability  ;  Price  was  killed  at  Stone  River, 
Decemlier  31,  1862;  Watson  was  discharged 
from  disability  May  29.  1862.  and  Pavey  died 
at  home,  February  1,  1862.  The  others  were 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

The  Forty-fourth  Infantry  was  organized  in 
August,  1861,  at  Camp  Ellsworth,  Chicago.  It 
was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on 
the  13th  of  September,  and  the  next  day  pro- 
ceeded under  orders  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  took 
up  its  quarters  in  Benton  Barracks.  It  was 
supplied  with  arms  from  the  St.  Louis  arsenal, 
and  on  the  22d  embarked  on  a  steamer  for  Jef- 
ferson City,  which  was  threatened  at  that  time 
by  the  rebel  Gen.  Price,  jubilant  over  his  re- 
cent victory  at  Lexington.  It  remained  here 
until  the  29th,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Sedalia, 
where  it  was  assigned  to  Gen.  Sigel's  division. 
Here  it  was  engaged  in  drilling,  camp  duty, 
scouting,  foraging,  etc.,  until  the  13th  of  Octo- 
ber, when  the  army  took  up  its  line  of  march 
toward  Springfield,  Mo.,  arriving  at  that  place 
a  little  too  late  to  participate  in  the  bloody 
charge  led  by  Maj.  Zagonia  (of  Gen.  Fremont's 
body  guard)  against  the  rebel  cavalry  stationed 
there.  With  much  marching  and  counter- 
marching, and  in  dailj-  expectation  of  meeting 
the  enemy,  the  fall  and  winter  wore  awaj-,  and 
on  the  2d  of  February,  1862,  Gen.  Curtis  hav- 
ing assumed  command  of  the  army,  it  marched 
from  RoUa,  where  it  had  been  for  some  time, 
back  toward  Springfield,  where  Gen.  Price  was  j 
concentrating  his  forces,  with  the  intention  of  i 
offering  fight  should  he  be  attacked.  But  he 
''  retired  in  good  order,"  and  the  Union  forces 
took  possession  of  the  town  on  the  13th  with- 
out serious  opposition.  Then  began  an  excit- 
ing chase,  which  many  of  Company  I  doubtless 
still  remember,  as  the  Forty-fourth  was  contin- 


ally  in  advance  until  the  army  reached  Camp 
Halleck,  Benton  Count}-,  Ark.  The  pursuit 
was  abandoned  on  the  20th  of  February,  and 
the  troops  were  allowed  a  few  days'  rest  after 
their  arduous  service.  They  had  marched  four 
consecutive  days,  during  the  most  inclement 
weather  (there  being  six  inches  of  snow  a  part 
of  the  time  on  the  ground)  and  skirmishing 
almost  continually  during  the  last  week's  march. 
The  troops  remained  here  until  the  5th  of 
March,  when  news  was  received  that  the  com- 
bined forces  of  Van  Dorn,  Price  and  McCul- 
lough  were  advancing  to  attack  them,  when 
they  moved  toward  Sugar  Creek  Valley,  and  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  sixth  the  rear  guard  was 
attacked  by  the  enemy  and  repulsed.  This 
was  the  opening  of  the  terrible  battle  of  Pea 
Ridge,  which  resulted  so  disastrousl}-  to  the 
rebels.  Tlie  Foi-ty-fourth  took  a  prominent 
part  in  it,  and  after  the  enemy  had  been  routed 
was  one  of  the  regiments  selected  to  follow  up 
the  retreat.  For  three  days  they  pursued  the 
fleeing  rebels,  capturing  one  stand  of  colors, 
and  taking  many  hundred  prisoners,  and  several 
pieces  of  artillery.  They  remained  in  this 
vicinity  until  the  5th  of  May,  when  they  moved 
toward  Forsythe,  Mo.,  but  was  ordered  back  to 
Batesville,  Ark.  Here  the  army  was  re-organ- 
ized, and  the  Forty-fourth  became  a  part  of  the 
brigade  commanded  by  Gen.  Osterhaus.  On 
the  8th,  the  army  was  put  in  motion,  and 
started  for  Little  Rock,  but  orders  were  received 
ordering  it  to  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo.,  where,  upon 
its  arrival,  it  embarked  for  Pittsburg  Landing, 
to  re-enforce  the  troops  then  besieging  Corinth. 
Miss.  The  troops  arrived  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing on  the  26th,  and  the  next  day  marched  up 
within  supporting  distance  of  the  main  body  of 
the  army,  arriving  two  days  before  the  evacu- 
ation of  Corinth.  After  the  evacuation,  the 
brigade  to  which  the  forty-fourth  belonged  was 
attached  to  Gen.  Pope's  army,  and  sent  in  pur- 
suit of  the  retreating  rebels,  but  owing  to  bad 
roads  the   pursuit  was  soon  abandoned.     The 


35i! 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUKTY. 


troops  returned  to  Rienzi,  Miss.,  and  went  into 
camp,  wiiere  tbej'  remained  until  the  26th  of 
August,  when  they  were  ordered  to  Covington, 
Ky.,to  protect  that  place  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
against  threatened  attacks  of  the  enemy.  Tbey 
arrived  there  about  the  1st  of  September,  and 
were  on  duty  there  until  the  17tb,  when  tbey 
crossed  to  Cincinnati  and  proceeded  to  Louis- 
ville, then  threatened  by  Gen.  Bragg. 

The  command  remained  in  Louisville  until 
the  1st  of  October,  and  during  the  time,  it  was 
again  re-organized,  the  Forty-fourth  being 
assigned  to  the  Thirty-fifth  Brigade,  Eleventh 
Division,  Army  of  the  Ohio.  October  1,  the 
command  (including  the  Forty-fourth)  started 
on  the  memorable  campaign  through  Kentucky 
in  pursuit  of  Gen.  Bragg,  and  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Perry  ville  on  the  8th,  being  at  the 
time  in  the  division  commanded  by  Gen.  Phil 
Sheridan.  They  followed  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy  to  Crab  Orchard,  and  on  the  20th  of 
October  marched  toward  Bowling  Green, 
arriving  there  on  the  1st  of  November.  Here 
Gen.  Rosecrans  assumed  command,  and  on  the 
4th  the  army  took  up  the  line  of  march  toward 
Nashville,  where  it  arrived  on  the  7th,  reliev- 
ing the  garrison  at  that  place  and  re-opening 
communication  with  Louisville.  On  the  26th 
of  December,  the  army  moved  against  the  enemy 
at  Murfreesboro.  The  Forty -fourth  was  now 
attached  to  the  Second  Brigade,  Third  Division, 
Twentieth  Army  Corps,  Col.  Schaffer  command- 
ing the  brigade.  Gen.  Sheridan  the  division, 
and  Gen.  McCook  the  corps.  The  Forty- 
fourth  took  an  active  part  in  the  bloody  battle 
of  Stone  River,  losing  more  than  half  its 
members,  killed  and  wounded,  Capt.  Hosmer 
of  Ashley,  being  among  the  killed.  It  re- 
mained with  the  army  at  Murfreesboro,  until 
the  26th  of  June  1863,  when  it  again  marched 
to  the  front  and  crossed  swords  with  the  enemy 
at  Hoover's  Gap,  Shelbyville  and  Tullahoma. 
In  the  early  part  of  July,  it  proceeded  to 
Stephenson,  Ala.,  where  it  remained  until    the 


21st  of  August,  when    the    movement   began 
against   Chattanooga.     The    Twentieth   Corps 
moved    down    toward    Rome,    Ga.,    when  the 
balance  of  the  army  was  attacked  near  Chicka- 
mauga  by  Bragg  and  Longstreet.     The  Forty- 
fourth  was  ordered  to  return  at  once   and  join 
the  main  army,  and  after  three  days  and  nights 
of  forced  marches,  it  arrived  on  the  field  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  desperate  conflict  of  Septem- 
ber 19th  and  20th.  Falling  back  to  Chattanooga, 
it  remained  there  until  the   latter  part  of  No- 
vember, when  it  again  advanced,  and  on  the 
25th  was  one  of  the  foremost  regiments  in  the 
bloody  charge  on  Mission  Ridge,   Gen.    Sheri- 
dan bestowing  unmeasured  praise  upon   it   for 
having  placed  one  of  the  first  flags  on  the  ene- 
my's works.     Following  the  enemy  next  day,  it 
captured  many  prisoners  and  several  pieces  of 
artillery.     On  the  27th,  it  was  ordered  back  to 
Chattanooga,  to  prepare  for  a  forced  march  to 
Knoxville,  150   miles  distant,    to  relieve    the 
forces  then  besieged  by    Gen.  Longstreet,  but 
arrived  three  days    after  the  siege   had    been 
raised  by  Gen.  Burnside.     The  Twentieth  and 
Twenty-first  Corps  were  consolidated  at  Chatta- 
nooga, and  the   Forty-fourth  was    assigned    to 
the   First  Brigade,  Second    Division,    Fourth 
Army  Corps,  Col.  W.  T.  Sherman  commanding 
the    brigade.  Gen.  Sheridan  the   division,  and 
Gen.    Granger  the   corps.     After  considerable 
maneuvering,    the    troops   went  into   camp  at 
Blain's   Cross  Roads,  where  they  were  several 
times  on  the  point   of  starvation,   having,  for 
da3-s  at  a  time,  nothing  but  corn  in  the  ear,  and 
but  a  limited  supply  of  that.  Said  a  writer  upon 
the  subject  :  "  Nothing  could  more  fully  prove 
the  patriotism  of  the  men  than  the  fact   that 
here,  on  the  point  of  starvation,  exposed  to  the 
most  inclement  weather  (it  being  so  cold  that 
the  ink  would  freeze  to  the  pen  as  the  men 
signed  their  names),  over  three-fourths  of  the 
regiment  voluntarily  consented  to   serve  three 
years  more,    for  that  Government  for  which 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


253 


they  had  suffered  so  much  daring  tlie  past  two 
and  a  half  years." 

Tlie  regiment  remained  at  Blain's  Cross 
Roads  until  the  12th  of  January,  1864,  and 
then  marched  to  Dandridge,  Tenn.  On  the 
16th  and  17th  an  attack  was  made  by  the  ene- 
my in  full  force,  and  the  Uniou  forces  fell  back 
to  Knoxville,  and  from  there  marched  to 
Kingston,  where  they  remained  until  the  30th, 
when  the  Forty-fourth  was  ordered  to  Chatta- 
nooga to  receive  veteran  furlough.  It  arrived 
there  on  the  3d  of  February,  and  drew  full 
rations  for  the  first  time  in  four  months,  and 
started  home  on  the  18th,  arriving  at  Chicago 
on  the  1st  of  March.  On  the  4th  the  men  were 
furloughed  and  started  for  their  homes.  From 
the  time  the  regiment  left  its  rendezvous  in 
September,  1861,  to  the  time  of  its  re-enlistment, 
it  had  marched  over  five  thousand  miles. 

The  Forty-fourth  reached  Nashville  April 
14,  1864,  on  its  way  back  to  the  field,  and  two 
days  later  marched  toward  Chattanooga, 
where  it  arrived  on  the  30th,  moving  from  there 
to  Cleveland,  Tenn.,  where  it  was  immediately 
ordered  to  the  front  with  tlie  main  army,  then 
moving  toward  Atlanta.  It  passed  through 
nearly  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  among  which  were  Buz- 
zard Roost,  Rocky  Faced  Ridge,  Resaca, 
Adairsville,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Ken- 
esaw  Mountain,  Gulp's  Farm,  Chattahoochie 
River,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Jonesboro  and  At- 
lanta. From  the  28th  of  September  it  was  on  act- 
ive duty,  engaged  nearly  every  day  in  scouting, 
skirmishing  or  fighting  until  the  30th  of  No- 
vember, when  it  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Franklin,  Tenn.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
desperate  battles,  while  it  lasted,  in  which  the 
regiment  was  engaged  during  the  war.  The 
honor  of  winning  the  battle  and  saving  the  ar- 
my, in  a  general  order,  was  given  to  the  bri- 
gade of  which  the  Forty  fourth  was  a  part. 
The  next  day  the  army  reached  Nashville,  and 
the   Forty-fourth  took    part   in  the  battle   of 


Nashville,  December  15  and  16,  and  fol- 
lowed the  broken  columns  of  the  rebel  army 
to  the  Tennessee  River.  The  army  weut  into 
camp  at  Iluntsville,  Ala.,  on  the  5th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1865,  where  the  battered  old  Forty-fourth 
enjoyed  a  few  weeks'  rest.  Its  fighting  was 
now  about  over.  The  confederacy  fell  soon 
after,  and  with  the  tableau  at  Appomattox,  the 
curtain  went  down  on  the  bloody  drama.  But 
the  war-worn  veterans  of  the  Forty-fourth  were 
not  yet  permitted  to  lay  aside  the  trappings  of 
war.  On  the  15th  of  June,  it  started,  under 
orders,  for  New  Orleans,  arriving  on  the  22d, 
and  after  remaining  thereuntil  the  16th  of  July, 
it  was  ordered  into  Texas.  It  remained  on 
duty  in  Texas  until  September  25,  1865,  when 
it  was  ordered  home,  arriving  at  Springfield  on 
the  15th  of  October,  and  was  paid  off  and 
discharged. - 

The  Forty-ninth  Infantry  is  the  next  body  in 
which  we  find  Jefferson  County  represented. 
Company  K  was  from  this  county,  and  its 
commissioned  officers  were  as  follows  :  Benja- 
min F.  Wood,  Captain ;  Joseph  Laur,  First 
Lieutenant,  and  James  G-.  Gilbert,  Second 
Lieutenant.  Capt.  Wood  resigned  June  10, 
1862  ;  Lieut.  Laur  was  promoted  to  Captain 
in  his  stead,  and  mustered  out  with  the  regi- 
ment September  9,  1865.  Upon  the  pro- 
motion of  Lieut.  Laur,  Second  Lieut.  James 
Lemmon  became  First  Lieutenant.  His 
term  expired  January  9,  1865,  and  Second 
Lieut.  Jonathan  Foster  was  promoted  in  his 
stead.  Lieut.  Gilbert  resigned  March  5,  1862, 
and  James  Lemmon  was  promoted  to  the 
vacancy,  and  afterward  to  First  Lieutenant. 
Edward  Barbee  became  Second  Lieutenant 
upon  the  promotion  of  Lieut.  Lemmon  ;  he 
resigned  July  5,  1865,  and  Jonathan  Foster 
was  promoted  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Foster  was 
promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  when  John  S. 
Brooks  became  Second  Lieutenant,  and  as  such 
was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

The  Forty-ninth  Infantry,   Col.   William  R. 


254 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Morrison  commanding,  was  organized  al  Camp 
Butler  December  31,  1861,  and  mustered  into 
the  United  States  service.  On  tiie  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1862,  it  was  ordered  to  Cairo,  111.,  and 
on  the  8th  it  moved  to  Fort  Henry,  where  it 
was  assigned  to  the  Third  Brigade  of  McCler- 
nand's  division.  It  moved  to  Fort  Donelson 
on  the  11th,  and  participated  in  that  battle, 
losing  fourteen  men  killed  and  thirty-seven 
wounded.  Among  the  wounded  was  Col.  Mor- 
rison, who  commanded  the  brigade  to  which 
the  Fort3'-nintli  belonged.  The  regiment  re- 
mained at  Fort  Donelson  until  the  4th  of 
March,  when  the  army  was  put  in  motion,  and 
on  the  6th  the  Forty-ninth,  with  other  troops, 
embarked  for  Pittsburg  Landing.  It  bore  an 
active  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  April  6  and 
7,  and  lost  in  the  two  engagements  seventeen 
killed  and  ninety-nine  wounded.  Among  the 
wounded  in  this  engagement  were  Lieut.  Col 
Pease,  commanding  the  regiment,  and  Maj. 
Bishop.  It  was  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Cor- 
inth, and  on  the  4th  of  June  it  moved  to 
Bethel,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the  division  of 
Gen,  John  A.  Logan,  district  of  Jackson, 
Maj.  Gen.  McClernand  commanding.     On   the 

th  of  March,  1863,  the  regiment  moved  from 
Bethel  to  Grand  Junction,  and  from  thence  to 
Germantown,  and  on  the  12th  to  White  Station, 
where  it  was  assigned  to  the  Fourth  Brigade, 
First  Division,  Sixteenth  Armj-  Corps,  Col. 
Sanford  commanding  the  brigade.  Gen.  Smith 
the  division,  and  Gen.  Hurlbut  the  corps.  It 
was  ordered  to  Helena,  Ark.,  August  21  to 
join  Gen.  Steele's  expedition  against  Little 
Rock.  September  2  it  joined  the  main  array 
at  Brownsville,  Ark.,  and  on  the  10th  partici- 
pated in  the  capture  of  Little  Rock.  From 
here  it  proceeded  to  Duval's  Bluff,  and  from 
thence  it  returned  to  Memphis,  where  it  arrived 
on  the  21st  of  November. 

On  the  15th  of  January,  1864,  about  three- 
fourths  of  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and  were 
mustered  as  veterans,  and  were  assigned  to  the 


Third  Brigade,  Col.  Wolf  commanding.  Third 
Division,  Gen.  Smith,  and  the  Sixteenth  Arm}- 
Corps.  It  remained  on  active  dut}',  was  with 
Gen.  Sherman ^on  the  Meridian  campaign,  was 
assigned  to  the  Red  River  expedition  and 
served  in  Louisiana  until  June  24,  when  it 
was  ordered  home  on  veteran  furlough.  The 
non-veterans  remained  in  the  field,  commanded 
b}'  Capt.  Logan,  and  participated  in  the  battle 
of  Tupelo  Julj'  14  and  15  while  their  comrades 
were  at  home  enjoying  themselves.  At  the 
expiration  of  their  furlough,  the  veterans  ren- 
dezvoused at  Centralia,  and  proceeded  to  Cairo, 
and  from  thence  to  Memphis  and  Holly  Springs, 
where  they  joined  the  command.  August  12, 
they  participated  in  the  Oxford  expedition,  and 
on  the  30th  of  September  embarked  for  Jeffer- 
son Barracks,  Mo.,  and  proceeded  to  Franklin. 
They  drove  the  enemy  from  that  place,  and 
with  the  main  army  went  in  pursuit  of  Gen. 
Price,  after  which  the  Forty-ninth  returned  to 
St.  Louis  on  the  18th  of  November.  From  St. 
Louis  thej-  were  ordered  to  Nashville,  Tenn,, 
where  they  arrived  December  1,  and  took  part 
in  that  bloody  battle  on  the  15th  and  16th,  It 
was  ordered  to  Paducah,  Ky.,  on  the  24th  of 
December,  where  the  non-veterans  were  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service,  their  term  of  enlist- 
ment having  expired.  The  veterans  remained 
on  garrison  duty  at  Paducah  until  September 
9,  1865,  when  they  were  ordered  to  Camp  But- 
ler, 111.,  and  on  the  15th  were  paid  off  and  dis- 
charged. 

The  Sixtieth  Infantry  contained  more  Jeffer- 
son County  men,  perhaps,  than  an}-  other  regi- 
ment of  the  war.  Its  second  Colonel,  William 
B.  Anderson,  is  a  native  of  the  county,  has  al- 
ways lived  here,  and  is  known  to  nearly  every 
man,  woman  and  child  ;  the  last  Colonel  of  the 
regiment,  George  W.  Evans,  is  now  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Mount  Vernon  ;  the  last  Quar- 
termaster, James  H.  Rogers,  was  also  from  the 
county  ;  while  Jefferson  contributed  to  nearly 
every  company,  and  very  largely  to  C,   D  and 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


255 


G,  furnishing  more  than  half  the  men  in  those 
companies. 

William  B.  Anderson,  who,  upon  the  death 
of  Col.  Toler — the  First  Colonel  of  the  Sixtieth 
— succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  regiment, 
was  born  in  Mount  Vernon  April  2,  1830,  and 
is  a  son  of  Gov.  Stinson  H.  and  Candace 
(Chickering)  Anderson.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Jefferson  County,  and 
at  McKendree  College,  Lebanon,  111.,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years  began  the  study  of 
the  law  under  Judge  Scales,  then  on  the  Su- 
preme bench.  Mr.  Anderson  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1857,  but  owing  to  failing  health  re- 
sulting from  a  too  close  application  to  study, 
he  gave  up  a  profession  in  which  he  was  emi- 
nently fitted  to  shine  as  an  ornament,  and  be- 
took himself  to  the  more  humble  life  of  a 
farmer.  Thus  was  lost  to  the  legal  profession 
a  man  who,  had  he  remained  at  the  bar,  would 
no  doubt  have  become  one  of  the  leading  law- 
yers of  Southern  Illinois. 

Mr.  Anderson  soon  displayed  an  interest  in 
the  political  affairs  of  the  county,  and  in  18,i6 
was  elected  Representative  in  the  Lower  House 
of  the  State  Legislature,  and  re-elected  in  1858. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  both  sessions,  which 
were  rather  stormj',  as  political  controvers3-, 
consequent  upon  the  recent  organization  of  the 
Republican  party,  ran  high.  Such  were  the 
strength  and  solidity  of  his  abilities  that  he 
won  the  most  honorable  position  among  the 
members  of  those  bodies.  He  introduced  a 
resolution  in  the  session  of  1856  to  prohibit 
special  legislation,  and  to  make  all  legisl.ation 
general,  as  special  legislation  had  been  carried 
to  such  excess  as  to  become  a  nuisance,  and 
greatly  retard  business.  He  fought  it  all  the 
way  to  the  end,  but  was  overpowered  at  last. 
But  he  could  not  give  it  up,  and  in  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention,  some  fifteen  years  later, 
lie  again  brought  it  up,  and  succeeded  in  hav- 
ing it  engrafted  in  the  new  constitution.  It 
was  a  sore  stroke  to  Ciiicago.  and  still  rankles 


in  her  people.  The  onl3-  way  that  Chicago  can 
now  secure  special  legislation  is  through  a  gen- 
eral act  "applying  to  counties  of  100,000  in- 
habitants and  upward." 

But  it  is  as  a  soldier,  perhaps,  that  Mr.  An- 
derson is  best  fitted  for  a  noble  and  brilliant 
career.  It  has  lieen  said  "  that  tiie  poet  is 
born,  not  made,"  and  to  the  soldier  does  the 
saying  apply  with  equal  truth,  as  proven  by 
man}'  of  our  citizen  soldiers  during  the  late 
civil  war.  Scores  of  officers  could  be  enumer- 
ated who  never  saw  West  Point,  and  who  re- 
tired from  the  army  at  the  close  of  the  rebell- 
ion, the  equal  in  militarj"  talent  and  ability  oT 
any  graduate  of  West  Point  that  ever  wore 
sword.  It  is  the  natural  talent  for  a  trade  or 
profession  that  qualifies  a  man  to  adorn  that 
trade  or  profession,  and,  while  education  may 
the  better  fit  him  for  them,  yet  education  alone 
will  not  make  a  mechanic,  a  lawyer,  or  a  sol- 
dier. 

lu  February,  1862,  Mr.  Anderson  enlisted  as 
a  private  soldier  in  Companj'  B,  of  the  Sixtieth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  But  upon  the 
organization  of  the  regiment,  which  took  place 
on  the  17th,  at  Camp  DuBois,  Illinois,  he  was 
made  its  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Silas  C.  Toler,  of 
Jonesboro,  being  Colonel.  Col.  Toler  died 
.March  2,  1863,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Anderson  was 
promoted  Colonel  in  his  place.  March  13, 
1865,  he  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General  for 
brave  and  meritorious  service,  a  promotion 
more  than  merited,  though  long  deferred.  Un- 
fortunately for  Gen.  Anderson's  military  pre- 
ferment, he  was  of  the  wrong  political  faith, 
and  unlike  some  of  his  brotiier  officers  from 
Southern  Illinois,  he  refused  to  change  his  poli- 
tics for  the  sake  of  official  advancement.  He 
adhered  to  the  principle  that  "  the  leopard  can- 
not change  his  spots,  nor  the  Ethiopian  his 
skin  "  (consistently,  at  least),  and  saw  frequent 
examples  of  men  selling  their  political  opinions 
for  military  rank.  Lo3-al  to  the  core,  and  brave 
as  a  Roman  warrior,  he  was  doomed  to  the  hu- 


256 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUNTY. 


miliation  of  witnessing  promotion  upon  promo- 
tion over  his  liead  wliolly  for  political  reasons. 
And,  when,  in  view  of  liis  long  and  faithful 
service,  promotion  could  no  longer  be  withheld, 
it  came  somewhat  grudgingly,  or  indifferently 
rather,  much  as  we  might  throw  a  bone  to  a 
dog.  The  war  then,  was.  in  a  measure,  over, 
and  tlie  hard  fighting  about  through  with,  and 
Gen.  Anderson,  soon  after  his  promotion  as 
Brigadier  General,  resigned,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Jefferson  County. 

Gen.  Anderson  was  a  brave  and  efficient 
soldier,  and  seemed  born  for  military  service. 
That  he  did  not  receive  his  just  deserts,  is  a 
shame  and  a  reproach  upon  the  Government  he 
faithfully  served  through  four  lon^  and  terri- 
ble years.  As  a  Major  General,  he  would  have 
won  a  name  and  a  fame  equaled  by  few  and 
surpassed  by  none  of  Illinois'  citizen  soldiers. 
But  his  political  principles,  to  which  was  no 
doubt  added  a  jealousy  of  his  growing  rep- 
utation, conceived  by  other  officers,  whose 
ambition  led  them  to  covet  his  hard-earned 
laurels,  kept  him  in  the  background,  while 
those  less  worthy  and  less  qualified  rose  to 
prominence.  The  language  of  the  late 
George  D.  Prentice  seems  eminently  appro- 
priate here  : 
^  '  ■  The  flame 

Had  fallen,  and  its  high  and  fitful  gleams 
Perchance  had  faded,  but  the  living  fires 
Still  glowed  beneath  the  ashes." 

After  his  return  from  the  army,  Gen.  An- 
derson again  entered  upon  farm  life,  but  in 
1869  he  was  elected  to  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  in  1871,  upon  the  death  of 
Hon.  S.  K.  Casey,  he  was  elected  to  fill  out 
his  unexpired  term  in  the  State  Senate.  In 
1874,  he  was  elected  upon  the  Independent 
Greenback  ticket  to  the  National  Congress, 
and  in  1876  came  within  two  votes  of  being 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  instead 
of  Hon.  David  Davis,    and  but  for    a    little 


private  jealousy  perhaps  would  have  been 
chosen  to  that  honorable  position.  In  1882, 
he  was  elected  County  Judge,  which  position 
he  now  occupies. 

Col.  George  W.  Evans,  who  was  mustered 
out  as  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Sixtieth 
Infantiy,  was  a  citizen  of  Johnson  County, 
111.,  at  the  breaking-out  of  the  war.  He 
there  recruited  Company  E.  of  the  Sixtieth, 
of  which  he  was  made  Captain.  He  was 
promoted  Major  of  the  regiment  March  2, 
1863,  and  on  the  21st  of  May  following,  was 
promoted  Lieutenant  Colonel,  in  place  of 
Col.  Hess,  who  had  resigned.  Upon  the  res- 
ignation of  Gen.  Anderson,  Col.  Evans  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  and 
was  promoted  to  Colonel  May  11,  1865,  but 
never  mustered  as  such.  He  was  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment,  July  31,  1865,  as 
Lieutenant  Colonel. 

Col.  Evans  was  a  brave,  gallant  and  faith- 
ful soldier.  During  his  whole  term  of  serv- 
ice, he  never  missed  a  march  or  a  battle  in 
which  his  regiment  participated.  He  was  in 
all  the  principal  battles  from  Nashville  to 
the  sea.  and  was  at  the  surrender  of  Gen. 
Joe  Johnston,  and  with  his  gallant  old  reg- 
iment went  to  Washington  via  Richmond, 
parti'^ipated  in  the  grand  review  at  Washing- 
ton, and  was  finally  mustered  out  with  it  at 
Louisville,  Ky.  He  then  returned  to  Illi- 
nois, and  has  since  been  a  citizen  of  Jeffer- 
son County. 

Company  C,  of  the  Sixtieth,  in  which 
Jefferson  CounLy  was  largely  represented, 
was  enrolled  with  the  following  commis- 
sioned officers  :  John  B.  Moss,  Captain  ; 
Thomas  J.  Rhodes,  First  Lieutenant,  and 
Mark  Hailes,  Second  Lieutenant.  Capt. 
Moss  resigned  December  19,  1862,  and  Sim- 
eon Walker  was  promoted  to  the  vacancy. 
His  term  expired  March  U,  1865,  and  John 
B.    Allen    was    promoted  Captain,    but    de- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


257 


clined  the  commission,  and  resigned  as  First 
Lieutenant,  April  5,  1865,  -when  Francis  L. 
Ferguson  was  promoted  Captain,  and  as  such 
was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment,  July  31, 
1865.  First  Lieut.  Rhodes  was  promoted  to 
Captain  of  Company  A,  and  Mark  Hailes  be- 
came First  Lieutenant.  December  20,  1862, 
John  R.  Allen  succeeded  him  as  First  Lieu- 
tenant, and  upon  his  resignation  Francis  L. 
Ferguson  becames  First  and  was  promoted 
Captain,  when  James  H.  Guthrie  was  pro- 
moted First  Lieutenant,  and  was  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment.  Second  Lieut.  Mark 
Hailes  was  promoted,  and  Simeon  Walker 
became  Second  ;  he  also  was  promoted  and 
was  succeeded  as  Second  by  John  Tweedy, 
who  resigned  January  25,  1864,  and  Edward 
A.  Patterson  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, but  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
as  Sergeant. 

Company  D,  which  contained  some  forty 
odd  men  from  this  county,  went  into  the 
service  with  the  following  commissioned  ofiS- 
cers  :  Alfred  Davis,  of  McLeansboro, 
Captain  ;  Edmund  D.  Choisser,  of  Moores- 
ville,  First  Lieutenant,  and  James  Stull, 
Second  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Davis  resigned, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Capt.  L.  S.  Wilbanks, 
who  also  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by 
John  B.  Coleman.  CajJt.  Coleman  was  killed 
July  26,  1864,  during  the  Atlanta  compaign. 
Green  S.  Stuart  then  became  Captain,  re- 
signed, and  William  H.  Thorp  was  pro- 
moted Captain  and  mustered  out  with  the 
regiment.  First  Lieut.  Choisser  resigned, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Lieut.  Coleman,  who, 
upon  promotion,  was  succeeded  by  Anozi 
Kuiffen.  Lieut  Knififen  was  killed  May  12, 
1864,  and  Green  W.  Stewart  became  First 
Lieutenant,  who  was  promoted,  and  suc- 
ceeded as  First  by  William  H.  Thorpe  ;  he 
was  also  promoted  and  Eli  Webb  became 
First  Lieutenant.     Second   Lieut.    Stull    re- 


I 


signed  and  Anozi  Kniffen  was  promoted  in 
his  stead,  and  upon  his  own  promotion  was 
succeeded  by  Alfred  Kniffin,  who  resigned 
January  9,  1864,  and  was  succeeded  by  M. 
W.  Smith,  who  was  mustered  out  with  the 
regiment. 

Company  G  also  contained  a  number  of 
Jefferson  County  men,  and  the  following  com- 
missioned officers  from  the  county:  Jehu  J. 
Maxey,  the  First  Lieutenant  and  the  second 
Captain  of  the  company;  Cornelius  N.  Breeze, 
the  second  First  Lieutenant,  and  E.  H.  Red- 
burn  the  third  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  com- 
pany; while  Company  I  also  contained  men 
from  the  county,  and  the  following  com- 
missioned officers:  John  Frizell,  the  first 
Captain,  Asa  Hawkins,  the  secoud  Second  and 
the  second  First  Lieutenant,  and  John  W. 
Moses,  the  third  and  John  A.  Johnson  the 
foui'th  Second  Lieutenants  of   the   company. 

The  Sixtieth  Infantry  was  organized  at 
Camp  Du  Bois  February  17,  1862,  and 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service.  On 
the  22d,  it  was  ordered  to  Cairo,  and  March 
14  it  moved  to  Island  No.  10.  After  the 
surrender  of  that  place,  it  returned  to  Co- 
lumbus, Ky.,  and  afterward  to  Cairo.  It  was 
ordered  to  the  Tennessee  River  on  the  7th  of 
May,  and  on  the  12th  arrived  at  Hamburg 
Landing,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the  Sec- 
ond Brigade,  First  Division,  Army  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, Col.  Charles  M.  Lynn  of  Michigan 
commanding  the  brigade.  The  Sixtieth  was 
engaged  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was  a 
part  of  the  force  that  pursued  the  enemy 
beyond  Booneville,  Miss.  July  21,  it  was 
ordered  to  Tuscumbia,  Ala.,  thence  to  Nash- 
ville, where  it  arrived  September  12,  and 
where  it  remained  during  the  siege.  On  the 
7th  of  November  it  was  engaged  in  repelling 
an  attack  on  Edgefield,  made  by  Gen.  Mor- 
gan. December  12,  it  was  transferred  to 
the  Second  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Foiirth 


258 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Army  Corps,  and  on  the  5th  of  January,  1863, 
it  had  a  skirmish  with  Wheeler's  cavalry, 
between  Nashville  and  Miirfreesboro,  in 
which  the  latter  were  repulsed.  After  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro,  the  Sixtieth  returned 
to  Nashville,  and  on  the  2d  of  March  Col. 
Toler  died,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Anderson  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command.  July  20,  the  regi- 
ment moved  to  Murfreesboro,  and  August  26 
it  proceeded  via  Columbia,  Athens,  Huntsville 
and  Stevenson,  to  Dallas,  Tex.,  where  it 
arrived  the  12th  of  November.  Here  the 
Sixtieth  was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade, 
Second  Division  and  Fourteenth  Army  Corps, 
and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chattanooga 
and  took  part  in  the  memorable  march  to 
Knoxville.  Ragged  and  footsore,  the  tat- 
tered regiment  returned  to  ChattaQOoara, 
arriving  December  24,  and  going  into  winter 
quarters  at  Rossville.  February  22,  1864, 
about  three  fourths  of  the  regiment  re  en- 
listed, and  on  the  26th  took  part  in  the 
reconnoissance  toward  Dalton,  Ga.,  which 
resulted  in  the  battle  of  Buzzard  Roost.  In 
this  battle  the  Sixtieth  suffered  severely, 
forty-two  being  killed  and  wounded.  On 
the  6th  of  March,  the  regiment,  or  the  veterans 
of  it,  was  sent  home  to  Illinois  on  furlough. 
When  its  veteran  furlough  had  expired,  the 
regiment  returned  to  the  iield  via  Louisville, 
Nashville  and  Chattanooga  to  Rossville. 
The  Atlanta  campaign  commenced  on  the  2d 
of  May,  and  the  Sixtieth  bore  an  honorable 
part  in  those  stirring  times.  It  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Ringgold,  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Rome,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Nickajack,  Peach  Tree  Creek, 
Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  For  its  brave  and 
gallant  conduct  at  Jonesboro,  September  1, 
the  regiment  received  the  highest  praise,  of 
both  the  division  and  corps  commanders. 
It  remained  in  camp  at  Atlanta  until  Sep- 
tember 29,  when  it  moved  to  Florence,  and 


October  10  it  proceeded  to  Chattanooga.  On 
the  18th  it  marched  from  La  Fayette,  Ga.,  to 
Gdtesville,  and  from  thence  to  Atlanta. 
It  took  part  in  the  famous  march  to  the  sea, 
and  was  in  many  ot  the  battles  and  skir- 
mishes of  that  hard  campaign,  that  at  Ben- 
tonville,  March  19,  1865,  being  as  severe  as 
any  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged  dur- 
ing its  long  service.  At  one  time,  it  was 
surrounded  on  all  sides,  but  behaved  gallant- 
ly, and  finally  extricated  itself  and  escaped 
capture.  April  10,  it  moved  to  Raleigh,  N. 
C,  and  remained  there  until  after  the  sur- 
render of  Gen.  Joe  Johnston,  when  it  pro- 
ceeded to  Richmond,  the  quondam  confederate 
capitol,  and  from  thence  to  Washington, 
where,  on  the  14th  of  May,  it  participated 
in  the  grand  review. 

The  war  was  now  ended,  and  the  boys 
were  eager  to  exchange  the  sword  for  the 
plow.  On  the  12th  of  June  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  it 
performed  provost  guard  duty  until  July  21, 
when  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  United 
States  service.  It  then  proceded  to  Camp 
Butler,  111.,  wheve  it  received  final  payment 
and  discharge. 

The  Eightieth  Infantry  is  the  next  regi- 
ment in  which  the  county  was  rej^resented. 
Company  E  was  a  Jefferson  Coanty  company, 
while  Company  H  contained  some  Jefferson 
County  men.  Comjaany  E  was  enrolled  with 
the  following  commissioned  officers:  Stephen 
T.  Stratton,  Captain;  Newton  C.  Pace,  First 
Lieutenant;  and  Charles  W.  Pavey,  Second 
Lieatenant.  Capt.  Stratton  resigned  De- 
cember 22.  1862,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Lieutenant  Pace,  who  was  honorably  dis- 
charged May  15,  1865.  Lieutenant  Pavey 
was  promoted  to  Captain,  but  was  absent  on 
detached  duty  at  the  muster  out  of  the  regi- 
ment. He  is  now  Collector  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue for  this  district.      William  Randall  was 


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263 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ing  and  Bhoes.  January  27,  1864,  it  broke 
camp  and  moved  to  Blue  Springs,  via  Chat- 
tanooga, Cleveland  and  Charleston.  It  was 
engaged  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Dalton,  Resaca, 
Adairsville,  Cassville,  Dallas,  Pine  Mountain, 
Kenesaw  Mountain,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro  and  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion. During  this  stirring  campaign,  the 
Sixtieth  lost  twenty-five  killed,  and  sixty 
wounded.  It  pursued  Hood  in  his  long  re- 
treat, and  December  15  and  16  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  where  it  behaved 
with  great  gallantry.  On  the  5th  of  January, 
1865,  it  arrived  at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  where 
Maj.  Bates,  who  had  returned  from  captivity, 
assumed  command  of  the  regiment.  The 
remainder  of  its  service  was  in  marching  and 
skirmishing,  and  Jane  10,  1865,  its  term  of 
service  having  expired,  it  was  mustered  out 
of  service,  and  sent  home  to  Camp  Butler  for 
final  discharge.  During  its  term  of  service, 
the  Sixtieth  traveled  over  6.000  miles, 
and  took  part  in  more  than  twenty  bat- 
tles. Only  four  of  the  captured  officers 
ever)'  returned  to  the  regiment. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Infantry  also 
contained  a  company  from  Jeiferson  County, 
together  with  its  first  Colonel,  Thomas  S. 
Casey;  its  Quartermaster,  Thomas  H.  Hobbs; 
and  its  First  Assistant  Sargeon.  Hiram  S. 
Phimmer.  Sketches  of  Col.  Casey  and  Dr. 
Plummer  will  be  found  in  other  chapters  of 
this  work.  Company  B,  the  company  from 
this  county,  had  for  its  commissioned  officers 
the  following:  Charles  H.  Maxey,  Captain; 
Samuel  T.  Maxey,  First  Lieutenant;  and  John 
H.  Dukes,  Second  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Maxey 
resigned  March  22,  1863,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Lieut.  Maxey,  who  was  mustered  out 
under  the  consolidation  of  the  regiment. 
Lieut.  Dukes  was  promoted  to  First  Lieu- 
tenant, and  transferred  to  Company  A,  under 


the  consolidation,  and  promoted  to  Captain, 
and  as  such  mustered  out  with  the  regiment 
at  the  close  of  its  term  of  service.  Thomas 
J.  Maxey  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieuten- 
ant March  22,  1863,  and  transferred  to  Com- 
pany A,  under  the  consolidation. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  was  consolidated,  by  reducing  the  regi- 
ment to  a  battalion  of  four  companies,  under 
the  following  special  field  order:  "Maj.  Gen. 
Palmer,  commanding  Second  Division,  Twen- 
ty-fu'st  Army  Corps,  will  cause  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regi- 
ment Illinois  Volunteers,  under  the  instruc- 
tions contained  in  General  Order  No.  86, 
War  Department,  current  series.  The  officers 
to  be  retained  in  the  service  to  be  selected  by 
him.  The  Assistant  Commissary  of  Musters, 
Second  Division,  Twenty-first  Army  Corps, 
will  muster  out  of  service  all  officers  rendered 
supernumerary  by  the  consolidation.  By  com- 
mand of  Maj.  Gen.  Rosecrans."  Under  the 
consolidation,  Col.  Casey,  Quartermaster 
Hobbs  and  Surgeon  Plummer  were  mustered 
out  of  service,  and  the  battalion  given  in 
command  of  Lieut.  Col.  Crawford,  who  after- 
ward resigned.  E.  B.  Topping,  of  Spring- 
field, was  promoted  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and 
remained  in  command  of  the  battalion  until 
the  close  of  its  term  of  service. 

So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  in- 
formation, this  completes  the  sketch  of  those 
regiments  in  which  the  county  was  repre- 
sented by  commissioned  officers  or  an  organ- 
ized tiody  of  men.  Many  men,  however, 
from  Jeflerson  County  served  iu  the  late  wai', 
besides  those  belonging  to  the  regiments  we 
have  described.  In  nearly  every  regiment 
recruited  in  Southern  -Illinois,  Jeiferson 
County  was  represented  with  more  or  less  of 
enlisted  men,  while  they  were  even  found 
scattered  through  more  than  one  Indiana. 
Missouri   and  Kentucky  regiment      A  clo-e 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


263 


perusal  of  the  history  of  the  Black  Hawk 
and  Mexican  wars,  and  the  rebellion,  will 
tell  the  story  of  Jefferson  County,  and  of 
Illinois  soldiers  generally.  A  hundred  bat- 
tle-fields attest  their  bravery  in  the  late  civil 
war.  and  their  depleted  ranks,  as  the  broken 
regiments  struggled  homeward,  disclosed  the 
sad  evidence  that  they  had  met  foes  aa  brave 
as  themselves.  Many  who  went  out  came  not 
back,  but  sleep  in  peace — now  that  their  bat- 
tles are  ended — in  the  unknown  graves  where 
they  fell.     Requiescat  in  pace! 

A  few  words  of  tribute,  in  conclusion  of 
this  chapter,  are  due  to  the  noble  women 
whose  zeal  and  patriotism  were  as  pure  and  as 
strong  as  those  who  bore  the  brunt  of  the  bat- 
tle. They  could  not  shoulder  their  guns  and 
march  in  the  ranks,  but  they  were  no  idle 
spectators  of  the  struggle.  How  often  was 
the  soldier's  heart  encouraged;  how  often  his 
right  arm  made  stronger  to  strike  for  his 
country  by  the  cheering  words  of  patriotic, 
hopeful  women!  And  how  of  ten  the  poor  lad 
upon  whom  disease  had  fastened,  was  made 
to  thank  devoted  women  for  their  ceaseless 
and  untiring  exertions  in  collecting  and 
sending  stores  for  the  comfort  of  the  sick 
and  wounded.  A  war  correspondent  paid 
them  the  following  merited  tribute:    "  While 


soldiers  of  every  grade  and  color  are  receiving 
the  eulogies  and  encomiums  of  a  grateful 
people,  patient,  forbearing  woman  is  forgot- 
ten. The  scar-worn  veteran  is  welcomed 
with  honor  to  home.  The  recruit,  the  col- 
ored soldier,  and  even  the  hundred  days' 
men  receive  the  plaudits  of  the  nation.  But 
not  one  word  is  said  of  that  patriotic  wid- 
owed mother,  who  sent,  with  a  mother's  bless- 
ing on  his  head,  her  only  son,  the  staff  and 
support  of  her  declining  years,  to  battle  for 
his  country.  The  press  says  not  one  word  of 
the  patriotism,  of  the  sacrifices  of  the  wife, 
sister  or  daughter,  who,  with  streaming  eyes 
and  almost  broken  heart,  said  to  husbands, 
brothers,  fathers,  '  Much  as  we  love  you,  we 
cannot  bid  you  stay  with  us  when  our  coun- 
try needs  you,'  and  with  Spartan  heroism 
they  bade  them  go  and  wipe  out  the  insixlt 
offered  to  the  star-spangled  banner,  and  to 
preserve  unsullied  this  union  of  States.  " 

Brave,  noble,  generous  women!  your  deeds 
deserve  to  be  written  i  q  letters  of  shining  gold. 
Your  gentle  ministrations  to  the  unfortunate, 
and  your  loving  kindness  to  the  poor,  war- 
worn soldiers  will  never  be  forgotten  while 
one  soldier  lives;  and  your  noble  self-sacri- 
ficing devotion  to  your  country  will  live, 
bright  and  imperishable  as  Austerlitz's  sun. 


264 


HISTORY    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER     XIII, 


ODDS  AND  ENDS— DE  OMNIBUS  REBUS  ET  QUIBUSDAM  ALUS— A  BRIEF  RETROSPECTION— MILLERS 
AND  MILLS— BLACKSMITHS  AND  OTHER  MECHANICS— BIRTHS,  MARRIAGES,  DEATHS— 
A     BATCH     OF    INCIDENTS— BUCK  CASEY   PLAYING   BULL  CALF— DONNY- 
BROOK   FIGHTS— FOREST   FIRES— A  RUNAWAY  NEGRO— COUN- 
TERFEITING—THE     POOR    FARM,    ETC..  ETC.,   ETC. 


"It  is  not  now  as  it  hath  been  of  yore." 

—  Wordsworth. 

"VXT^E  have  followed  the  history  of  Jeffer- 
V  V  son  County  from  the  period  of  its 
occupation  by  the  aboriginal  tribes  down  to 
the  present,  and  may  now  take  time  to  look 
back  and  to  stop  and  breathe.  When  the 
county  was  formed  —nearly  sixty-five  years 
ago — it  was  a  wild  waste,  with  only  here 
and  there  meager  settlements  of  hardy  pio- 
neers, but  few  of  whom  are  now  living  to 
tell  over  the  strange  story  of  their  early  lives 
in  the  wilderness.  They  have  passed  away 
in  their  day  and  generation,  and  the  very 
few  who  have  come  down  to  us  from  a  former 
era  have  forgotten  and  forgiven  the  early 
hardships  that  encompassed  them,  and  re- 
member only  the  wild  freedom  and  joys  of 
their  eager  childhood.  "We  look  back  over 
the  departed  years  and  see  a  wilderness,  un- 
inhabited by  white  people,  its  solitudes  un- 
broken by  a  sound  of  civilization.  We  look 
around  us  to-day  and  what  do  we  see?  The 
red  man  is  gone,  and  has  left  nothing  behind 
him  but  fading  traditions.  The  verdant 
wastes  of  Jefferson  County  have  disappeared, 
and  where  erst  was  heard  the  dismal  howling 
of  the  wolf,  or  the  far-off  screech  of  the  hun- 
gry panther,  are  now  productive  fields,  cov- 
ered with  flocks  and  herds  and  with  growing 
grain.      Rapid  as  have  been  the  changes  in 

•By  W.  H.  Peiiin. 


this  section,  Jefiferson  is  only  well  upon  her 
course.  The  energies  which  have  made  the 
present  will  not  falter,  for 

"  Lo!  our  land  is  like  an  eagle,  whose  young  gaze 
Feeds  on  the  noontide  beam,  whose   golden 
plumes 
Float  moveless  on   the  storm,  and,  in  the  blaze 
Of  sunrise,  gleams  when  earth  is  wrapped  in 
gloom." 

In  our  sketch  of  the  county,  we  have  touched 
upon  most  of  the  principal  facts  connected 
with  it  of  a  historical  character.  By 
way  of  conclusion  of  the  general  history,  we 
design,  in  this  chapter  (composed  of  the 
odds  and  ends)  to  gather  up  the  scattered 
threads  and  weave  them  into  a  kind  of  vale- 
dictory to  the  first  part  of  the  volume.  A 
few  items  and  incidents  have  been  over- 
looked and  omitted  in  the  preceding  pages, 
and  these  we  shall  group  together  in  this 
chapter. 

The  rifle  and  the  fish  hook  antedated  the 
grater  and  the  stump  mills  among  the  very 
earliest  settlers  in  supplying  food.  The  first 
famines  that  occurred  among  the  people 
were  caused  by  the  lack  of  salt,  notwith- 
standing the  close  proximity  of  the  Saline, 
as  they  could  make  bread  of  meat  by  using 
their  lean  meat  for  bread  and  the  fat  for 
meat  when  driven  to  it.  Mr.  Johnson  says 
that  bear  meat  was  used  for  bread  and  the 
venison   for  meat.      The    question   of    bread 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


265 


after  the  first  coming  of  a  family  until  they 
could  clear  a  little  truck  patch  to  raise  their 
family  supply  was  often  a  serious  one  in- 
deed. Then,  too,  even  after  the  fii'st  corn 
was  raised,  there  were  no  mills  accessible  to 
grind  it.  Corn  was  the  staple  production. 
Wheat  was  not  raised  for  several  years. 
Nearly  all  the  bread  used  until  the  fall  of 
1818  was  brought  from  the  Wabash  or  |from 
Kentucky.  The  first  mode  of  procuring 
meal  by  the  settlers  of  Jefferson  County 
were  by  the  mortar  and  pestle,  the  mortar 
being  a  hollow  stump,  and  the  pestle  a  bil- 
let of  wood  swung  to  a  sweep  or  made 
with  a  handle  and  used  by  hand.  It  was  a 
dozen  or  more  years  before  these  were  laid 
aside.  Of  this  mortar-made  meal,  the  finest 
was  made  into  bread,  and  the  coarser  into 
hominy.  Families  were  sometimes  without 
even  this  kind  of  bread  for  weeks  at  a  time. 

One  of  the  first  mills  known  to  Jefferson 
County  was  kept  by  old  Billy  Goings,  as 
early  as  1817,  but  it  is  said  that  as  he  also 
kept  a  tavern,  a  grocery  (what  we  would  call  a 
saloon  now),  and  a  great  many  other  things, 
including  bad  company,  his  mill  was  only 
resorted  to  by  the  better  class  of  people  in 
cases  of  extreme  emergency.  In  the  fall  of 
1818,  Dempsey  Hood  put  up  a  mill,  of 
his  own  manufacture,  except  the  buhrs, 
which  he  had  bought  from  Goings.  It  was 
ot  the  simplest  mechanical  construction,  and 
was  operated  by  horse  power.  Many  good 
stories  are  told  of  these  early  mills.  One 
man  used  to  say  he  always  took  his  corn  to 
mill  in  the  ear,  as  he  could  shell  it  faster 
than  the  mill  could  grind  it,  and  then  he  had 
the  cobs  to  throw  at  the  rats  to  keep  them 
from  eating  all  the  corn  as  it  ran  down  from 
the  hopper.  Another  story  was  told  on 
Hood's  mill,  that  if  a  grain  of  corn  got  in 
"  endways  "  it  stopped  the  mill  until  the  ob- 
struction was  removed.      Still    another  story 


is  told  on  the  first  water  mill  erected.  The 
miller  put  thn  grist  in  the  hopper,  turned  on 
the  water,  and  about  the  time  the  mill  got 
under  good  headway  he  heard  a  turkey  "gob- 
ble "  in  the  woods  near  by,  so  he  caught  up 
his  gun  and  started  out  after  the  turkey. 
While  he  was  gone,  a  blue  jay  alighted  on 
the  hoop  around  the  buhrs,  and  as  fast  as  a 
grain  of  corn  would  shake  down  from  the 
hopper,  he  would  eat  it.  When  the  miller 
returned,  the  jay  had  eaten  all  the  corn  and 
the  mill  stones  were  worn  out. 

William  Maxey  built  a  mill  near  where 
Cameron  Maxey  now  lives,  in  the  fall  of 
1820,  and  for  a  number  of  years  contributed 
largely  to  the  supply  of  bread  for  the  set- 
tlers. About  the  same  time  or  soon  after, 
Carter  Wilkey  put  up  a  "stump"  mill,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1823  Thomas  Tunstall  put  up 
a  tread-mill,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  the 
county.  A  short  time  after,  Arba  Andrews 
built  a  wind  mill.  By  the  year  1825,  the 
country  was  pretty  well  supplied  with  mills, 
such  as  they  were.  They  were  much  supe- 
rior, however,  to  no  mill  at  all,  and  whether 
hand,  stump,  wind,  tread  or  horse  mill,  they 
all  had  one  family  resemblance,  and  that  was 
in  speed.  A  blue  jay  might  have  eaten  the 
corn  from  any  of  them  faster  than  they 
could  grind  it.  This  is  all  changed  now, 
though,  and  the  county  is  supplied  with 
mills  that  are  without  superiors  in  quality. 
But  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  only  fifty  or 
sixty  years  ago,  there  were  no  mills,  but  such 
as  we  have  described,  in  the  county.  What 
a  gradual  but  wonderful  development  is  there 
in  the  slow  growth  of  the  splendid  perfected 
roller  patent  process  mills  from  the  pioneer 
hand-mill  and  mortar! 

Elisha  Plummer  is  the  first  blacksmith 
we  have  any  account  of,  and  came  to  Mount 
Vernon  in  1820.  If  his  "  smithy  "  was  not 
under    a   spreading  "  chestnut  tree,"  it    was 


266 


HISTORY    OF  JEFFERSON  COUKTY. 


prnbably  because  there  was  no  chestuut 
tree,  for  houses  of  all  kinds  were  scarce. 
John  Cooper,  another  blacksmith,  came  in 
1824.  A  man  named  Lane  was  the  first 
gunsmith,  and  this  was  a  very  important 
business  then.  He  was  in  the  county  as 
early  as  1822-23.  ButSagton  was  also  an 
early  gunsmith;  Rhoda  Allen's  sons  were 
the  first  cabinnt-makers.  etc.,  etc.  Thus  the 
trades  became  represented  in  the  county  as 
business  and  population  demanded. 

The  first  birth,  marriage  and  death  are 
always  matters  of  considerable  interest  in  a 
new  country,  and  usually  ai-e  preserved  on 
record.  The  first  birth  we  have  failed  to 
learn  definitely,  but  it  is  believed  to  have 
been  a  son  of  Isaac  Hicks,  born  in  1817. 
But  that  there  has  been  a  first  one.  followed  by 
many  others,  the  present  population  of  the 
county  is  indisputable  evidence.  The  first 
marriage  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Jordan, 
to  Garrison  Greenwood,  a  son  of  Fleming 
Greenwood,  but  the  date  is  not  remembered. 
Apropos  of  weddings,  the  following  is  re- 
lated of  Green  Depriest,  who  is  represented 
as  a  kind  of  devil-may-care  fellow,  as  fond 
of  fun  and  a  good  time  as  a  monkey  of  a 
basket  of  apples.  He  started  out  one  day  for 
Walnut  Prairie  to  have  a  littie  spree.  On 
his  way,  he  stopped  at  the  Widow  Allen's  to 
inquire  the  way.  While  talking  with  Mrs. 
Allen,  a  young  woman,  her  daughter,  came 
out  of  the  house  to  speak  with  her.  Depriest 
was  impressed  favorably  with  the  young 
■woman's  appearance,  and,  according  to  his 
abrupt  way  of  doing  things,  told  her  who  he 
was  and  that  he  would  like  to  marry  her  if 
she  had  no  objections.  She  replied  that 
"  Barkis  was  willin'."  So  he  said  he  would 
go  to  the  field  and  see  the  boys  about  it, 
while  she  could  talk  it  over  with  her  mother. 
The  result  was  he  married  her,  took  her  up 
behind  him  on  his  horse  and  went   home,    to 


the  great  surprise  of  his  friends  and  family. 
Thus  he  had  his  spree  after  [all,  but  al- 
together a  difi'erent  one  from  that  he  had 
started  out  to  enjoy. 

The  next  wedding  was  three— a  kind  of 
wholesale  or  job  lot.     On  the  5th  of  October, 

:  ISiy,  Harriet  Maxey  was  married  to  Thomas 
M.  Casey,  Vylinda  Maxey  to  Abraham  T. 
Casey,  and  Bennett  N.  Masey  to  Sally  Over- 
bay,  all  at  the  same  time  and  place.      This 

[  was  overdoing  the  poet,  for  instead  of  "  two 
souls  with  but  a  single  thought."  it  was  six, 
four  more  than  the  poet  bargained  for.  It 
was  the  largest  wedding  of  the  period  in  the 
style  put  on  and  the  numbers  present,  as  well 
as  in  the  profusion  of  brides  and  grooms. 
Every  family  was  invited,  and  every  man, 
woman  and  child,  who  possibly  could,  at- 
tended, and  the  good  cheer  was  the  best  the 
country  afforded.  Ransom  Moss  and  Ann 
Johnson  were  married  July  6,  1821,  and 
thus  the  good  work  went  on. 

The  death  of  Rhoda  Allen,  who  was  a 
man,  notwithstanding  the  peculiar  name, 
was  the  tu'st  death  of  a  grown  person. 
He  passed  to  his  reward  in  August,  1820, 
and  was  buried  at  Union — the  first  person 
buried  there.  A  child  of  one  of  the  Maxeys 
died  a  short  time  before  Allen,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  first  death  in  the 
county.  Death  has  not  been  idle  since  then, 
as  the  many  graveyards  in  the  different  por- 
tions of  the  county  show. 

An  incident  occurred  in  1826  that  cast  a 
gloom  over  the  whole  settlement  and  excited 
the  sympathy  for  the  afflicted  family.  Jo- 
seph McMeens  had  recently  settled  in  Jor- 
dan's Prairie  and  had  a  family  of  several 
children.  In  the  fall  and  winter  of  1826, 
his  boys  devoted  considerable  attention  to 
trapping.  One. day  they  left  the  house  to 
visit  their  traps  as  usual,  when  a  little  sister, 
only    four   years    old,    started   unknown    to 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


267 


them,  to  follow.  Her  parents  supposed  she 
was  with  her  brothers  until  their  return 
and  reported  that  they  hail  seen  nothing  of 
her.  An  alarm  was  at  once  spread  and 
search  made  and  kept  up  until  in  the  night 
without  any  success.  It  was  renewed  the 
next  day  and  continued  for  many  days,  but 
the  child  was  'never  found.  The  strangest 
part  of  it  was  not  the  slightest  trace  of  her, 
not  a  shred  of  her  clothing  or  a  footprint 
was  ever  discovered  to  tell  the  story  of  her 
fate,  or  suggest  a  theory  as  to  her  strange 
disappearance,  and  to-day,  after  a  lapse  of 
nearly  sixty  years,  when  the  circumstance  is 
forgotten  by  all  except  a  few  old  people,  the 
mystery  is  as  deep  and  impenetrable  as 
when  it  first  occurred.  The  most  plausible 
theory  was  that  she  had  been  picked  up  and 
carried  away  by  some  prowling  band  of  In- 
dians, though  no  trace  of  Indians  were  dis- 
covered in  the  vicinity.  It  was  one  of  those 
mysteries  that  will  probably  never  be  cleared 
up  until  that  great  day  of  final  settlement. 

A  fight  with  a  wild  cat  is  related  by 
James  Dawson,  in  which  he  triumphed  over 
his  feline  antagonist  in  a  summary  manner. 
Dawson  was  a  son-in  law  of  Fleming  Green- 
wood, and  a  man  who  is  represented  as  not 
being  afraid  of  the  devil  himself.  Such  a 
thing  as  raising  domestic  fowls  was  impossi- 
ble in  the  early  times,  without  a  stanch 
house  to  keep  them  in  at  night.  Even  then 
the  "  varmints  "  were  as  sure  to  find  them 
sooner  or  later  as  the  colored  American  citi- 
zen is  to  find  the  hen  roost  of  the  present 
day.  One  night  Dawson  heard  a  racket  in 
his  chicken  house,  that  denoted  the  presence 
of  some  unwelcome  intruder,  and  he  ran  out 
with  a  light  to  investigate  the  trouble. 
Upon  looking  into  the  chicken  house,  he  dis- 
covered a  huge  wild  cat  in  possession.  Stick- 
ing his  torch  in  a  crack  of  the  building,  he 
gave  the  monster  battle,  and  in  a  few  min- 


utes succeeded  in  making  a  fiaak  movement, 
seized  it  by  the  hind  legs  and  knocked  its 
brains  out  against  the  side  of  the  house. 

Quite  an  amusing  story  is  told  of  a  man 
named  Dickens — James  Dickens.  He  was  a 
rather  early  settler,  and  for  some  time  had 
charge  of  Tunstall's  mill.  The  story  goes 
that  one  day,  while  in  charge  of  the  mill, 
some  ladies  came  to  him  who  had  become 
considerably  bothered  and  perplexed  in  their 
calculations  about  a  piece  of  cloth,  and 
asked  him  if  he  knew  figures.  Now  there 
was  a  tailor  living  in  Mount  Vernon  named 
Figgers,  and  supposing  the  ladies  referred 
to  the  little  tailor,  Dickens  exclaimed  in  his 
oif- hand  style,  "  Know  Figgers  ?  Wy,  yes; 
dodding  if  I  didn't  make  him  out  of  rags — 
all  but  his  head."  The  result  of  the  joke 
was  a  dickens  of  a  fight,  for  the  little  tailor, 
like  little  men  generally,  was  inclined  to  be 
a  little  "  fierce,"  and  he  took  mortal  offense  at 
Dickens  for  the  remark,  and  a  fist-fight  fol- 
lowed. 

The  state  of  society  on  the  frontier  fifty  to 
seventy-five  years  ago  was  not  perfect  in  its 
moral  symmetry  by  any  means.  Every  com- 
munity had  its  rough  characters,  and  it  is 
not  improbable  that  the  rough  element  some- 
times predominated.  Public  days,  such  as 
muster  and  election  days,  where  cheap  whis- 
ky got  the  upper  hand  of  the  less  free-willed, 
free  fights  were  often  inaugurated  which  would 
have  done  credit  to  a  Donnybrook  Fair.  Jeffer- 
son County  was  no  exception  to  the  rule,  and 
had  its  little  episodes  that  would  now  be  con- 
sidered quire  disgraceful.  Mr.  Johnson  al- 
ludes to  a  general  tight  that  occurred  in  1820, 
in  which  nearly  the  whole  population  of  the 
county  took  part.  He  says:  "  It  was  said 
that  some  of  the  Maxeys  had  said  that  the 
Maxeys  and  Caseys  were  going  to  rule  the 
country.  John  Abbott  determined  to  refute 
the  idea  by   whipping  the  first  one  of  them 


268 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


he  might  meet.  This  was  noised  abroad  and 
it  fell  upon  Elihu  Maxey  to  measure  strength 
with  Abbott.  Tliey  met  in  town  one  day  when 
nearly  everybody  else  was  there,  and  at  it 
they  went,  like  a  couple  of  modern  pugilists. 
Everybody  got  excited,  even  Uncle  Jimmy 
Johnson  laid  aside  his  usual  gravity,  threw 
his  old  straw  hat  as  far  as  he  could  send  it, 
and  requested  any  other  man  that  wanted  to 
fight  to  come  to  him,  while  Jim  Abbott 
danced  around  and  said,  'anybody  that  whips 
John  Abbott  will  have  to  whip  Jim',  but 
Billy  Casey  picked  up  Jim  and  ran  clear  off 
with  him.  But  it  was  all  over  in  five  min- 
utes or  less  time.     It  was  roughly  estimated 

'  that  every  man  in  town  had  his  hat,  coat  or 
vest  off,  calling  for  somebody  to  fight  him," 
This  was  no    isolated    case,    but   of  common 

;  occurrence  in  the  early  history  of   the   coun- 

i  ty,  when 

' '  Frontier  life  was  rough  and  rude," 

and  to  be  considered  the  "  best  man  "  in  the 
neighborhood  was  an  honor  greatly  coveted 
and  highly  cherished  by  him  who  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  possess  the  enviable  (  ?)  noto- 
riety. But  with  the  progress  of  Christianity 
and  tlie  refining  influences  of  education,  so- 
ciety improved,  gradually  at  first,  but  then 
more  rapidly,  until,  at  the  present  time,  we 
find  the  county  equal  in  civilization  and  re- 
finement to  any  portion  of  the  State,  and  as 
to  Mount  Vernon,  it  may  very  appropriately 
be  termed  the  Athens  of  Southern  Illinois. 

The  best  incident  illustrative  of  the  pio- 
neer period  is  told  at  the  expense  of  "  Buck" 
Casey,  or  rather,  he  tells  it  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. Although  the  incident  has  traveled 
over  the  State  and  has  been  located  in  a 
score  or  more  of  different  places,  yet  it  is 
vouched  for  as  having  originally  occurred  in 
this  county  and  of  Buck  Casey  having  been 
the  actual  hero  of  it.  In  early  times,  when 
the  settlements  here  were  in  their  infancy, 


teams  were  very  scarce  and  the  means  of 
hauling  and  plowing  were  restricted  to  the 
naiTowest  limits.  To  such  straits  were  the 
settlers  sometimes  reduced,  and  so  sorely 
taxed  was  their  ingenuity  to  rig  out  a  team, 
that  means  would  often  be  resorted  to  that 
in  this  day  of  inventive  perfection  would 
appear  ludicrous  in  the  extreme.  It  was  not 
uncommon  for  a  settler  to  yoke  up  a  pair  of 
bull  calves  when  so  young  and  small  that 
only  dire  necessity — which  we  are  told  is 
the  mother  of  invention — would  sussfest 
their  ability  to  be  of  much  service,  even  in 
"snaking"  up  firewood.  One  year,  so  meager 
was  the  supply  of  bull  calves  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, that  Buck  Casey  conceived  the  happy 
idea  of  yoking  himself  with  the  only  one  his 
family  possessed,  for  the  purpose  of  hauling 
wood  from  'the  adjacent  forest.  The  yoke 
was  adjusted,  and  with  his  younger  brother, 
Abram,  to  drive,  the  team  was  ready  for 
work.  It  is  a  tradition,  however,  that  Buck 
made  such  an  "  onery  "  looking  bull  calf  that 
his  mate  refused  to  pull  or  budge  a  step  in 
the  right  direction,  but  whirling  his  busi- 
ness end  to  leeward,  turned  the  yoke.  Buck 
had  heard  of  tying  the  tails  of  young  cattle 
together  to  prevent  such  catastrophes  when 
breaking  them  to  the  yoke,  so  he  gathered 
up  the  big  end  of  a  corn-cob  in  the  slack  of  his 
leather  breeches,  and  to  this  he  securely  tied 
the  calf -tail,  then  told  Abe  to  give  'em  the 
gad.  The  calf  made  a  bound,  found  his  tail 
fast,  became  frightened  and  then  plunged 
forward  at  the  top  of  its  speed,  helter-skel- 
ter, pell  mell,  over  stumps,  logs  and  brush 
at  a  rate  that  bade  fair  to  bieak  the  necks  of 
both.  Buck  became  worse  frightened  than  the 
calt,  and  as  they  approached  tlie  house,  he 
yelled  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice:  "  Here  we 
come,  head  us  off,  pap,  damn  our  fool  souls, 
we  are  running  away,"  It  was  Buck's  "  last 
appearance"  in  the  role  of  a  bull  calf. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


269 


One  or  the  great'dangers  the  early  settlers 
were  subject  to  were  prairie  and  forest  f  res. 
It  is  true,  the  danger  is  not  so  great  here  as 
farther  north,  v?here  miles  and  miles  of  pra- 
irie grew  rank  with  grasses,  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  high,  and'  without  a  tree  or  shrub  in 
sight  to  break  the  endless  monotony,  but 
still  there  was  danger.  AVhen '  the  grass 
dried  up  in  autumn  and  the  leaves  fell  from 
the  trees  and  they,  too,  became  dry,  the 
whole  presented  one  immense  tinder  box, 
that,  once  ignited,  no  power  could  resist  or 
control.  The  roaring  flames  would  sweep 
over  the  prairies,  and,  reaching  the  woods, 
where  the  leaves  lay  thick,  diminished  but 
little  in  volume,  but  crackled,  roared  and 
swept  on,  scorching  the  trees,  sometimes, 
forty  feet  from  the  gi-ound.  We  have  heard 
of  no  loss  of  human  life  in  this  county,  but 
stock  often  perished,  and  houses,  stacks  of 
grain  and  other  property  were  destroyed.  In 
many  portions  of  the  State  much  loss  of  life 
has  resulted  from  these  autumnal  fires. 

Crime  has  never  prevailed  in  Jefl^erson 
County  to  that  extent  it  has  in  some  portions 
of  the  State,  though,  of  course,  the  county 
has  not  been  wholly  free  from  it,  and  from 
lawless  charac;.ers.  Among  the  first  settlers, 
there  were  a  few  whose  morals  would  not 
bear  too  close  a  scrutiny.  Goings,  who  has 
already  been  mentioned  as  having  one  of  the 
first  mills  in  the  count)',  was  accused  of 
being  a  counterfeiter.  Goings  always  had  a 
lot  of  men  around  him  of  bad  repute,  and  it 
was  generally  believed  that  his  house  was  a 
regular  rendezvous  or  headquarters  for  horse- 
thieves,  negro  stealers  and  all  sorts  of  low, 
vicious  characters.  He  left  the  county  in 
1821,  impelled,  no  doubt,  by  the  urgent  wish 
(!)  of  his  neighbors.  John  Breeze,  who  after- 
ward occupied  Goings'  house,  found  a  quan- 
tity of  unfinished  counterfeit  money,  that  he 
had  been  obliged  to  hide  when  he  suddenly 


left  the  neighborhood.  A  man  named  Her- 
ron  also  became  involved  in  counterfeiting. 
He  was  arrested,  and  was  tried  at  the  June 
term  of  com-t,  1821,  and  was  fined  $20  and 
costs  and  sentenced  to  be  whipped.  The 
sentence  was  carried  out,  the  prisoner  receiv- 
ing thirty-nine  lashes  upon  his  bare  back. 
This  seems  to  us  a  rather  barbarous  sentence 
now,  but  fifty  or  seventy-five  years  ago  it  was 
common,  not  only  in  Illinois  but  in  many, 
if  not  all,  of  the  older  States.  Another  case, 
we  noticed  in  running  over  the  old  records, 
of  whipping,  that  occuiTed  here  in  1830.  It 
was  that  of  James  Vance,  who  was  tried  and 
convicted  as  a  horse-thief.  He  was  fined  $22 
and  costs  and  sentenced  to  ten  days  in  jail 
and  to  receive  twenty  lashes  upon  his  bare 
back,  which  penalty  was  duly  executed.  A 
number  of  other  criminals,  more  or  less 
vicious,  might  be  noticed,  but  such  history  is 
better  forgotten  than  perpetuated. 

A  case  that  caused  the  most  intense  escite- 
ment  was  that  of  a  "runaway  negro,"  who 
made  his  appearance  in  the  county  in  1843. 
Runaway  negroes,  in  old  slave  times,  were  a 
common  occun-ence,  and  there  are  still  many 
people  living  who  well  remember  the  line  of 
underground  railway  through  Illinois  on 
which  negroes,  fleeing  from  slavery  in  the 
Southern  States,  traveled  on  free  passes  to 
the  land  of  freedom.  There  were  not  many 
people  in  this  portion  of  this  State,  perhaps, 
who  would  actually  help  the  negroes  to  es- 
cape from  their  masters,  but  there  were  many 
who  would  not  help  the  masters  to  re-capture 
the  negroes,  and  a  little  further  north  there 
were  many  warm  friends  of  the  slave.  Run- 
away negroes,  as  we  have  said,  were  common, 
and  were  much  feared  by  the  women  and 
children.  A  fretful  child  could  nearly  always 
be  quieted  with  the  threat  that  "  a  runaway 
nigger  would  get  it."  But  it  was  in  the 
spring    of     1843   that   the    runaway    negro 


370 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Frederick  first  appeared  in  the  county.     He 
was    seen     northwest    of     Mount     Yernon, 
near    Jefferson    City,  where  he    attacked  an 
old  lady   named    Campbell,    but   he    became 
alarmed    and    fled.       The    neighbors    were 
aroused,  and    soon    there   were  several  hun- 
dred  men    sccairing   the   woods    in    search 
of  him.       He  was    again   heard   of  in   the 
the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  where  he  had 
abused  a  Mrs.  Sursa.     Nest,  he  was  heard  of 
in  Wayne  County,  where  his  pursuers  soon 
followed   him,   but   he    had    fled   into    Clay 
County.     Finally,  he  was  captured  near  the 
town   of  Maysville,    Clay    County,  and   was 
brought  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  the  excite- 
ment went  up  to    fever  heat.     Some  wanted 
to  burn  him,  others  to  hang  him,  and  it  was 
only  by  the  utmost  exertions  of  the  more  law- 
abiding   citizens    that    he   was  not    lynched. 
Judge  Scates,  as  soon  as  he  found  a  chance 
to   be  heard,  made  a    speech    to  the    excited 
people,    setting  forth   the    sufliciency  of    the 
law,  the  consequences  of  mob-law  in  general 
and  the   penalties  to  which  they   laid  them- 
selves  liable,    individually,   by  persisting  in 
it.      Concluding   his   speech,   Judge    Scates 
remarked    to    Sheriff   Stephenson:     "  I  wish 
you  to  watch  this  proceeding,  and  report  to 
me  the  very  first  man  that  you  see  doing  what 
is  contrary  to  law;  I  will   issue   a  writ,  and 
have  him  arrested,  if    there  is   force  enough 
in  the  State  to  do  it."     Law  and   order   at 
length  prevailed,  and  the  excited  people  with- 
drew.     The  negro  was   indicted  at  the  Au- 
gust term  of   the  court,    1843,  for    rape  and 
attempt  to  commit  rape.     Upon  these  he  was 
tried,  found  guilty  on    both  counts  and  sen- 
tenced  to    the    penitentiary,     on    the    first 
charge,   "for   the    full    term    of  his    natural 
life,"  and  on  the  other  for  "  fourteen  years" 
longer.     As  there  was  no  Gov.  Blackburn  to 
pardon  him  out,   the  negro  was  still   serving 
his  sentence  the  last  knovyn  of  him. 


The  care  of  the  poor  is  a  duty  we  owe  to 
that  unfortunate  class,  who  have  found  the 
thorny  path  of  life  "  rough,  adverse  and  for- 
lorn," and  crave  our  assistance.  "  The  poor 
ye  have  with  ye  alway,"  said  the  Master,  and 
we,  who  have  been  more  fortunate  than  they, 
should  not  fail  to  contribute  of  oui-  earthly 
goods,  when  we  can,  to  smooth  the  path  of 
some  poor  unfortunate. 

"  A  little  word  in  kindness  spoken, 
A  motion  or  a  tear; 
Often  heals  the  heart  that's  broken, 
And  makes  a  friend  sincere." 

Kindness  costs  but  little,  and  to'the  child  of 
misfortune  it  sometimes  goes  almost  as  far 
as  dollars  and  cents.  None  of  us  know  how 
soon  we  may  go  "  over  the  hill  to  the  poor 
house"  ourselves.  We  recently  visited  one 
of  these  institutions,  and  were  pointed  out 
an  inmate  who  once  could  ride  ten  miles,  we 
were  told,  in  a  straight  line  upon  his  own 
land.  But  a  multitude  of  misfortunes 
brought  him  to  the  poor-house.  Then,  be 
kind  to  the  poor,  for  in  so  doing  you  may  en- 
tertain angels  unawares. 

As  early  as  1830,  we  find  allusions  to 
county  paupers.  They  were  then  usually 
kept  by  some  person  who  was  paid  for  it  by 
the  county.  In  1843,  the  pauper  list  is  re- 
ferred to  by  Mr.  Johnson  in  his  sketches,  as 
being  a  Mrs.  Henly,  H.  M.  E.  Herron,  Will- 
iam Tuck,  a  man  named  Beasley  and  a 
woman  named  Shoulders.  These  were  all 
kept  by  individual  citizens,  at  the  expense  of 
the  county.  A  few  years  later,  they  had 
increased  to  some  twelve  or  fifteen,  who  were 
maintained  in  the  same  manner. 

In  1859,  the  first  steps  were  taken  for  the 
establishment  of  a  regular  poor-house.  Two 
and  a  half  acres  of  land  were  purchased, 
situated  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  Section  22,  Township  2  and 
Range  3  east.     March  19,    1859,   120  acres 


HISTORY  or  JEFFERSdN  COUNTY. 


271 


were  purchased  in  Section  27  of  the  same 
Township  and  Range,  by  the  Coiiiity  Board, 
composed  of  J.  R.  Satterlield,  W.  Adams  and 
S.  W.  Carpenter,  for  the  sum  of  $1,150,  upon 
which  the  requisite  buildings  were  erected. 
This  is  still  used  for  a  county  farm  and  poor- 
house,  and  is  the  home  of  all  the  county's 
poor  who  are  maintained  at  the  public  ex- 
pense. 

This  chapter  closes  the  history  of  the 
county  at  large,  and  the  succeeding  pages 
will  be  devoted  to  individual  towns  and  town- 


ships respectively.  The  foregoing,  though  a 
sketch,  and  admitting  of  anecdote,  excui'sive 
digressions  and  a  flexible  texture  of  narrative, 
yet,  for  the  most  part,  it  is  essentially  his- 
torical. We  have  endeavored  to  narrate  some 
of  the  physical  and  moral  features  of  the 
county;  its  formation,  settlement,  local  di- 
visions and  progress;  the  habits  and  cus- 
toms of  the  early  pioneers,  interspersed  with 
individual  incident.  These  we  have  recorded 
as  best  we  could,  and  now  submit  them  for 
the  verdict  of  the  general  reader.  _ 


PART  III. 


•^HISTORY+OFiTHE+TO¥NSHIPS> 


PART  III. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWNSHIPS, 


CHAPTER    I.* 


MOUNT  VERNON  TOWNSHIP— DESCRIPTION,  TOPOGRAPHY,  ETC.— EARLY   SETTLEMENT— OLD  SUR- 
VEYS AND  LAND  ENTRIES— A  CLOSER  ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  THE  PIONEERS— AVHO  THEY  WERE 
AND  WHERE  THEY  LOCATED— THEIR  GOOD  TRAITS  AND  PECULIARITIES— THE  SELECT- 
ING OF  A  SITE  FOR  A  TOWN— MOUNT  VERNON  CHOSEN  AS  THE  COUNTY  SEAT,  ETC. 


"The  hunt,  the  shot,  the  glorious  chase. 
The  captured  elk  or  deer; 
The  camp,  the  big,  bright  fire,  and  then 
The  rich  and  wholesome  cheer." 

— Gallagher. 

nnHE  public  lands  of  Jefferson  County  were 


1 


surveyed  in  1814  and  1815.     The  field 


notes  of  the  exterior  lines  of  Town  2  south, 
Range  3  east,  are  signed  by  Charles  Lockhart, 
Deputy  Surveyor,  and  dated  "  December  18, 
1814;"  those  of  the  interior  lines,  by  Joseph 
Meacham,  Deputy  Surveyor,  "April  19, 
1815."  The  surveys  seem  to  have  been  very 
accurate,  as  the  aggregate— 23,022  acres — 
falls  only  eighteen  acres  short  of  an  exact 
township;  but  there  was  carelessness  some- 
where, as   this  note  on  the  records  will  show: 

St.  Lodis,  Mo.,  February  17,  1817. 
There  are  no  notes  of  the  east  boundary  of   this 
township  on  file  in  this  office.         D.  Dunklin, 

Surveyor  Oeneral. 

And  the  deficiency  has  never  been  sup- 
plied. 

In  looking  over  those  old  field  notes,  we 
are  surprised  at  another  feature — the  fre- 
quent occurrence  of  "  White  Oak"  among  the 

*By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson. 


bearing  trees.  It  may  have  been  that  the 
surveyors  sought  this  as  the  most  enduring 
variety  of  oak;  possibly  it  may  sometimes 
mean  water  oak;  yet  the  proportion  seems 
very  large.  Of  about  200  bearing  trees, 
there  were  twenty-five  hickory,  fifty-seven 
"Black  Oak,"  five  "Pin  Oak,"  nine  elm, 
three  sassafras,  two  ash,  one  each  of  gum, 
locust,  mulberry  and  walnut,  and  ninety-six 
"White  Oak." 

At  the  time  when  our  sketch  begins,  the 
natural  features  of  the  country  differed  from 
anything  we  have  seen  here  for  a  generation 
or  more.  The  prairies,  valleys,  bills  and 
water-courses  were  where  they  are  to-day,  of 
course,  but  all  were  dressed  in  quite  another 
garb.  The  annual  autumnal  fires,  sweeping 
over  all,  burned  out  and  kept  down  the  un- 
dergrowth; and  the  woods  were  so  open,  the 
trees  so  lofty,  the  branches  so  high,  and  the 
ground  so  bare  of  anything  like  a  bush,  that 
game  could  be  descried  in  any  direction  at 
almost  any  reasonable  distance.  A  deer 
could  be  seen  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  the 
woods,  and  a  man  on  horseback  nearly  a  mile, 
at  any  point  where  there  were  no  intervening 


276 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


hills  to  stop  the  view.  The  eastern  part  of 
this  township  consisted  of  open  barrens,  as 
if  a  few  trees  had  been  scattered  over  a  some- 
what broken  or  rolling  prairie.  These  facts 
explain  what  would  seem  very  odd  in  the  old 
field  notes  above  referred  to,  that  the  sec- 
tion corner  between  four  and  five  on  the 
township  line  had  to  be  marked  by  a  "post 
in  mound;"  that  the  half  mile  corner  on  the 
north  side  of  Section  29  is  marked  "no 
trees,"  and  the  same  note  is  made  of  the  cor- 
ner between  Sections  11,  12,  13  and  1-4. 

The  prairies  generally  ran  into  the  woods 
without  any  border  of  small  trees  or  thickets; 
and  the  grass  was  generally  higher  than  a 
man's  head,  frequently  high  enough  to  hide 
a  man  on  horseback  at  the  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred yards.  They  appeared  much  more 
nearly  level  than  now.  This  was  partly 
because  the  grass  was  ranker  on  the  lower 
ground,  and  partly  because,  before  the  grass 
was  eaten  and  tramped  down  so  closely,  the 
water  filtered  away  or  stood  in  the  valleys, 
whereas  it  now  washes  a  channel  that  carries 
away  the  soil. 

There  was  this  peculiarity,  too,  in  both 
prairie  and  timber,  that  wherever  the  ground 
was  level  or  low,  it  was  wet  and  marshy 
throughout  the  year.  Being  trampled  but 
little  and  very  porous,  besides  being  shaded 
by  the  luxiu'iant  grass,  the  earth  held  water 
so  that  it  hardly  ever  became  thoroughly  dry. 
Bottom  lands  were  extremely  wet,  and  their 
soil  a  heavy  clay,  utterly  unlike  the  loam 
that  has  since  been  carried  down  from  the 
adjacent  uplands. 

With  these  facts  all  in  view,  and  knowing 
that  the  township  is  somewhat  hilly  on  the 
west,  rolling  off  to  the  creek  two  miles  to  the 
east,  rising  gently  into  hills  beyond,  with  a 
little  prairie  of  about  1,000  acres  on  its 
south  side,  the  reader  can  form  a  pretty  good 
idea  of    what    the    present   Mount    Vernon 


Township  was  at  the  beginning.  There  was 
no  trace  of  man,  except  the  surveyor's  marks 
upon  the  trees,  and  the  Goshen  road.  This 
famous  road  led  from  Goshen,  a  settlement 
four  or  five  miles  this  side  of  Edwardsville, 
to  the  salt-works  on  the  Saline;  and  was  made 
by  parties  going  to  the  Saline  for  salt.  It 
struck  this  county  just  south  of  where  the 
town  of  Walnut  Hill  now  stands,  and  passed 
out  near  the  southeast  corner.  It  entered 
this  township  about  Section  5,  and  running 
west  of  the  old  Short  camp-ground,  passed 
out  east  of  where  John  Waite  lives.  So  noted 
was  this  old  trail,  that  it  is  referred  to  over 
fifty  times  in  the  Government  surveys  of  the 
county,  and  eight  or  ten  times  in  the  field 
notes  of  this  township.  In  numberless 
places  it  may  still  be  seen.  Yet  it  was  only 
a  narrow  trail,  almost  buried  under  the  rich 
growth  of  summer,  coming  out  in  wonderful 
distinctness  after  the  autumnal  fires. 

About  the  year  1815,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Black  came  up  from  Pope  County  on  a 
hunting  expedition.  On  his  return,  he  gave 
a  glowing  accoimt  of  the  country,  and  espe- 
cially of  a  beautiful  prairie  he  had  visited. 
Among  others,  he  told  his  story  to  the  Caseys, 
near  Cave-in-Rock.  They  soon  set  out  in 
search  of  Black's  Prairie,  and  this  was  the 
occasion  of  their  first  visit  to  this  part  of  the 
country.  They  never  knew  whether  they 
found  Black's  Prairie  or  not.  But  in  the 
autumn  of  IS  15,  Isaac  Casej  and  his  two 
sons — William,  a  married  man,  and  Thomas 
M.,  a  large  boy — came  out  to  look  at  the 
country.  They  came  by  Crenshaw's ;  and  he, 
glad  of  new-comers,  as  all  pioneers  are,  ac- 
companied them  in  their  search  for  locations. 
A  circumstance  occurred  on  their  way  up, 
which  afforded  them  much  amusement.  As 
they  took  a  northwesterly  course  across  the 
prairie,  a  deer  (a  very  large  buck)  started  up 
at  a  little  distance  from  them,  and  the  men 


/^x  -t^z  <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^'— -^  ^' 


LSBRAKY 

i."  THE 

jNlVERSnV  Of  iLUNOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


279 


all  blazed  away  at  it  at  ouce.  It  ran  a  little 
way,  and  fell.  They  ran  up,  each  one  shout- 
ing, "I  killed  it !  I  killed  it !  It's  my  deer, 
I  killed  it !"  when  lo  !  only  one  bullet-hole 
was  to  be  found  in  all  its  tawny  hide.  The 
animal  was  opened  and  the  bullet  found, 
when  it  proved  to  be  from  the  gun  of  Cren- 
shaw, the  oldest  man,  indeed  the  only  old 
man  in  the  company.  This  party  went  a  few 
miles  beyond  the  present  site  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and  returned. 

In  the  spring  of  1816,  Isaac  Casey,  Will- 
iam, his  son,  Brunetta,  his  daughter,  and 
Isaac  Hicks,  his  son-in  law,  all  came  out  and 
built  a  camp  at  the  northern  edge  of  the 
prairie,  just  east  of  where  the  Supreme  Court 
building  now  stands.  They  broke  and  culti- 
vated a  little  field,  without  any  fence  of 
course,  extending  to  where  the  Methodist 
Church  stands.  In  after  years,  when  the  old 
camp  had  been  left  and  had  rotted  down,  a 
locust  tree  sprang  up  on  the  old  chimney  pile 
— the  same  tree  that  now  stands  in  the  street 
east  of  the  Supreme  Court  House.  In  the 
fall  of  this  year,  1816,  these  all  went  back  to 
the  Ohio  River  where  they  came  from,  and 
brought  out  their  families  and  the  rest  of 
their  stock.  William  Casey,  with  wife  and 
child,  came  into  the  cabin  just  referred  to. 
Isaac  erected  a  cabin  near  where  L.  N.  Beal 
lives.  Section  31,  while  Isaac  Hicks  located 
near  the  place  at  which  he  died. 

While  these  pioneers  were  raising  this 
year's  crop,  they  had  no  trouble  about  meat 
or  "sass,"  as  game  was  abundant  and  honey 
more  abundant  still,  but  bread  was  a  serious 
matter.  William  Casey  brought  their  first 
supplies  of  meal  from  Kentucky,  and  corn  in 
the  following  year.  Isaac  Casey  and  one  or 
other  of  his  daughters,  several  times  went 
to  the  Wabash  bottoms,  ten  miles  beyond 
Carmi,  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  meal.  "Uncle" 
Isaac  rode  a  horse  and  led  one,  but  a  single 


horse  and  "turn"'  of  meal  was  found  enough 
for  a  girl.  One  of  them,  Mrs.  Katy  Tyler, 
tells  how  that,  on  their  return  from  one  of 
those  trips,  she  chanced  to  slip  off  the  horse 
near  where  the  fair  grounds  are  located;  and 
there  was  not  a  stump,  rock,  hillock,  log  or 
anything  else,  from  which  she  could  remount 
"  in  all  that  part  of  the  country,''  so  she  had 
to  walk  home. 

Of  the  pioneers  of  1817  and  1818,  most 
located  in  Moore's  Prairie  and  Shiloh.  Hen- 
ry Wilkerson,  about  this  time,  settled  on  the 
hill  just  south  of  the  Jake  Stitch — now  Bates 
— house;  and  William  Jordan  settled  on 
Seven  Mile  Creek,  where  Coleman  Smith  af- 
terward lived  so  long,  and  Thomas  Jordan 
southwest  of  him.  Thomas  D.  Minor,  lo- 
cated a  little  southwest  of  where  Thomas 
Johnson  lives.  Very  little  as  to  progress  of 
settlement  can  be  learned  from  the  land  en- 
tries. The  first  entries  were  made  in  1817. 
In  that  year  William  Casey  entered  land  in 
Section  30,  Isaac  Casey  in  31,  and  Gorum 
A.  Worth  in  32.  In  1818,  Elihu  Maxey  en- 
tered land  in  Section  6,  William  Casey  in 
29  and  30,  and  Thomas  Sloo,  Jr.,  in  31.  In 
1819,  Jeptha  Hardin  entered  in  Section  20, 
Abraham  P.  Casey  and  Henry  Bechtle  in 
28,  Joel  Pace  and  Dorris  and  Maxey  in  30, 
Gray  and  Grant  and  John  Johnson  in  32. 
Then  there  was  not  an  acre  of  land  entered 
in  the  township  for  seven  years!  So  we  find 
hardly  half  a  dozen  families  in  the  township 
at  the  time  Mount  Vernon  began;  and  before 
proceeding  further,  we  must  stop  and  become 
better  acquainted  with  the  persons  already 
mentioned. 

Isaac  Casey  used  to  say  that  his  father  and 

uncle  came  over   the   ocean   and    settled    at 

Goldsboro,    N.    C. ,    whence  they  passed    by 

successive   removals  to   South  Carolina  and 

Georgia.      There    is    another    account — that 

Abner  Casey,  reared  in  the  North  of  Ireland, 

1 1 


280 


HISTOBY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


married  a  Welsh  lady  and  came  to  Virginia, 
on  the  Roanoke;  their  children  were  Levi, 
Mosea,  Eandolph  and  a  daughter;  all  went 
to  South  Carolina  about  1760;  Randolph 
married  Mary  Jane  Pennington,  and  Levi, 
Randolph,  Isaac,  Abraham  P.,  Charity,  Hi- 
ram, Samuel  and  Zadok  were  their  children. 
This  family  went  to  Georgia  in  1795,  thence 
to  Smith  County,  Tenn.,  a  few  years  later. 
Isaac  Casey  was  born  in  South  Carolina  in 
1765,  maiTied  Elizabeth  Mackey  in  1788, 
and  went  to  Barren  County,  Ky.  He  was 
Sheriff  of  that  county  about  six  years.  In 
1803,  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  located  on  the 
Ohio  River,  a  mile  or  two  above  the  Cave-in- 
Rock.  A  double  murder  occurred  there  some 
years  after.  A  Mr.  Ballinger  killed  a  Mr. 
Billingsly,  and  then  one  Fisher  killed  Ballin- 
ger. Fisher  was  related  to  the  fh'st  victim, 
and  aiso  to  Casey;  and  Casey  was  almost  the 
only  witness  against  Fisher.  Isaac  Casey 
did  not  want  a  man  hung  on  his  testimony 
alone,  so  he  went  up  into  the  hills  along  the 
Saline,  and  spent  months  there;  he  then 
went  to  Arkansas  Post  and  was  gone  a  year, 
and  probably  it  was  really  a  similar  motive 
that  brought  him  to  this  section.  After  liv- 
ing where  L,  N.  Beal  does  for  seven  or 
eight  years,  he  sold  out  to  Abe  Buffington  in 
1825;  made  a  little  improvement  near  where 
Lewis  Johnson  lives;  went  to  merchandis- 
ing with  Joel  Pace  at  town  in  1828;  but  soon 
retired,  and  spent  most  of  his  remaining 
days  in  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  activity,  a  dignified  Christian 
gentleman,  though  he  had  been  dissij)ated  in 
his  younger  days.  Isaac  Casey  was  the 
father  of  Isaac  Hicks'  wife,  Rebecca;  Clark 
Casey's  wife,  Polly;  Dr.  Wilkey's  wife, 
Brunetta;  Henry  Tyler's  wife,  Catharine; 
George  Bullock's  wife,  Miranda.  His  sons 
were    William,    Abram  T.    and  Thomas    M. 


i  The  old  man  died  at  Thomas  M.  Casey's,  in 
;  1848.  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 

AVilliam  Case, — or  "Billy,"  as  more 
commonly  called — was  the  oldest  son  and 
the  second  child  of  Isaac  Casey;  was  born 
in  Barren  County,  Ky. ,  in  1794  or  1795. 
His  wife  was  Amy  Barker,  daughter  of 
Lewis  Barker,  who  owned  the  ferry  at 
Cave-in-Rock  so  long;  and  they  bnnight  one 
child,  Blackford,  with  them  to  this  county. 
After  living  awhile  in  tLe  cabin  before  men- 
tioned, he  built  a  pretty  decent  house  of 
hewn  logs  where  the  Commercial  Hotel  now 
stands,  saying  jocosely  when  it  was  up, 
"  Boys,  here  is  the  first  house  in  town." 
When  the  town  was  laid  off,  however,  this 
house  was  just  outside  the  limits.  He  then 
cleared  a  field  reaching  nearly  to  where  the 
Presbyterian  Church  stands.  A  few  years 
later  he  built  on  the  hill  where  Sauiuel  Casey 
last  lived;  he  sold  that  place  to  Joseph  Sla- 
ter in  1836,  and  moved  to  a  place  on  Punch- 
eon Camp  Creek,  and  thence  soon  after  to 
the  northern  part  of  the  State.  In  a  year  or 
two  he  came  back,  lived  at  the  Harlow  place 
two  miles  from  town,  thence  going  to  Punch- 
eon Camp,  thence  to  Moore's  Prairie.  His 
wife  died  in  1846,  and  in  1850  he  married 
Miss  M.  J.  Shelton;  lived  at  the  Prairie  two 
or  three  years;  moved  back  to  the  Harlow 
place,  and  died  there  in  1854. 

The  name  of  William  Casey  was  one  that 
suggested  a  strong  mitid,  a  very  strong  and 
active  body,  and  passions  deep  and  terrible 
when  once  aroused.  He  worked  and  traded 
with  excellent  judgment,  and  received  some 
assistance  from  his  father-in-law  ;  so  that  he 
was  for  some  time  the  wealthiest  man  in  the 
county.  He  and  Isaac  Hicks  were  all  the 
men  who  brought  surplus  money  with  them, 
and  much  of  the  land  entered  by  the  settlers 
in  that  day    was    entered    with    money    bor- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


281 


rowed  from  ihem.  He  never  sought  office,  but 
was  once,  in  1820,  elected  as  one  of  the  Coun- 
ty Commissioners.  At  all  times  he  walked 
with  a  kingly  dignity  that  made  our  boyish 
eyes  look  for  the  ground  to  shake  under  him. 
Mrs.  Casey  was  a  good  woman.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Blackford,  Maletna  (Mrs.  A.  D. 
Estes),  William  B.  (or  Buck),  Abraham, 
Drury  B.,  Thomas,  Melissa  (]\Ii-s.  Griibbs  and 
afterward  Mrs.  Lester)  and  Zadok.  Newton, 
recently  deceased,  was  a  son  of  the  second 
wife. 

Hem-y  Wilkerson  had  a  brother  John,  and 
Phebe,  wife  of  Rhodam  Allen,  was  his  sister. 
They  were  Virginians  by  way  of  Tennessee. 
Henry  lived  for  many  years  on  the  place  he 
first  settled,  in  a  round-pole  cabin,  for  he  was 
fond  of  drink  and  never  accumulated  much  ; 
he  was  long  subject  to  tits  of  insanity,  in  one 
of  which  he  would  set  out  and  walk  hundreds 
of  miles  ;  he  made  three  or  four  trips  thus 
from  Tennessee  to  Virginia,  and  one  from 
Tennessee  to  Illinois  ;  he  at  length  became 
entirely  deranged,  and  remained  so  till  his 
death,  sometimes  being  furious,  at  other 
times  nearly  rational  ;  but  he  never  was  so 
rational  as  not  to  run,  when  he  saw  a  storm 
coming,  and  throw  his  hat,  shoe,  sock,  or 
whatever  came  to  hand,  into  the  fire,  to  stop 
the  wind  from  blowing.  By  trade  he  was  a 
cooper.  He  lived  at  Robert's  for  fourteen 
years,  in  a  small  house  in  the  yard,  and  died 
in  1846,  aged  nearly  eighty-four  years.  His 
wife,  from  whom  he  had  long  lived  separate, 
survived  him,  and  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety- 
nine  years.  Their  sons  were  William,  who 
went  to  Louisiana  ;  Edward,  who  died  in 
Union  County,  and  Robert.  Few  descend- 
ants of  these  remain.  Mrs.  Stockird,  of 
Mount  Vernon,  is  a  daughter  of  Edward,  and 
Rosa  Wilson  a  grand-daughter  of  Robert — a 
short  list.  Of  Henry  Wilkerson's  daughters. 
Sally  married  Jarvis  Pierce  ;  Phebe  married 


Spencer  Pace  ;  Rachel,  George  Crosno  ;  and 
Rebecca,  J.  Wesley  Hicks  Many  descend- 
ants of  these  are  with  us. 

William  Jordan  was  the  son  of  William 
Jordan,  Sr.,  and  the  nephew  of  Thomas  Jor- 
dan, who  settled  near  him.  The  older  set 
were  William,  Joseph,  Thomas  and  Francis 
— the  last  remaining  in  Franklin  Coanty. 
Thomas  lived  a  few  years  near  where  David 
H.  Warren  lives,  then  moved  to  where  Elias 
Howard  lives,  and  gave  name  to  Jordon's 
Prairie.  His  wife  was  a  Whitesides.  Will- 
iam Jordan,  Jr.,  had  a  sister  married  to 
Moses  Ham  and  one  married  to  Nicholas 
Wren,  and  a  brother  named  Aaron,  who 
married  a  Crooms.  Most  of  the  Jordans  re- 
mained here  till  1830  and  1832,  then  some 
went  North  and  some  to  Texas,  A  man  of 
the  name  of  Parker  from  Vincennes  got  a  do- 
nation of  a  league  of  land  in  Texas,  and  took 
oS"  quite  a  colony  of  Jordans,  Greenwoods 
and  others.  Joe  Jordan,  William,  Jr., 
Thomas,  Jr..  Oliver  Morris,  etc.,  all  went  to 
Texas. 

The  act  of  the  General  Assembly,  forming 
Jefferson  Coanty.  approved  March  26,  1819, 
as  set  forth  in  a  preceding  chapter,  con- 
tained this  clause :  "  And  for  the  purpose  of 
fixing  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  therein 
the  following  persons  are  appointed  Com- 
missioners: Ambrose  Maulding,  Lewis  Bar- 
ker, Robert  Shipley,  James  A.  Richardson 
and  Richard  Graham  ;  which  said  Commis- 
sioners or  a  majority  of  them,  being  duly 
sworn  before  some  Judge  or  Justice  of  rhe 
Peace  of  this  State  to  faithfully  take  into 
view  the  convenience  of  the  peojjle,  the  situ- 
ation of  the  settlement  with  an  eye  to  future 
population  and  the  eligibility  of  the  place, 
shall  meet  on  the  second  Monday  of  May,  at 
the  house  of  William  Casey,  in  said  county, 
and  proceed  to  examine  and  detei-mine  on  the 
place  for  the  permanent  seat  of   justice  and 


388 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


designate  the  same;  provided,  that  the  pro- 
prietor or  proprietors  of  the  land  shall  give 
to  the  county  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
public  buildings  a  quantity  of  land,  not  less 
than  twenty  acres,  to  be  laid  out  in  lots  and 
sold  for  that  purpose  ;  but  should  the  pro- 
prietor or  proprietors  reftise  or  neglect  to 
make  the  donation  aforesaid,  then  and  in 
that  case  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Commis- 
sioners to  fix  on  some  other  place  for  the 
seat  of  justice,  as  convenient  as  may  be  to 
the  inhabitants  of  said  county  ;  which  place 
fixed  and  determined  upon,  the  said  Commis- 
sioners shall  certify  under  their  hands  and 
seals,  and  shall  return  the  same  to  the  next 
Commissioners'  Court  in  the  coitnty  afore- 
said." 

When  the  first  Coitnty  Board  met  in  June. 
1819,  the  location  of  the  county  seat  was  one 
of  the  first  matters  that  demanded  its  atten- 
tion. The  Commissioners  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  presented  the  following  report  : 

"  According  to  an  act  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, passed  the  10th  day  of  March,  1819, 
appointing  certain  Commissioners  to  meet 
on  the  second  Monday  of  May  at  the  house 
of  William  Casey,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing 
a  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  and  in  Jeiier- 
son  County,  the  following  persons  met,  viz. : 
Lewis  Barker,  Ambrose  Maulding  and 
James  A.  Richardson,  who,  after  being  ditly 
sworn,  have  provided,  determined  and  fixed 
upon  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  29, 
Range  3,  Town  2,  on  the  laud  owned  by 
William  Casey,  the  town  to  be  laid  off  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  said  quarter,  to  com- 
mence near  the  timber,  on  a  point  not  far 
distant  from  said  Casey's  house,  and  thence 
to  the    foot   of    the   descent,  on    a   point  on 


which  said  Casey's  house  stands,  or  in  such 
manner  as  said  County  Commissioners  shall 
designate. 

"  Given  itnder  our  hands  and  seals  this 
12th  day  of  May,  1819. 

"  It  is  unanimously  agreed  that  the  name 
of  the  town  shall  be  Mount  Pleasant. 

"  James  A.  Richardson, 
"  Ambrose  Maulding, 
"  Lewis  Barker." 

This  settled  the  question  of  locating  the 
county  seat.  Isaac  Hicks  had  been  expect- 
ing to  have  it  near  him,  as  "  Post  Oak  Hill," 
his  place,  was  very  near  the  geographical 
center  of  the  county,  and  the  land  lay  well 
for  the  piu'pose.  An  effort  had  also  been 
made  to  locate  it  on  the  high  grounds  between 
the  Casey  place  and  the  Dodds  place,  west 
of  the  present  site  ;  but  the  influence  of 
William  Casey  with  Lewis  Barker,  his  father- 
in-law,  predominated,  and  it  was  put  as 
close  to  him  as  it  .could  be  without  including 
his  house  and  improvements. 

Of  the  men  just  named,  we  may  here  add: 
Lewis  Barker,  as  just  stated,  was  the  father 
of  Mrs.  Casey,  and  the  owner  of  the  ferry  at 
Cave-in-Rock,  and  was  a  member  the  first 
four  sessions  of  the  State  Senate  from  Pope 
County.  Ambrose  Maulding  lived  near  his 
brother  Ennis,  in  Hog  Prairie,  a  few  miles 
this  side  of  where  McLeansboro  is  now. 
Ennis,  it  will  be  remembered,  went  to  the 
State  Senate  ;  he  also  built  a  famous  mill  on 
Skillet  Eork.  James  A.  Richardson  lived 
about  Carmi.  We  don't  know  what  became 
of  Shipley  and  Graham.  A  year  or  two  later, 
the  county  allowed  Maulding  S8  and  Barker 
and  Richardson  $12  each  for  their  services. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON"  COUNTY. 


283 


CHAPTER    II.* 


CITY  OF  MOUNT  VERNON— THE  LAYING-OUT  AND  BEGINNING  OF  THE  TOWN— SALE  OF  LOTS— EREC- 
TION OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS— THE  FIRST  COURT  HOUSE— STRAY  POUND,  GAOL    AND 
CLERK'S  OFFICE— STICK  CHIMNEYS,  COURT  HOUSE  LOCK,  ETC.— THE  PIONEERS 
AND  FIRST  SETTLERS  IN  THE  TOWN— THEIR  GENHALOQICAL  TREES,  ETC. 

eighteen  and  twenty- four  months.  Mount 
Pleasant  was  the  name  first  projwsed,  and 
almost  became  the  name  of  the  town  ;  but 
the  popular  love  for  AVashington  was  yet 
warm,  and  Mount  Vernon,  his  ancestral 
home,  prevailed. 

In  a  few  weeks,  the  services    of  William 
Hosick  were  engaged  ;  the  town  was  surveyed 
and  platted,  and  the  notes  and  plat  ready  for 
record  by  July  10.     This   man,  Hosick,  was 
the  son  of  a  little   Scotchman,  who  lived  in 
Livingston  County,   Ky.,    about    nine    miles 
from  Golconda,  Alick  Hosick.      William  was 
a  one-armed  man,  and  lived  at  Shawneetown. 
The  new  town,  of  course,  included  but  twenty 
acres.      It   extended    from   Harrison    street 
north  of  the  jail,    on  the  north,  to   Jordan 
street  on  the  south,  and  from   Casey  street 
east  of  the  Commercial  Hotel  on  the  west,  to 
Johnson  Alley,  west  of    Westbrook  &  Co.'s 
Mill,  on  the  east.      The  lots  were  numbered 
from  the  northwest  corner,  where  Crebs  lives, 
and  ended   with    Lot   48    in   the    southeast 
corner,  where  Kline's  boarding  house  stands. 
They  lay  in  eight  squares,  three   each  way, 
and  one  to  the  county,  but  nothing  was  said 
about  blocks  in  the  survey.     Here,  then,  the 
business  lay  till  September,  when,  the  time 
of    sale  drawing  nigh,   it  is   "ordered  that 
AVilliam  Casey  and  Joel   Pace  be,  and  they 
are,  hereby  employed  to   set   four  mulberry 
stakes  around  the  public  square,  /.  e.,  one  at 
each  corner,  to   drive  all  the  stakes   in  the 


" the  waving  fields 

Bow  to  the  reaper,  where  I  wildly  roamed ; 
Cities  now  rise  where  I  pursued  the  deer ; 
And  dust  offends  me,  where  in  happier  years 
I  breathed  in  vigor  from  untainted  gales." 

—  The  Aged  Pioneer. 

ON  the  0th  of  Jtine,  the  court  proceeded 
to  consider  the  expediencj'  of  laying 
off  the  town,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  sell  the 
lots  and  place  them  in  a  situation  to  erect 
pitblic  buildings,  wherefore  it  was  ordered  : 
"  That  Joel  Pace  be,  and  be  is,  hereby  ap- 
pointed and  empowered  to  contract  with  a 
surveyor  to  lay  off  the  said  town  in  sttch 
manner  as  will  be  most  advantageous  to  the 
county,  or  in  such  manner  as  the  County 
Commissioners  may  direct ;  and  it  is  further 
ordered  that  the  sale  of  said  lots  shall  com 
mence  on  the  third  Monday  of  September 
nest  ;  and  further  ordered,  that  an  advertise- 
ment to  that  effect  be  inserted  in  the  Illinois 
Eiiii grant  for  three  weeks  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  said  sale,  and  that  fifty 
copies  of  said  advertisement  be  printed  on 
handbills,  to  be  sent  to  the  different  parts  of 
the  country,  for  the  information  of  those  who 
may  want  to  attend  the  sale,  for  which  serv- 
ice the  editor  of  the  aforesaid  paper  shall 
be  paid  out  of  any  money  that  may  be  in  the 
treastiry,  not  otherwise  appropriated.  And 
it  is  further  ordered  that  the  town  be  called 
Mount  Vernon."  The  payments  were  to  be 
made  in  four-  equal  installments,  six,  twelve. 


'  By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson. 


284 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


town,  and  also  to  number  the  lots,  for  which 
they  are  to  be  paid  by  the  county  the  sum  of 
$5." 

The  day  of  sale  arrived.  About  a  hundred 
persons  assembled,  many  of  them  strangers, 
and  they  sallied  forth  into  the  town.  It  was 
a  little  nook  on  a  gentle  swell  at  the  north 
side  of  the  prairie.  The  edge  of  the  timber 
ran  from  near  where  the  academy  afteward 
stood,  northwest,  pasb  Fletcher  Johnson's, 
by  the  New  York  Store,  by  the  jail,  by  Joel 
Watson's,  west  a  hundred  yards  or  more,  then 
southwest,  past  William  Casey's  field,  and  so 
on  down  to  where  the  woolen  factory  stands  : 
while  clumps  of  sturdy  white  oaks  stood 
west  of  the  square,  and  at  Porter's  corner, 
and  near  where  D.  C.  Warren  lives.  The 
prairie  was  not  so  smooth  as  it  had  been  a 
few  years  before,  but  here  and  there  was  a  little 
hazel  or  brier  patch,  or  a  bunch  of  sumach  or 
elder  bushes.  But  the  lines  had  been  hacked 
or  staked  out,  and  the  lots  could  be  found. 
When  well  ou.t  into  the  open  space,  James  E. 
Davis,  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  preacher, 
raised  the  cry,  ' '  O  yes,  gentlemen  !  I  am 
now  going  to  sell  you  some  lots  in  the  beauti- 
ful town  of  Mount  Vernon,  all  covered  now 
with  a  beautiful  coat  of  green,  but  destined 
soon  to  be  cov«red  with  magnificent  build- 
ings." Lot  No.  1,  Crebs's,  was  struck  off  to 
Bennett  Maxey  for  S^-tl  ;  No.  2.  to  Barton 
Atchisson  ;  Burchett  Maxey  bought  No.  4, 
south  of  Herdman's,  where  he  soon  after 
built  a  large  double  log  house  ;  Lewis  Wat- 
kins  took  the  corner  lot,  the  Joel  Pace  lot,  at 
$162.50  ;  Nelson  Ferguson,  the  corner  east 
of  that,  now  bank  corner,  for  $165  ;  Edward 
Maxey,  the  Thorn  lot,  for  $60;  Clark  Casey, 
the  corner  west  of  Nieman's,  at  $160 ; 
Thomas  Jordan,  the  lot  where  J.  D.  John- 
son's store  is,  at  $153  ;  William  Maxey,  the 
lot  now  Porter's  corner,  for  $95  ;  Dr.  Mc- 
Lean,   afterward    of    McLeansboro,    bought 


the  H.  T.  Pace  corner  at  $136  ;  Isaac  Casey 
was  his  security,  McL.  failed  on  it,  Isaac 
took  it,  and  passed  it  over  to  Burchett  Maxey. 
But  more  of  these  matters  hereafter. 

Watkins  had  already  made  some  prepara- 
tions to  build  on  his  lot,  though  he  never 
paid  for  it,  and  Thomas  Jordan  took  it  off 
his  hands  ;  and  Bm'chett  Maxey,  as  before 
stated,  at  once  put  up  a  house  on  his.  These 
buildings  were  scarcely  under  headway,  when 
Clark  Casey  moved  his  walnut-log  house 
from  near  where  Joseph  Pace  lately  lived  up 
to  his  lot,  and  the  town  was  fairly  begun. 

Of  course,  one  of  the  first  subjects  that 
occupied  the  attention  of  the  County  Court 
was  the  erection  of  public  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  county.  Indeed,  the  court  house 
was  already  built,  and  standing  there  in  all 
its  glory  at  the  time  the  sale  of  lots  above 
described  took  place.  The  first  sitting  of  the 
County  Commissioners  began,  as  before 
stated,  June  7,  1819  ;  and  on  the  9th  they 
determined  to  build  a  court  house  : 

''As  it  is  inconvenient  to  hold  court  in  a 
private  house  for  several  reasons, 

"  Ordered,  That  the  building  of  a  court 
house  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder  on  Friday 
the  24th  inst.,  to  be  eighteen  by  twenty  feet, 
thirteen  feet  high  ;  to  be  built  of  hewed  logs 
that  will  face  from  ten  to  twelve  inches, 
closely  notched  down  ;  to  have  a  good  roof 
made  of  boards  ;  also  a  good  under  floor 
made  of  plank,  rough,  and  closely  laid  ;  and 
joist-plates,  with  holes  cut  for  joists  ;  the 
house  to  have  one  door  and  one  window,  cut 
and  faced,  and  to  them  good  shutters  hung, 
made  of  rough  plank  ;  the  house  and  all 
the  work  abotit  it  done  in  workman-like 
manner,  completed  and  delivered  to  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court  at  their  next 
September  term,  subject  to  the  inspection  of 
the  County  Commissioners,  said  house  to  be 
built  in  the  public  square,  or  on  the  spot  the 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


285 


said  Commissioners  shall  designate.  The 
timber  to  be  fui-nished  by  Isaac  Casey, 
William  Casey  and  Josejjh  Jordan.  The 
building  of  said  house  to  be  paid  for  out  of 
any  moneys  that  may  be  in  the  treasury  not 
otherwise  appropriated." 

Accordingly,  on  Friday,  June  25,  the  court 
again  met  at  the  house  of  William  Casey  ; 
and,  "in  pursuance  of  an  order  of  the  last 
court,  the  building  of  a  coui-t  house  was  this 
day  let  to  the  lowest  bidder,  the  building  of 
which  John  Sanders  undertook  for  the  sum 
of  $85,  and  entered  into  bond  with  James 
Kelly,  his  security,  conditioned  for  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  his  contract."  Isaac 
Casey,  William  Casey  and  Joseph  Jordan 
furnished  the  timber,  and  many  others  found 
employment  in  cutting  and  hewing  the  logs, 
sawing  the  plank,  ''riving''  the  boards, haul- 
ing, etc.  It  must  not  be  understood,  how- 
ever, that  the  gentlemen  named  furnished  the 
timber  from  their  own  lands.  There  was 
good  timber  on  the  United  States  lands  on 
the  ridge  a  mile  or  two  northwest  of  town, 
from  where  Judge  Keller  lives  to  old  Union, 
and  there  all  the  materials  for  this  house 
were  "got  out."  Henry  Tyler  hewed  nearly 
every  log  in  the  building.  We  can  readily 
imagine  how  much  the  public  attention  was 
excited  by  so  important  an  enterprise.  Not- 
withstanding the  whole  was  to  be  done  in  the 
sultry  months  of  July  and  August,  the  work 
went  bravely  on,  and  when  the  court  met  in 
September,  Monday,  6th,  they  found  the 
building  nicely  finished  and  ready  for  use. 
' '  According  to  an  order  of  the  last  court, 
for  letting  the  building  of  a  court  house,  it 
was  let  to  John  Sanders,  who  completed  and 
delivered  the  same  to  the  court  at  their  pres- 
ent term;  wherefore  ordered,  that  the  Clerk 
grant  him  a  certificate  for  the  same. " 

It  stood  about  the  center  of  the  public 
square,  its  only  door  fronting  to  the  south. 


its  only  window  in  the  west  side,  and  the 
bushes  around  were  so  broken  down  that  its 
bright  logs  and  roof  were  plainly  visible  from 
all  the  business  part  of  town.  But  the  best  of 
earthly  things  are  imperfect.  As  winter 
came  on,  it  became  too  evident  that,  large 
and  commodious  as  the  court  house  was,  it 
was  not  a  comfortable  place  for  a  winter  ses- 
sion. Hence,  when  the  court  met  in  Decem- 
ber, 6th,  it  was  ordered  that  the  finishing  of 
the  building  should  be  let  to  the  lowest  bid- 
der on  the  following  day.  And  this  was  to 
be  the  manner  of  it :  "To  be  completed  as 
follows,  to  wit  :  A  chimney  place  to  be  cut 
out,  and  a  good  chimney,  back  and  hearth 
to  be  built,  after  the  form  of  the  chimney  to 
the  house  in  which  Lewis  VVatkins  now  lives, 
and  to  be  as  good  as  said  chi  i  ney  was  when 
it  was  first  finished;  also  a  set  of  good 
hewed  or  sawed  joists  put  in,  and  an  upper 
floor  of  sawed  plank  to  be  closely  laid,  the 
plank  to  be  one  and  a  fourth  inches  thick; 
also  the  cracks  to  be  closely  chinked  in- 
side, and  well  daubed  outside  with  well 
wrought  mortar.  There  is  a  platform  to  be 
constructed  in  the  west  end  of  the  house,  to 
be  of  proper  height,  four  feet  wide,  of  good 
hewed  puncheons  or  thick  plank,  to  lack  but 
three  feet  of  reaching  from  one  side  of  the 
house  to  the  other;  at  the  end  of  said  plat- 
form are  to  be  steps  composed  of  blocks  or 
planks,  and  a  hand-rail  in  front  of  the  afore- 
said platform  of  a  proper  height,  and  a  seat 
in  the  rear  of  the  platform  of  the  same 
length  of  the  platform,  and  two  seats  in  front 
of  the  platform  of  the  same  length  on  the 
floor,  all  the  seats  to  be  made  of  good  hewed 
puncheons  or  plank,  to  be  made  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  be  steady,  and  movable  at 
pleasure.  The  platform  is  to  be  supported 
by  good  substantial  posts,  pillars  or  blocks. 
All  of  which  is  to  be  completed  by  the  first 
Monday  in  March  next,  and  to  be  done  in  a 


HISTORY    OF  JEFFEKSON  COUNTY. 


workmanlike  manner."  All  of  this  Oliver 
Morris  undertook  to  do  for  the  sum  of  $80. 
But  he  signally  failed,  the  Commissioners, 
on  an  examination  of  the  work,  finding  it  so 
imperfect  that  they  determined  to  deduct  $5 
from  the  amount  he  was  to  have  received. 
He  accepted  the  $75.  The  building  now, 
though  not  indeed  everything  that  a  court 
house  ought  to  be,  had'cost  the  county  $160. 

The  next  demand  was  a  Stray  Pound — not 
because  there  were  more  cattle  than  criminals 
running  at  large,  nor  because  they  were  more 
likely  to  be  taken  up,  but  because  the  law  im- 
peratively required  it.  And  this  again  was  be- 
cause, from  the  scarcity  of  inclosures,  stock  was 
very  liable  to  go  astray.  By  an  act  approved 
March  23,  1819,  the  County  Court  in  all  new 
counties  was  required,  within  three  months 
after  locating  coui't  house,  etc.,  to  cause  a 
Pound  to  be  made  near  the  same  place,  under 
penalty  of  $20  for  every  term  of  the  court 
after  the  three  months  till  it  should  be  built. 
In  this  Pound  all  stray  horses,  mules,  etc., 
over  two  years  old,  taken  up  within  twenty 
miles,  were  to  be  kept  from  12  till  4  o'clock 
on  the  first  day  of  the  County  Court  for 
three  terms  nest  after  the  taking  up,  to  en- 
able the  owner  to  find  and  prove  his  proper- 
ty. Strays  under  two  years  old  were  adver- 
tised nearly  as  at  present.  If  over  twenty 
miles  away,  the  stray  was  to  be  put  in  pound 
on  the  fii'st  day  of  the  second  term  after  the 
taking  up.  The  keeper  was  to  keep  and 
tend  the  pound  on  court  days,  under  penalty 
of  §8  fine. 

On  the  second  day  of  this  December  term, 
therefore,  the  court  "Ordered  that  the  build- 
ing of  a  Stray  Pound  be  let  to  the  lowest 
bidder,  of  the  following  form,  to  wit:  Forty 
feet  square,  five  panels  on  each  side  of  equal 
length,  to  be  made  of  posts  and  rails,  the 
posts  to  be  made  of  white  or  post  oak,  neatly 
hewed,  fom-  by  seven  inches;  the  rails  to  be 


sufficiently  strong;  the  cracks  from  two  feet 
downward  not  to  b^  more  than  four  inches, 
and  from  that  upward  not  more  than  six 
inches  ;  a  good  strong  gate,  and  fixed  to  it  a 
good  lock  and  key,  to  be  affixed  to  one  side 
of  said  pound  ;  the  posts  of  said  fence  to  be 
set  in  the  ground  not  less  than  thirty  inches, 
to  be  in  all  respects  strong  and  firm  ;  said 
pound  to  be  completed  and  delivered  to  this 
court  at  the  next  March  term. ' ' 

John  C.  Casey  took  the  contract  for  build- 
ing the  pound  for  S33.87i,  but  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  in  haste  about  it,  for  at 
the  February  term,  February  10,  1820,  the 
coui't  ordered  that  the  pound  be  built  on  Lot 
No.  31.  Garrison  Greenwood  having  bought 
that  lot,  and  failed  to  execute  the  required 
notes,  it  of  course  went  back  to  the  county. 
The  Pound  was  ordered  upon  that  lot,  and 
"  six  feet  from  the  southeast  corner."  And 
there  it  was  located  in  due  time,  being  re- 
ceived March  6,  and  the  architect  appointed 
to  keep  it.  This  lot.  No.  31,  is  that  on 
which  the  county  jail  now  stands. 

The  Jail.  Before  the  Stray  Pound  was  fin  • 
ished  (February  10,  1820),  it  was  determined 
to  build  a  jail  (m  the  same  lot  as 
follows:  "Ordered,  that  the  building  of  a 
gaol  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder  on  the  second 
day  of  nest  March  term,  to  be  built  as  fol 
lows,  to  wit:  The  first  floor  to  be  composed 
of  two  layers  of  timbers  squared  to  twelve 
inches  laid  crosswise,  and  the  whole  to  be 
covered  with  two  inch  plank  closely  laid  and 
spiked  down,  the  floor  to  be  sunk  within  six 
inches  of  the  surface  of  the  earth;  the  wall 
to  be  composed  of  timber  squared  to  twelve 
inches,  of  which  two  walls  are  to  be  built 
thirteen  inches  apart,  the  vacancy  between 
which  is  to  be  filled  with  timbers  not  less 
than  twelve  inches  square,  to  stand  perpen- 
dicularly; the  walls  to  bebtiiltin  the  way  above 
described   ten  feet   high,  the  timbers  to  be 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


287 


laid  as  close  as  possible;  on  which  a  second 
floor  is  to  be  made  of  twelve-inch  square  tim- 
ber closely  laid  and  covered  with  two- inch 
plank,  closely  laid  and  spiked  down,  the 
spikes  to  be  not  less  than  four  inches  long; 
the  room  above  described  is  for  a  dungeon. 
On  the  second  floor  there  is  a  debtor's  room 
to  be  built  by  continuing  the  outside  wall  of 
timber  as  before  described,  eight  feet  high 
from  the  second  floor;  then  there  is  to  be  a 
third  floor  composed  of  timbers  twelve  inches 
square,  closely  laid,  reaching  from  the  outside 
of  each  wall,  the  house  to  be  well  covered 
with  shingles.  The  lower  room  to  be  ten 
feet  square  in  the  clear,  the  walls  and  floors 
to  be  composed  of  good,  sound  oak  timber. 
There  is  to  be  a  door  cut  in  one  side  of  the 
upper  or  debtor's  room,  to  which  a  good 
shutter  is  to  be  made  and  hung  sufiiciently 
strong,  to  be  made  of  two  lay  of  two  inch 
plank  spiked  together  with  spikes  to  go 
through  and  clinch;  there  is  to  be  two  win- 
dows to  each  room,  twelve  inches  square, 
with  eight  bars  of  iron  two  feet  long  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  square  to  each  window  put 
crosswise;  about  the  middle  of  the  second 
floor  there  is  to  be  a  hole  cut  two  feet  square, 
and  to  it  there  is  to  be  hung  sufiiciently 
strong  a  trap-door  to  fit  the  hole  made  in  the 
same  manner  that  the  other  door  is  to  be 
made;  there  is  to  be  made  to  reach  up  on  the 
outside  of  the  gaol  to  the  door,  a  good  and 
substantial  pair  of  steps,  and  also  a  plat- 
form made  at  the  top  of  the  steps  four  feet 
square,  and  a  railing  three  feet  high  from  the 
platform  around  the  same  and  also  on  one 
side  of  the  steps ;  the  whole  to  be  com- 
pleted and  delivered  in  a  workmanlike  man- 
ner to  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  at 
their  next  December  term." 

Burchett  Masey  took  the  contract  for  build- 
ing the  jail  at  $320.  It  cost  more  than  the 
court    house — twice    as  much — and  rightly, 


for  while  there  were  but  fifty  or  sixty  logs  in 
the  court  house,  there  were  largely  over  200 
in  the  jail.  No  sooner  did  Burchett  Maxey 
secure  the  job  than  Zadok  Casey,  who  was  an 
extra  hand  with  an  ax,  either  in  chopping  or 
hewing,  was  taken  in  as  a  partner.  Lewis 
and  James  Johnson  and  others  assisted  in 
gettiug  out  the  timbers,  but  John  Wilkerson 
hauled  nearly  every  log  in  the  building.  It 
was  "  erected  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Lot 
No.  31,  eight  feet  from  the  line."  And  on 
the  5th  day  of  December,  ' '  Henry  B.  Maxey, 
who  undertook  the  building  of  the  jail,  de- 
livered the  same  to  the  court,  which  being 
completed  agreeably  to  the  order,  was  re- 
ceived by  the  court."  The  platform  required 
by  the  contract  was  formed  by  putting  in  four 
logs  foui-  feet  longer  than  the  rest,  the  pro- 
jecting ends  forming  the  platform  and  need- 
ing no  support,  while  the  steps  were  literally 
"a  pair,"  being  formed  of  two  large  tim- 
bers twelve  or  fourteen  inches  square,  in 
which  the  steps  were  cut.  We  see  economy 
in  all  the  transactions  of  the  court.  In  set- 
tling for  the  jail,  the  Treasurer  was  ordered 
to  pay  Z.  Casey  $114,  and  H.  B.  Maxey  $96, 
and  Zadok  pledged  himself  to  take  his  own 
paper  for  the  rest,  the  court  authorizing  the 
Treasurer  to  receive  it. 

At  the  October  term  of  the  county  court — 
October  20,  1820— it  was  "  Ordered,  that  the 
building  of  a  Clerk's  ofiice  be  let  to  the  low- 
est bidder  on  the  third  Monday  in  October, 
inst.,  to  be  built  as  follows,  to  wit:  The 
house  to  be  built  of  hewed  logs,  fourteen 
feet  square,  the  logs  to  face  from  ten  to 
twelve  inches,  the  wall  to  be  nine  feet  high, 
to  have  a  good,  strong  and  tight  clapboard 
roof,  the  ribs  and  weight  poles  the  bark 
shaved  off,  the  wall  well  chinked  on  the  in- 
side and  well  daubed  on  the  outside;  the 
house  to  have  a  good  floor  of  good  and  well- 
seasoned    plank,  jointed    and   well    laid,    to 


388 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


have  a  door  place  cut,  and  to  it  hung  with 
good,  strong  iron  hinges  a  good  batten  door, 
made  of  well-soaaoned  plank,  one  window 
cut  and  faced  the  proper  size  for  a  nine- 
light  sash,  the  sash  and  glass  the  undertaker 
to  put  in,  also  to  have  a  chimney  built  after 
the  same  manner  that  the  chimney  to  the 
court  house  is  built,  with  good  back  wall, 
hearth  and  jamb-atones,  the  corners  neatly 
sawed  down,  and  a  good  batten  shutter  hung 
to  the  window  with  strong  iron  hinges;  the 
house  to  be  built  of  any  kind  of  oak  except 
Spanish  oak.  The  whole  to  be  finished  in  a 
workmanlike  manner  and  delivered  to  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court  at  their  next 
December  term." 

This  building  was  undertaken  by  John 
Wilkerson,  but  at  the  next  court  his  time 
was  extended  until  March.  Accordingly, 
March  5,  1821,  "the  court  proceeded  to  ex 
amine  the  Clerk's  office,  the  workmanship 
of  which  being  done  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner, was  received,  and  in  discharge  for  build- 
ing the  same,  ordered  the  County  Treasurer 
to  pay  to  William  Casey  111,  to  William 
Jordan  $2.25,  to  Henry  B.  Maxey  $4,  and  to 
John  Wilkerson  $12.37^,  all  which  amounts 
to  $59.62|."  Three  months  later  the  court 
ordered  W.  L.  Howell  |1  for  a  lock  for  the 
Clerk's  office,  and  it  was  complete.  It  stood 
about  midway  on  the  north  side  of  the  pub- 
lic square,  the  door  fronting  south,  the  win- 
dow north,  and  the  chimney  east  like  that  of 
the  court  house.  And  we  may  add,  it  is  not 
expressly  stated  in  the  record,  but  it  was  ex- 
pressly done — both  chimneys  were  built 
wholly  of  wood  except  the  ' '  back,  hearth 
and  jamb-stones.''  They  were  genuine  mud 
and  stick  chimneys,  albeit  they  were  very 
neat  ones.  And  speaking  of  the  lock  for  this 
ofiSce  reminds  ub  that  in  September  after  the 
court  house  was  finished — six  months — they 
had  to  pay   Lewis  Watkins  for  a  lock  and 


chain  for  that  building.  The  lock,  you  will 
at  once  understand,  was  a  padlock,  and  the 
door  was  secured  by  putting  the  chain 
through  a  little  chink  between  the  logs  and 
through  an  auger  hole  in  the  door,  and  lock- 
ing the  end  links  together.  You  will  notice, 
too,  as  the  rib  poles  were  shaved,  that  it  was 
not  intended  that  the  Clerk"  s  office  should 
ever  have  a  ceiling. 

So  much  for  the  public  buildings.  They 
constituted  about  half  of  the  town.  It  was 
in  the  court  house  that  Burchett  Maxey  lived 
while  finishing  his  own  house  on  Lot  No.  4,  and 
it  was  in  the  Clerk's  office  that  Joel  Pace  spent 
the  last  years  of  his  single  and  first  months 
of  his  married  life.  It  was  here  that  he 
lived  with  his  family  when  Harvey  T.  Pace 
came  out  fi-om  Kentucky  in  the  vigor  of 
youth,  and  split  3,000  rails  for  him  at  50 
cents  per  hundred  in  State  paper,  equal  to 
25  cents  in  specie.  Harvey  boarded  with 
his  uncle,  and  fourteen  feet  square  seems  to 
have  been  room  enough  for  them  and  their 
goods,  and  also  the  office. 

It  IS  proper,  perhaps,  that  we  now  tell 
who  those  men  were  that  we  have  sometimes 
mentioned  in  connection  with  these  first 
buildings  in  Mount  Vernon. 

James  E.  Davis,  who  cried  the  sale  of 
town  lots,  was  one  of  a  little  colony  of  Max- 
eys,  Johnsons  and  others,  that  came  in  from 
Sumner  County,  Teun.,  in  1818.  He  lived 
near  where  Robert  Edwards  lives.  His  wife 
was  a  sister  to  Burchett  and  Elihu  Maxey's 
wives,  and  to  James  Bowman's  and  John 
Afflack's,  all  being  daughters  of  Perry  Tay- 
lor, of  Wilson  County,  Tenn.  Davis  re- 
mained here  till  he  had  one  daughter  grown 
and  married  to  John  Tade.  John  was  a  son 
of  David  Tade,  and  David  Tade  was  the 
father  also  of  Mrs.  W.  Finch.  They  lived 
about  where  Elijah  Knox  lives,  but  in  a  year 
or   two   Mr.  Davis,  old  Mr.    Tade,    and   all 


HISTOJRY  OF  JEFFERSON  COITNTY. 


2S9 


t.heir  families,  went  to  Tazewell  County,  and 
thence  to  Iowa. 

Of  those  who  bought  lots:  Bennett  N. 
Maxey  was  the  second  son  of  "William 
Maxey  and  brother  to  Joshua  C.  and  Jehu 
G.  D.,  who  are  still  here;  was  the  father  of 
William  H.,  James  J.,  Charles  H.,  Joshua 
C,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  J.;  also  of  Mrs.  Emily 
Ray  and  Mrs.  Eliza  White;  and  died  at  the 
place  he  first  settled,  a  mile  east  of  Pleasant 
Grove,  in  1846,  aged  fifty-one,  his  widow, 
Sally,  nee  Overbay,  dying  at  Eome  seven 
years  later.  William  and  Edward  Mas.ey 
were  brothers,  sons  of  Jesse  Ma.xey,  of  Vir- 
ginia. William  married  Rhodam  Allen'n  sis- 
ter  Emily,  in   1793,   and  came  to  Illinois  in 

1818,  and  was  the  father  of  Henry  Burchett, 
Bennett  Nelbon,  Elihu,  Charles  Hardy,  Josh- 
ua Cannon,  William  McKeudree  Adney  and 
Jehu;  also  of  Mrs.  Clarissa  Johnson,  Mrs. 
Harriet  and  Mrs.  Vylinda  A.  Casey,  and 
Hostillina,  who  died  in  1818;  and  William 
himself  died  in  1838,  his  wife  having  died 
in  1837.  Edward  married  Elizabeth  Pitner, 
went  to  Allen  County,  Ky.,  and  came  thence 
to  Illinois  in  1819;  was  a  Methodist  preacher, 
held  office  many  years,  raised  no  son  or 
daughter,  but  raised  Judge  Sattertield  and 
others,  and  died  at  Gov.  Casey's  about  thirty- 
five  years  ago,  his  wife  soon  following.  Bar- 
ton Atchisson  was  from  Georgia,  by  way  of 
Tennessee;  married  a  Hill,  sister  to  old  Mrs. 
WiJkey  and  Mrs.  Dempsey  Hood;  came  to 
this  county  in  1815-16,  was  much  in  public 
life,  and  died  in  November,  1847,  leaving 
sons,  William,  Ignatius,  Samuel  and  George 
W.,  and  daughters  Winney  Myere,  Martha 
Chaffin,  and  one  the  wife  of  Theophilus  Cook, 
Jr.     Nelson  Ferguson  came  to  this  county  in 

1819,  and  lived  one  year  on  James  Johnson's 
land,  and  went  back  to  Tennessee,  to  Station 
Camp  Creek,  six  miles  north  of  Gallatin;  his 
wife  was  a  Tyler,  sister  to  Jordan  Tyler,  now 


among  us.  Clark  Casey — John  C. — was  a 
son  of  Abraham  P. ,  and  son-in-law  of  Isaac 
Casey;  came  to  this  county  in  1818,  and 
raised  the  first  cabin  on  Mulberry  Hill,  where 
Capt.  W^olflf  lives,  moved  several  times,  lost 
his  wife,  married  a  Bingaman,  went  to  Mis- 
souri, and  at  last  came  back  and  died  here  in 
1862.  Lewis  Watkins  was  prominent  in  the 
history  of  Jefi^erson  County  for  several  years, 
living  first  in  Moore's  Prairie,  then  in  Mount 
Vernon,  and  at  last  went  back  to  Tennessee, 
leaving  one  child  here — Margaret,  wife  of 
Green  P.  Casey,  and  mother  of  Lewis  F. 
Casey,  of  Centralia. 

Of  those  concerned  in  the  public  buildings: 
John  Sanders  was  from  Franklin  County, 
his  first  wife,  Nancy,  a  sister  to  Abraham  and 
Joseph  Estes.  He  was  the  first  Constable, 
his  appointment  dating  in  June,  1819;  next 
year  he  married  a  Miss  Cox,  soon  after  got 
license  to  keep  tavern — somewhere  in  the 
south  part  of  the  county,  and  then  we  lose 
all  trace  of  him.  Hem-y  Tyler,  was  the  son 
of  John  Tyler,  and  John  was  a  half-brother 
to  James  and  Lewis  Johnson.  John  Tyler 
and  Lewis  Johnson  came  from  Sumner 
County,  Tenn.,  in  1819.  Henry  married 
Catharine,  daughter  of  Isaac  Casey,  lived 
awhile  at  the  Brown  place  on  the  Salem  road, 
and  awhile  where  the  eastern  part  of  Mount 
Vernon  is.  He  built  a  cabin  east  of  where 
Thomas  Hobbs  lives;  discovered  the  springs, 
but  despised  them  because  the  water  tasted 
"brackish,"  concluded  his  land  would  never 
be  worth  anything,  and  sold  his  pre-emption 
on  the  eighty  acres  to  Thomas  Tunstall  for 
$92.  He  lived  many  years  on  the  Centralia 
road,  and  died  there  in  1877.  John  C.  and 
Isaac,  of  this  county,  are  his  sons  ;  Mrs.  Pat 
Ingram,  of  Richview,  his  daughter.  He 
never  had  the  headache  in  his  life,  but  died 
of  something  like  apojalexy.  Oliver  Morris, 
was  son-in-law  to  Joseph  Jordan.     He  was  a 


390 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


man  of  some  means,  living  in  Moore's  Prairie, 
where  he  built  a  brick  house  in  1823.  He 
and  Lewis  Watkins  were  appointed  Justices 
of  the  Peace  before  the  county  was  organized; 
and  Morris  "  swore  in "  the  first  officers. 
He  went  to  Texas  about  1831;  there  his  only 
child  married  Crockett  Glenn,  a  nephew  to 
Davy  Crockett.  They  all  came  back  about 
seven  years  later,  fearfully  reduced  in  fort- 
une Morris  located  on  the  high  point  east 
of  the  Benton  road,  about  five  miles  south  of 
Mount  Vernon,  where  he  died  in  August, 
1839.  John  Wilkerson  was  brother  to  Henry 
as  before   stated.     He    first   married   Dicey 


Keelin,  in  Virginia,  then  a  Mrrs.  Thomas, 
sister  to  Rhodam  Allen  and  William  Max 
ey's  wife.  Allen,  father  of  H.  H.  W.  Wilk- 
erson, was  a  son  of  the  first  wife.  Mrs. 
Thomas  by  her  first  husband  had  five  chil- 
aren— Mrs.  Thad  Moss's  grandfather,  "Aunt 
Polly"  Parker,  and  Edward  Wilkerson's 
wife  were  of  these.  John's  last  set  of  chil- 
dren were  Mastin,  John,  Ransom,  Betsey 
Webber,  Sallie  Daniel,  Jane  Hill,  Emily  Hill 

I  and  Patsy  Lynch.  So  his  descendants  are 
all  over  the  country.  Zadok  Casey,  who  oc- 
cupied such  a  place  in  our  history,  is  exten- 

'  sivelv  noticed  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


CHAPTER    III. 


CITY  OF  MOUNT  VERNON— MORE  ABOUT  ITS  EARLY  CITIZENS— SOME  PEN  PHOTOGRAPHS— THE 

SECOND   COURT   HOUSE-MOUNT   VERNON   FROM   1824   TO   1830— A  FEW  OF  THE   OLD 

HOUSES— RELICS  OF  A  BY-GONE  PERIOD— MORE  TOWNSHIP  ITEMS,  AND  A 

TRIPLE   WEDDING— LATER  SETTLERS— COUNTY   ROADS— THE 

FIRST  CHURCHES    OUTSIDE   OF   TOWN,   ETC.,   ETC. 


"All  that  I  prized  have  passed  away  like  clouds 
Whicli  float  a  moment  on  the  twilight  sky 
And  fade  in  night."— <S^ra'«. 

"TTTE  now  go  back  to  the  fall  of  1819. 
VV  The  only  buildings  in  the  town  at 
this  time  are  the  court  house,  Burchett 
Maxey's,  Lewis  Watkins'  and  Clark  Casey's. 
The  place  was  overgrown  with  rank  weeds 
and  grass;  and  not  a  road  led  into  it  or 
out,  except  trails  and  foot-paths.  William 
Casey's  house,  where  the  Commercial  Hotel 
stands,  was  quite  oat  of  town.  He  now 
built  out  on  the  hill  west  of  town,  and 
Lewis  Watkins  left  his  half-finished  shanty 
on  the  corner  and  moved  into  Casey's  house. 
W.  L.  Howell  came  to  town   in   1820,   and 

*  By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson. 


located  in  Watkins'  house  till  he  could  put 
up  some  kind  of  a  house  on  Lot  41,  east  of 
the  court  house.  This  man,  William  Lasater 
Howell,  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  farmer  in 
Tennessee.  The  old  gentleman  lived  in  a 
large  brick  house  on  the  turnpike,  not  many 
miles  from  Gallatin.  We  think  no  relatives 
of  his  came  to  this  county  except  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander, and  she  was  not  much  honor  to  him. 
She  said  herself  she  had  had  eleven  husbands, 
had  no  childi-en  to  bind  her  to  any  of  them, 
and  was  going  to  have  another  man  or  more 
if  she  saw  any  she  liked.  Howell  taught  a 
school  at  Union  in  1822.  He  was  Sheriff 
after  Watkins.  He  was  a  nice  man,  but  a  bad 
manager;  and  was  kept  in  oflice  till  he  could 
not  five  security  or  file  the  necessary  bond. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


291 


He  lived  awhile  in  Jordan's  Prairie,  at  the 
Whitesides  place.  While  living  here,  his  lit- 
tle boy  of  four  years  (Erasmus)  was  lost. 
Mrs.  Howell  started  to  the  branch  for  water, 
and  the  little  fellow  undertook  to  follow. 
There  were  only  paths — one  to  the  branch, 
some  to  the  neighbors,  some  cow-paths,  etc.  — 
and  Erasmus  took  the  wrong  path.  On  her 
return,  the  mother  missed  him.  She  soon 
raised  the  alarm,  but  it  was  so  near  night 
that  little  could  be  done.  Howell  was  at 
town  with  his  horse  and  wagon;  and  he  was 
so  excited,  on  hearing  the  news,  that  he 
drove  the  horse  home  at  full  speed,  and  did 
not  notice  a  large  tree  that  had  fallen  across 
the  road — horse  and  wagon  jumping  it 
together.  For  two  nights  and  a  day,  the 
search  was  kept  up.  Green  Casey  then  lived 
at  the  Maj.  Frank  Casey  place;  he  went  out 
to  feed  in  the  dusk  of  evening,  and  heard  a 
child  crying  and  calling  in  the  woods,  but 
fearing  it  might  be  a  panther,  he  would  not 
go. near.  Next  morning,  taking  his  gun,  he 
went  out,  and  there  on  the  ground  sat  the 
child,  quite  exhausted  and  in  despair.  He 
looked  as  if  he  had  given  up  and  sat  down 
to  die.  He  was  soon  restored  to  his  parents, 
and  great  was  the  joy  among  the  friends. 
Howell,  not  long  after,  went  back  to  Tennes- 
see, then  to  Arkansas,  and  died  in  Scott 
County. 

The  same  year,  1820,  in  the  spring,  Felix 
McBride  came,  took  Clark  Casey's  lot — now 
the  corner  west  of  Nieman's — off  his  hands, 
and  set  up  a  grocery.  We  think  McBride 
came  with  the  Whitesides.  He  married  Nel- 
lie Hensley,  a  sister  to  John  and  Leftridge 
Hensley,  near  Walnut  Hill.  She  was  the 
second  woman  buried  at  Union,  "Aunt  Milly  " 
Tyler  being  the  first.  Her  grave  is  close  be- 
side "Roaring  Billy"  Woods',  and  was  cov- 
ered with  a  bricfi  arch  of  pretty  neat  work- 
manship.     Their  only  child  was   soon   after 


buried  in  the  same  grave.  McBride  enlarged 
the  Clark  Casey  house  to  a  double  log  build- 
ing, with  open  passage,  and  nearly  two 
stories  high.  On  the  death  of  his  wife,  he 
left  here  and  married  again,  went  to  Galena, 
and  was  at  length  killed  by  a  miner. 

The  next  man  was  Elisha  Plummer.  Wat- 
kins  returned  to  Tennessee,  vacating  the 
William  Casey  house;  Plummer  moved  into 
it,  and  put  up  a  rough  blacksmith  shop,  just 
east  of  where  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
stands.  He  did  not  stay  long.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Tally,  and  he  and 
Tally  went  to  the  American  bottom.  At  last 
accounts.  Tally  was  keeping  a  boarding  house 
in  St.  Louis.  Next,  Thomas  Tunstall  came, 
in  1821,  and  bought  the  "  Kirby  Tavern,"  as 
it  was  afterward  called,  and  put  up  a  log 
storehouse,  where  Herdman  lives.  Thomas 
came  first,  then  the  old  peojile  and  his 
brothers.  William  Tunstall,  the  father,  had 
his  second  wife,  the  first  having  died  child- 
less. They  were  familiarly  called  "  the  old 
Colonel"  and  "Aunt  Sally."  Aunt  Sally 
was  a  Mrs.  Whorl,  of  the  Todd  family;  and, 
as  we  are  told,  was  an  aunt  to  Mrs.  Lincoln. 
Tom's  name  was  Thomas  Todd.  They  were 
all  Kentuekians.  The  old  lady  died  in  1825, 
and  the  old  Colonel  went  back  to  Kentucky, 
where  he  died  a  few  years  later.  The 
Colonel  drank,  and  was  found  dead  in  bed 
one  morning.  Their  children  wei'e  Thomas  T., 
Edmund,  George  and  Jane  Webb.  Thomas 
kept  tavern  and  sold  goods  and  groceries. 
He  bought  and  sent  South  a  great  deal  of 
stock.  He  could  buy  a  good  yearling  for  a 
set  of  plates,  or  a  set  of  knives  and  forks,  or  a 
pair  of  shoes.  While  here  ho  sent  ofl:'  no  less 
than  1,500  head  of  cattle,  and  a  good  many 
horses.  He  gave  Nolin  forty  cows  and  calves 
for  a  race-horse  called  Moneymolder.  He 
had  the  treadmill  erected,  which  stood  just 
north  of  where  Judge  Pollock  lives,  bring- 


292 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ing  John  Summers  up  from  Shawneetown  to 
superintend  it.  Not  long  after  this,  he  went 
to  Vicksbui-g,  then  to  Little  Kock,  and  among 
other  adventures,  won  a  steamboat  at  the 
card  table.  He  bought  a  large  b^dy  of  land 
on  White  Eiver,  and  laid  out  the  town  of 
Jacksonport.  James  and  William  were  his 
oldest  sons;  one  of  his  daughters  was  mar- 
ried to  John  Boyer,  one  to  McHenry.  etc. 
He  died  at  Memphis  during  the  war.  Ed- 
mund married  Miss  Baugh  at  Vandalia,  came 
to  Mount  Vernon  in  1823,  lived  a  while  at 
the  Howell  House,  east  of  the  court  house, 
and  succeeded  Burchett  Maxey  as  tavern 
keeper  at  the  H  T.  Pace  corner  in  1824.  He 
nest  went  South,  and  died,  and  John  Baugh 
went  down— spring  of  1828— and  brought 
his  widow  back.  She  had  two  sons,  Edmund 
and  James.  About  thirty  years  ago,  the 
boys  went  South;  James  became  Captain  of 
a  steamboat  on  White  River,  fell  overboard 
at  Buffalo  Shoals,  and  was  never  found. 
Mrs.  Tiinstall  married  a  Hart.  George,  son 
of  the  old  Colonel,  went  Souths  and  Jane 
W.  was  married  in  1824  to  Dr.  W.  Adams. 
William  Rearden  came  about  this  time,  and 
put  up  two  cabins  on  Lot  No.  16,  south  and 
west  of  where  TJrry  lives.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker, perhaps  the  first  in  the  county,  and 
his  wife  was  a  sister  to  Jarvis  Pierce.  His 
house  was  not  only  out  of  town,  but  entirely 
out  of  sight  of  town.  He  did  not  remain 
long.  The  preacher,  better  known  as  Col. 
Rearden,  was  his  son. 

This  brings  us  up  to  the  fall  of  1823,  with 
Plummer  at  the  Casey  house,  Burchett  Maxey 
at  the  H.  T.  Pace  corner,  Thomas  Tunstall  at 
the  Kirby  tavern,  Edmund  Tunstall  east  of 
the  court  house,  McBride  at  the  corner  west 
of  Nieman's,  and  Rearden  away  out  in  the 
brush  southwest  of  town.  All  the  rest  of  the 
town  was  in  the  brush,  and  these  lots  are 
only  partly  fenced,  and   that   with  crooked 


rail  fences.  The  Clerk's  office,  too,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  public  square,  and  Joel 
Pace  living  in  it  from  the  spring  of  1822  to 
1823,  ought  not  to  be  forgotten. 

But  Joel  Pace  built  a  cabin  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  east  of  where  Gen.  Pavey  lives; 
a  new  court  house  was  built,  and  the  old 
Clerk's  office  was  left  tenantless.  This  new 
court  house  was  first  determined  on  at  the 
December  term,  1821,  William  Casey,  then  one 
of  the  County  Commissioners,  being  the  am- 
bitious man  who  ventured  to  propose  it,  and 
this  was  to  be  the  fashion  of  it:  "  The  wall 
to  be  built  of  brick,  twenty-foiu-  by  thirty 
feet,  two  stories  high;  the  first  story  nine 
feet,  the  ^second  seven  and  a  half,  two  sets 
of  joists  to  be  put  in,  nine  sixteen-light  win- 
dow-frames the  lights  eight  by  ten  be- 
low, and  eight  twelve- light  window-frames, 
lio-hts  same  size  above,  two  door-frames  to 
be  put  in,  four  fire-places  above,  the  house  to 
have  a  good,  firm,  brick  floor;  the  house  to 
be  well  covered  with  good  oak  shingles  witli- 
out  sap,  the  brick  and  timber  to  be  of  the 
best  quality;  the  house  completed  *  *  * 
by  next  December  term."  McBride  under- 
took the  job,  and  handed  it  over  the  next 
summer  to  Thomas  Jordan.  McBride  got 
$300,  Jordan  8202,  and  Edward  Tunstall 
SllO,  when  it  was  paid  for.  But  it  was  not 
finished  till  the  summer  of  1823 — nor  even 
then.  For,  in  1829,  an  order  was  made  tor 
finishing  the  house— laying  the  upper  floor, 
enlarging  the  hearth-boxes,  putting  stairs  in 
the  southeast  corner,  dividing  the  upper  part 
into  four  rooms  with  dressed  gum  planks, 
ceiling  the  room  with  good  shaved  oak 
boards  (fourfoot  boards  split  by  hand,  of 
course),  putting  in  bricks  that  had  fallen 
out.  and  painting  the  outside  with  three 
good  coats  of  Spanish  brown.  John  Wilker- 
son  bid  off  the  job  of  inside  work  at  $89, 
which    was    done    bv    Cannon    Maxey    and 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


293 


Stephen  Hicks,  and  the  painting  at  $79.93|, 
this  part  of  the  work  being  mostly  done  by 
Jarvis  Pierce.  The  same  year,  1829,  the 
jail  was  moved  to  a  place  just  east  of  the 
conrt  house,  and  about  fifteen  feet  from  it, 
by  Green  Depriest. 

Mount  Vernon  from  1824  to  1830. — In 
1824,  William  Casey  sold  ninety  rods  off  the 
west  side  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  Section 
29,  to  James  Gray  for  SI, 000.  The  convey- 
ance ignores  the  existence  of  Mount  Vernon 
right  in  the  heart  of  the  tract.  This  is  what 
was  laid  oiit  and  added  to  the  town  in  1840, 
the  whole  forming  "Storm's  Survey."  About 
the  same  tme,  1824,  John  Cooper,  another 
blacksmith,  came,  and  moved  into  one  of 
Rearden's  houses.  He  afterward  went  to  the 
Henry  Wilkerson  place  —  of  late,  Jacob 
Stitch's — where  Jonathan  Wells  had  lived 
awhile  and  had  built  a  shop.  Another  noted 
arrival  abont  this  time  was  a  medical  firm — 
Drs.  Adams  &  Glover.  They  hoarded  awhile 
at  Edward  Tunstall's,  the  H.  T.  Pace  corner, 
and  when  Tunstall  left  they  bought  the  prop- 
erty. They  soon  after  sold  to  Pace.  Glover 
went  to  McLeansboro  —  then  a  bran  new 
town — married  a  Miss  Locke,  and  went  to 
Missouri.  Dr.  Adams  was  from  Alabama. 
When  Glover  left,  or  sooner,  he  man'ied 
Jane  Tunstall,  October,  1824,  and  lived 
many  years  about  town,  part  of  the  time  two 
or  three  miles  west  of  town;  then  went  to  the 
place  in  an  arm  of  Moore's  Prairie,  where  he 
died  in  January,  1873.  Downing  Baugh 
was  also  here,  remained  a  year  or  two,  mar- 
ried Milly  Pace,  went  to  Vandalia,  and 
thence  to  Collinsville;  then  concluded  to 
locate  in  Mount  Vernon.  He  sold  goods, 
and  was  for  several  years  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  He  built  a  store  about  where  Seimer 
&  Klinker  now  keep,  in  1832;  and  he  built 
the  two-story  frame  on  the  north  side  of  the 
square,  that  was  burned  before  the  Phoenix 


Block  arose.  He  has  ever  been  a  zealous 
Methodist.  He  was  appointed  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Coiu-t,  Twelfth  Circuit,  August  11, 
1854,  vice  S.  S.  Marshall,  resigned,  and  held 
the  office  till  the  election  of  Edwin  Beecher, 
in  1855.  He  was  pronounced  one  of  the  best 
judges  of  statute  law  in  the  State.  He  now 
lives  in  McGregor,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  His  wife  died  here  in 
May,  1846,  and  he  married  a  Miss  Sophronia 
Davis.  His  daughters  were  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Wilkerson,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Ely,  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Thurston;  his  sons,  Thomas  J.,  John  W.  and 
Joel  V.  T.  J.  and  Mrs.  W.  are  dead. 
Jack  and  Moses  Baugh  were  brothers  to  the 
Judge;  Mrs.  Edmund  Tunstall,  two  Mrs. 
Foleys,  of  Galena,  and  Mrs.  Buck  Pace,  of 
Salem,  his  sisters. 

In  the  spring  of  1825,  William  Flint  built 
on  Lot  No.  19,  and  set  up  another  gi'ocery. 
The  house  is  still  standing,  the  first  resi- 
dence south  of  the  Crews  building.  Perhaps 
Flint  sold  to  D.  Baugh.  Baugh  owned  the 
place  when  H.  T.  Pace  lived  there.  It  was 
also  in  1825  that  Simon  McClenden  built  a 
small  frame  house  west  of  the  court  house. 
McClenden  first  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie, 
then  moved  up  to  the  Samuel  Bullock  place 
west  of  town,  then  to  town.  One  of  his 
daughters,  Jane,  married  a  Gilbert,  and 
Polly  Ann  Billardy  was  the  name  of  the 
other.  Riley  married  a  Quinn,  then  a 
Daniels,  and  is  in  Texas.  Joseph  Wilbanks 
came  to  town  this  season,  and  in  the  fall  he 
went  into  the  Thomas  Tunstall  or  Kirby 
tavern,  and  kept  it  for  about  a  year.  The 
Wilbaukses  began  to  come  in  1824,  as  will 
be  seen  in  other  chapters.  Joseph  Wilbanks 
bought  Lot  No.  9,  the^Thorn  lot,  from  Pace, 
who  transferred  title  bond  from  Edward 
Masey,  for  $40,  moved  the  Rearden  house 
up  here  for  a  residence,  and  bought  McClen- 
den's  house  for  a  store  room.     He  soon  after 


294 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUXTY. 


went  to  South  Carolina  on  business,  and 
died  there,  leaving  John,  Luke,  Quincy  and 
Margaret,  his  childi-en.  Dr.  Adams  followed 
Joseph  Wilbanks  at  the  Tunstall  House. 
But  before  Wilbanks  bought  McClenden's 
house,  he,  in  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Han- 
cock, sold  goods  at  the  corner — now  east  of 
Porter  &  Bond's  drug  store. 

We  will  now  finish  the  stoiy  of  some  of 
those  first  houses  of  the  olden  time.  The 
log  court  house  was  sold  to  some  man— per- 
haps William  Hamblin,— who  moved  and  re- 
built east  of  Hansackers.  Capt.  Newby 
bought  the  lot,  and  moved  the  logs  down  to 
his  residence  (now  Capt.  Gibson's),  where, 
after  various  uses,  they  went  into  a  "  shuck  " 
pen,  a  few  remains  of  which  were  to  be  found 
there  only  a  few  years  back.  We  don't  know 
what  became  of  the  old  Clerk's  office;  some 
tell  us  it  was  burned — catching  fire  from  the 
burning  prairie;  and  some  that  it  was  moved 
down  to  the  lot  where  Wlecke's  Hotel  stands. 
A  log  house  stood  for  years  on  that  lot.  Har- 
vey Pace  worked  in  it  the  first  year  that  he 
lived  in  town.  Dr.  Adams  lived  there  for  a 
while.  Mrs.  Keller  was  born  there,  and  it 
was  in  this  house,  or  one  erected  on  the  cor- 
ner north  of  it,  that  Daniel  Anderson  kept 
his  first  grocery.  Of  Thomas  Tunstall's  old 
tavern  stand,  perhaps  enough  has  been  said. 
After  Wilbanks  &  Adams,  E.  D.  Anderson 
kept  there.  1830  to  1836,  and  James  Kirby 
came  in  and  bought  it,  and  occupied  it  from 
1836  till  his  death  in  1844.  The  house  that 
Watkins  built  at  N.  C.  Pace  &  Co.'s  corner, 
was  used  as  a  stable  by  John  M.  Pace — Jack 
Pace,  as  he  was  generally  called,  who  kept  a 
blooded  animal  there  one  spring  and  sum- 
mer. It  was  then  occupied  as  a  stable  by 
a  Mr.  Black.  This  man  (James  Black),  had 
married  Joseph  Wilbanks'  sister,  and  was 
carrying  the  mail  from  Shawneetown  to  St. 
Louis  on  horseback.      Black  was    killed    in 


the  Black  Hawk  war ;  his  widow  married  Comp  - 
ton,  and  died,  and  Compton  married  Miss 
Sarah  Hawkins;  then  at  Compton's  death  his 
widow  married  a  Combs,  father  of  Samuel. 
In  1828.  this  old  house  was  moved  to  the  cor- 
ner where  Porter  &  Bond's  drug  store  stands, 
the  first  house  on  that  corner,  but  was  still 
used  as  a  stable.  No  trace  of  it  remains. 
Joel  Pace    bought  the  lot  of  James  Gray    in 

1829,  for  $45,  and  built  on  it  in  1831.  The 
log  house  that  Burchett  Masey  built  on  the 
H.  T.  Pace  corner,  stood  there  till  after  H. 
T.  Pace  bought  the  lot.  Indeed,  Burchett 
had  reared  a  two-story  house  just  south  of  it, 
about  15x30  feet,  longest  from  east  to  west, 
and  had  it  inclosed  and  floored,  a  stairway 
up,  etc. ;  and  he  sold  the  whole,  houses  and 
lot,  to  Pace,  for  $250,  in  1827.  Pace  then,  in 

1830,  built  a  store  room  in  front,  east  of  the 
log  house,  doing  nearly  all  the  work  himself: 
rented  it  awhile  to  D.  Baugh,  then  to  E.  H. 
Eidgeway,  and  began  business  in  it  himself 
in  1832.  The  log  house  was  occupied  for  a 
time  by  W.  W.  Pace  in  1829.  From  that  he 
went  to  the  Tunstall  tavern,  where  he  lived 
one  year,  then  he  went  to  the  Wilbanks 
house  west  of  the  square,  then  to  the  Howell 
house  east  of  the  square,  and  then  to  Salem 
in  1834.  But  the  old  log  house,  after  he  left 
it,  was  bought  by  John  Scott,  and  moved  to 
the  country.  This  last  location  was  about 
south  of  the  William  Baugh  house,  where 
Cherry  lives.  Scott  sold  out  to  James  Bow- 
man, and  Bowman  was  bui'ned  out  in  1835. 
He  had  commenced  a  house  in  town  in  1834, 
east  of  the  square,  and  before  it  was  nearly 
finished,  sold  to  John  Johnson,  the  wi-iter's 
father,  and  now  having  no  house  instead  of 
two.  He  rebuilt  out  east,  and  this  second 
house  stood  within  the  memory  of  many  of 
us.  AVesley  Johnson  now  lives  in  the  house 
Bowman  started  east  of  the  square.  Joseph 
Wilbanks,   as   stated,    bought   the    Eearden 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


297 


house,  and  moved  it  up  to  the  lot  where  Mrs. 
Thorn  lives— Lot  No.  9.   Then  in  1826,  Har- 
vey   Pace  built    an    addition    for    Wilbanks 
south  of  the   old  house,  and   Stinson  Ander- 
son m  1831;  after  he  married  Mrs.  Wilbanks, 
built  the  part  Thorn  used  for  a  shop.    Thorn 
added  the  upper  stories  to  these  about  1855. 
The  old  Rearden  house   was  moved  back  long 
before  that  for  a  kitchen,  and  is   now    "gone 
back "  entirely.     At  Wilbanks'    death,  1829, 
one-third  of    his  north  lot   was  sold  to  pay 
debts,  and  was  used  for  a  residence   by  vari- 
ous   persons.      In  1828,   Uncle    Isaac  Casey 
and  Joel  Pace  went  into  business  in  the  Wil- 
banks storehouse,    and  continued    there  till 
Joel  built  at  his  comer  lot  in  1831.     W.  W. 
Pace  bought  part  of  the    Wilbanks   lot,   in- 
cluding the  residence;  sold  it  to  W.  D.  Isbell 
in  1832,  for  $125.    Dr.  Simmons  lived  there 
one  summer;  Dr.  Moore  got  it,  Lewis  Moore 
got  it,  and  at  last  Harvey  Pace  got  it,  bought 
the  rest  of  the  lot  from  Abner  Melcher  a  few 
years  later;    and   in  the  fall  of  1844  moved 
the  store  to  where  it  now  stands,  performing 
the  office  of  milliner's  shop,  late  dining-room. 
The  old  original  William  Casey  house  stood 
many  years.   After  Plummer,  Samuel  Hirons 
occupied  it,  and  many  others  succeeded  him. 
Old  Cesar  lived  there  in  1834,   and  we  know 
.not  how  long   before   or    after;  and    finally, 
L.  C.  Moss  bought  it,  and  moved  it   out  to 
a  place  he  had  bought  this  side  of  where  Mr. 
Tankersly  lived.     The    Clark   Casey  house, 
west  of  Nieman's,  was  considerably  enlarged 
by  Felix  McBride;  but  in  1824 Mrs.  McBride 
died,  and  he  left.    He  was  followed  by  Will- 
iam Thacker,  he  by    old    Mr.  Davenport,  he 
by  Samuel    McConnell;  he  by  old  Mr.    Bos- 
well,  father  of  Felix;  he  by  Noah  Johnston, 
and    he  by    William   Hickman,    from    Ken- 
tucky.  Hickman  came  in  1836,  built  the  large 
frame    now  occupied  by  W.  E.   Jackson,  and 
sold  to  Witherspoon  &  Barker  in  1837.     W. 


B.  Scates  moved  it  to  where  it  now  stands. 
Thomas  Cunningham  bought  the  old  houses 
and  rebuilt  them  where  Charles  J.  Pool  lives. 
Witherspoon  staid  a  few  years,  married 
Lewis  Johnson's  youngest  daughter,  Susan, 
and  went  back  to  Kentucky.  Barker,  Wes- 
ley Barker,  was  a  brother  to  William  Casey's 
wife,  and  his  wife  was  a  sister  to  Robert 
Wingate.  Wesley  went  to  Louisville.  We 
just  now  referred  to  W.  W.  Pace's  having 
bought  the  Howell  house;  he  built  an  addi- 
tional room,  and  sold  to  Dr.  Moore  in  1835. 
Moore  did  not  tarry  long;  went  to  Carlyle, 
then  to  Franklin  or  Columbus  in  Tennessee, 
then  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  became  eminent. 
The  Doctor  sold  out  to  John  M.  Pace  late  in 

1835.  Next  year  Pace  went  back  to  his  farm, 
then  came  to  the  Joseph  Wilbanks  houses; 
returned  to  his  farm,  rented  the  old  Howell 
house  for  awhile  to  Bowman,  and  finally,  in 

1836,  sold  it  to  Eli  D.  Anderson.  Eli  was 
succeeded  by  William  Gibberson,  a  tailor, 
after  whom  a  great  number  lived  there,  until 
Strattan  demolished  the  house  to  "  build 
greater,"  in  1859.  We  have  dwelt  on  these 
details,  because,  if  the  record  is  not  pre- 
served here  and  now,  the  whole  story  is  gone 
forever. 

In  1S19,  October  5,  the  third  wedding  in 
the  county  occurred  at  William  Maxey's,  in 
Shiloh  Township,  and  three  couples  were 
married  at  once.  And  two  of  the  couples, 
Ahiaham  T.  Casey  and  wife  and  Bennett  N. 
Maxey  and  wife,  with  Elihu  Maxey  and  his 
wife,  newly  married,  and  just  back  from 
Tennessee,  all  settled  in  Sections  6  and  7  of 
Mount  Vernon  Township.  A.  T.  Casey's 
wife  was  Yylinda  Maxey.  Bennett  Maxey's 
wife  was  Sally  Overbay.  raised  by  Edward 
Maxey.  but  a  daughter  of  James  Overbay, 
and  sister  to  Carroll  Overbay  ;  Coleman 
Smith's  wife,  Joel  Hai-low's,  Fountain  Jai-- 
rell's,  Garland  H.  Jarrell's,  James  Mclntire's, 

12 


298 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Green  Duncan's,  Thomas  Blaloch's,  and — we 
believe  that's  all.  Elihu  Maxey's  wife  was 
Evaline  Taylor.  Well,  A.  T.  Casey  settled 
jnst  north  of  where  Windsor  Pettit  lives, 
and  remained  there  till  his  death  in  1834, 
and  his  family  remained  till  old  Mr.  Lane 
bought  the  place.  Elihu  Maxey  settled  north 
of  Casey,  and  south  of  where  George  Smith 
lives,  and  lived  there  till  he  was  killed  in 
October,  1853.  Bennett  Maxey  settled  a 
mile  east  of  Pleasant  Grove,  and  lived  there 
till  184:6,  when  he  died.  These  young 
people,  and  Thomas  Casey,  just  married  to 
Harriet  Maxey,  and  settled  over  the  Shiloh 
line,  made  a  good  start  in  the  world.  They 
had  cabins,  some  had  floors  in  their  cabins, 
some  had  pole  bedsteads,  and  some  slept  on 
board  pens,  filled  with  leaves,  on  the  floor  ; 
but  all  had  plenty,  and  were  happy.  Deer, 
turkeys,  bears,  wolves  and  wild  cats  were 
always  handy  ;  and  if  there  was  no  meat  for 
breakfast,  the  man  would  bid  his  wife  wait  a 
few  minutes,  take  do^n  his  gun,  and  directly 
bring  in  the  game. 

Dr.  John  W.  Watson  came  to  Illinois  in 
1821,  arriving  November  21.  He  lived  on 
the  Mulben-y  Hill  until  the  next  spring, 
when  he,  or  rather  John  and  Asa,  built  a 
large  crib  on  the  place  a  mile  north  of  town, 
where  he  afterward  lived.  The  crib  had  two 
or  three  apartments,  one  for  gi'ain,  one  for  a 
toolhouse,  etc.,  and  into  one  of  these  they 
came  and  lived  till  a  hickory  log  house  coviild 
be  raised,  the  same  that  Thomas  Hunt  tore 
down  about  twelve  years  ago.  This  year 
(1822),  the  Doctor  rented  ground  from  John 
Wilkerson  near  Union,  and  by  the  next  he 
had  opened  land  of  his  own.  He  was  the 
first  physician  that  was  located  in  the  county, 
and  in  that  day  he  paid  well  for  his  drugs. 
An  ounce  of  quinine  that  he  got  of  Atwood, 
in  St.  Louis,  cost  him  $10.50,  and  an  ounce 
of  veratrum  that  he  got  from  Philadelphia, 


$40.  He  was  County  Assessor  in  1822  and 
1823,  when  his  fees  amounted  to  $17,  and 
the  whole  revenue  to  $70.  The  home- 
dressed  fawn-skin  cover  that  he  or  his  boys 
made  for  his  Assessor's  book  is  still  preserved 
in  the  Clerk's  office.  Mi's.  Watson  died 
March  3,  and  the  Doctor  June  3,  1845.  His 
childi-en  were  John,  who  died  in  Virginia  in 
1803  ;  Virginia,  who  was  married  to  John 
Summers  in  1824;  John  H.,  who  married 
Betsy  Rankin  in  1827  ;  William  B. ,  who 
married  Margaret  and  afterward  Sarah 
Leonard  ;  Asa  B.,  who  married  Diana  Ham 
in  1833  ;  Joel  F. ,  who  is  among  us  and  well 
known;  Amelia,  who  died  single,  and  Horry 
M. ,  who  married  Minerva  Cummins.  Joel  Pace 
located  on  his  farm  adjoining  Dr.  Watson's 
in  1823,  as  before  stated,  and  there  reared  a 
large  family,  lost  his  venerable  companion  in 
1877,  and  himself  died,  in  1879,  at  the  age 
of  eighty- eight  years. 

In  1822,  William  Hix — as  he  spelt  it,  and 
Hicks  as  nearly  everybody  else  spelt  it — 
located  and  made  an  improvement  four  miles 
north  of  town.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Lee 
came  aboat  the  same  time,  and  they  had  a 
little  mill.  Hix  was  related  to  Mrs.  William 
Casey  ;  what  relation  we  cannot  say,  but  she 
called  him  "  Cousin  Billy."  He  and  Will- 
iam Casey  and  Joseph  Jordan  comjjosed  the 
second  Board  of  County  Commissioners.  He 
sold  his  improvement  to  Azariah  Bruce  in 
the  fall  of  1823,  and  went  to  the  "  Western 
District "  in  Tennessee.  Aboat  the  same  time 
(1823),  Jarvis  Pierce,  Sr. ,  formerly  of  New 
York,  came  up  from  White  County,  and 
moved  into  a  cabin  that  stood  south  of  the 
Hinman  or  Strattan  place,  a  mile  west  of 
town.  He  was  the  father  of  Jarvis,  Joseph 
and  Henry,  Mrs.  Eearden,  Mi's.  Tolle,  Mrs. 
Charles  Mills;  Mrs.  Hick,  afterward  Mrs. 
John  Storms;  Mrs.  Summers  and  Mi's.  Martin 
Gillett.      He    did   not  stay   long.     Azariah 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


299 


Bruce  came  in  1823,  and  succeeded  William  ' 
His  on  the  Salem  road,  four  miles  north  of 
town.  He  was  a  native  o^  Halifax  County, 
Ya.  He  went  to  Tennessee,  and  married  a 
Keelin  in  Wilson  County.  He  served  two 
terms  as  County  Commissioner,  lost  his  wife 
in  July,  1853,  and  died  himself  in  March, 
1854.  Of  his  children,  Sally  was  married  to 
Hardy  Maxey;  Nancy,  to  Harvey  Pace  ; 
Polly,  to  Jehu  Maxey ;  Betsy,  to  John  Baiigh 
now  in  Texas  ;  Armstead  W.  lives  in  Wayne 
County  ;  Marquis,  north  of  Rome,  in  this 
county  ;  John,  in  Gallatin  ;  Leonard  W.,  in 
Webber,  and  Savanner  in  this  township  ; 
Melissa  died  in  youth  ;  Harmon  died  in 
Wayne  County  in  1868.  Next  year,  1824, 
John  Summers,  the  Englishman  whom  Tun- 
stall  had  brought  from  Shawneetown  to  ; 
superintend  his  mill,  and  who  had  just  mar- 
ried Virginia  Watson,  bought  Abram  Casey 
nut,  and  moved  to  the  place  two  miles  east  of 
town,  where  he  lived  so  long.  Here  he  built 
a  tread  mill,  and  continued  to  improve  it  till 
at  last  he  had  a  very  good  steam  mill.  He 
went  to  Texas,  and  died  there.  Of  his  de- 
scendants, only  William's  family  and  Jack- 
son's family  are  here  now.  William  and 
Jackson  are  dead,  and  Jackson's  widow  is  the 
wife  of  James  Brown,  of  Field. 

Aaron  Yearwood  came  in  December, 
18'26.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  mother, 
with  her  two  sons,  Joseph  and  Robert,  and 
by  his  brother  William.    With  William  came 


his  wife's  sister  Betsy,  now  Mrs.  Watson.  The 
father  of  these  ladies,  Robert  Rankin,  Sr., 
came  a  year  or  so  later,  and  after  a  short 
stay,  went  to  Shelby  County,  but  left  here 
his  son  Robert  and  Mrs.  Robert  Yearwood. 
Old  Mrs.  Yearwood' B  husband's  name  was 
Frederic  ;  she  herself  died  in  1847.  The 
next  fall  after  Aaron's  arrival,  1827,  James 
SiU'sa,  whose  wife  was  sister  to  his  wife  and 
to  Ward  Webber,  came  out  with  his  brother 
Jack  Sursa.  These  men  and  one  daughter  were 
the  children  of  Richard  Sursa,  who  died  in 
the  war  of  1812.  Benjamin  Webber  came 
with  the  Yearwoods,  married  a  Wilkerson, 
and  settled  at  the  Jordan  or  Coley  Smith 
place  on  Seven  Mile  Creek.  Ward  Webber 
and  John  came  three  years  later,  1829,  the 
latter  settling  in  the  edge  of  Wayne  County, 
while  Ward  located  where  Daniel  Barfield 
afterward  lived.  Daniel  was  step  sou  to 
James  Sursa.  About  the  same  time,  1829, 
William  Byers  came  to  the  place  still  known 
as  the  "  Old  Byers  place."  Mrs.  Byers — 
"Aunt  Nancy" — was  sister  to  old  Mr.  Year- 
wood.  Byers  had  a  daughter  already  married 
to  Joseph  Brown.  Pete  Bruce,  or  Armstead 
W.  and  Moses  Baugh,  took  one  each,  and  the 
last  girl  (we  suppose,  not  finding  a  B.  to 
suit  her)  was  married  to  Fountain  Garrison. 
He  and  James  Garrison  came  in  1827,  and 
James  died  of  small -pox  a  few  years  ago. 
James  married  a  Wimberley  ;  in  two  or  three 
years  after  coming  out,  F.  died. 


300 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    IV.* 


CITY  OF  MOUNT  VEHNON— THE  DECADE  FROM  1830  TO  1840— GROWTH  OF  THE  TOWN— NEW  BUILD- 
INGS AND  NEW  BUSINESS— A  LOOK  BEYOND  THE  TOWN— BRIEF  RETROSPECT— ANOTHER  COURT 
HOUSE— SOME  OF  THE   BUSINESS   MEN   AND   WHAT   THEY   DID— STILL   ANOTHER  COURT 
HOUSE— THE  JAIL— ORGANIZATION   OF  MOUNT  VERNON  TOWNSHIP— OFFICIALS,  ETC. 


"  What  is  the  city  but  tlie  people? 

True,  the  people  are  the  city." — Shakespeare. 

AS  early  as  any  of  these,  perhaps  in  1825, 
Jacob  Ford  settled  in  a  little  cabin  now 
better  known  as  the  Tommy  Short  place,  north 
of  the  Coley  Smith  place,  on  Seven  Mile, 
and  here  he  was  soon  joined  by  Joab  Peter- 
son, a  Swede;  they  had  married  sisters — 
cousins  to  old  Mrs.  Malone,  by  the  way — 
and  lived  together  for  three  or  four  years. 
The  Garrisons,  cousins  to  Isaac,  etc.,  lived 
on  the  Herdman  place.  We  may  add  that 
Aaron  Yearwood  ran  the  still-house  on  the 
creek  for  a  year  or  more,  Allen  and  John 
Wilkerson  beiug  the  original  owners.  Aaron 
had  no  scniples  about  it  till  Abram  Casey  (A. 
T.)  came  in  and  mildly  said,  "  Don't  you 
think  you  are  doing  wrong?"  Aaron  re- 
flected; conscience  was  not  satisfied,  he  re- 
solved to  quit  it,  and  did.  Jack  Sursa 
afterward  operated  there.  James  Sursa 
built  a  mill,  which  was  extensively  useful  in 
its  day;  he  was  also  County  Commissioner 
for  several  terms.  He  died  December  27, 
1852,  and  Jack  had  been  dead  ten  years  the 
past  August. 

The  Roads.  — We  have  referred  to  th  e 
Goshen  read  and  the  trails  and  bridle  paths 
that  traversed  the  country.  No  road  what- 
ever touched  Mount  Vernon  for  a  year  or 
two  after   it   was  laid  out.     Even    the   new 

♦By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson. 


road  or  trail  from  Crenshaw's  crossed  the 
prairie  nearly  half  a  mile  south  of  town,  and 
went  to  Isaac  Casey's  house  (m  the  hill, 
where  Beal  lives.  The  history  of  our  roads 
is  given  elsewhere,  but  we  may  here  say 
that  on  the  third  day  of  the  first  term  of  the 
County  Court,  the  subject  of  roads  came  be  - 
fore  the  Commissioners.  Orders  were  made 
at  that  time,  and  in  September  and  October, 
1819,  but  without  result;  at  length  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1820,  a  Board  of  Viewers,  with  Joseph 
Pace  as  Surveyor,  located  the  road  running 
diagonally  across  the  county,  near  where  it 
has  ever  since  been,  now  running  from  Mc- 
Leansboro  to  Centralia.  In  the  spring  of 
1822,  the  Vandalia  road  was  opened  to  the 
north  line  of  Marion  County,  which  was  then 
an  attached  part  of  Jefferson,  Elihu  Masey 
opening  the  first  section,  and  William  Max- 
well the  next.  But  the  road  was  not  used 
much,  and  was  not  fairly  open  until  the  fall 
of  1823,  when  Thomas  Minor  and  Maxwell 
were  ordered  to  cut  it  out  twelve  feet  wide 
and  keep  it  in  repair.  The  next  road  was 
the  Covington  road,  opened,  after  two  or 
three  fruitless  orders,  in  the  spring  of  1824, 
not  far  from  where  the  Richview  road  now 
runs.  In  1826,  by  the  influence  of  John 
Summers,  the  Fairfield  road  was  opened. 
Summers  being  one  of  the  Viewers  and  the 
first  Supervisor.  It  ran  nearly  where  it  does 
now,  except  that   it   started   out   nearly  due 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


301 


east  from  the  court  house.  In  1828,  the  Cov- 
ington road  was  vacated,  and  the  George- 
town road  was  opened,  now  much  better 
known  as  the  Ashley  or  Nashville  road. 

The  early  religious  settlers  of  the  county, 
a  majority  of  them,  at  least,  were  Methodists, 
several  of  them  ministers.  The  next  strong- 
est denomination  was  the  Baptist.  Zadok 
Casey,  Edward  Maxey  and  Lewis  Johnson 
were  Methodist  preachers;  James  E.  Davis, 
a  Cumberland  Presbyterian,  and  Archibald 
Harris,  a  Baptist,  but  all .  these,  all  the 
preachers  in  the  county,  lived  in  a  mile  of 
where  Thomas  Moss  lives.  Th(j  first  relig- 
ious society  in  Mount  Vernon  Township  was 
the  Baptist.  It  was  organized  in  the  old 
log  court  house  in  1820.  Chester  Carpen- 
ter was  holding  a  meeting  at  this  time.  The 
official  members  were  Jacob  Norton,  Joseph 
Jordan,  Oliver  Morris  and  Overton  Harlow. 
Not  long  after,  a  little  log  church  was 
raised  between  where  Isaac  Garrison  lives 
and  the  creek,  this  location  being  considered 
nearer  the  center  of  the  population  than  the 
court  house.  Joseph  Reid  at  the  time  lived 
in  a  small  cabin  near  where  Joseph  Jordan 
and  Frizell  subsequently  lived.  This  place 
of  worship  was  not  used  as  such  more  than 
a  year  or  two,  when  the  frequent  floods  in 
winter  and  spring  proved  that  the  site  was 
not  well  chosen.  The  meeting  was  then,  per- 
haps in  1823  or  1824,  moved  to  William 
Hicks',  two  miles  west  of  town,  and  continued 
there  for  five  or  six  years.  But  in  the  spring 
of  1829,  a  very  nice  and  spacious  house,  for 
that  day,  was  built  near  the  creek,  the  site 
now  being  inside  the  Fair  Ground.  Thomas 
Pace  and  others  in  town,  who  kept  horses, 
had  opened  a  road  to  the  creek  for  the  pur- 
pose of  watering  their  horses.  This  road 
left  the  Shawneetown  road  not  far  from  the 
Wyatt  Parrish  house,  ran  southeast  near 
where  Newby   afterward  Iniilt   a  horse-mill, 


then  nearly  a  due  east  course  to  the  creek  at 
a  pretty  deep  hole  called  the  horse  hole. 
The  road  diverging  from  this  one  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  or  less  from  the  creek,  and  crossing 
at  a  ford  below  was  of  more  recent  date.  On 
a  rise  north  of  the  road  near  that  horse  hole 
this  church  was  built,  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  an  association  met  at  this  house, 
puncheon  seats  were  provided  and  public 
services  were  held  in  the  woods.  Carpenter 
was  pastor  of  the  society  first  organized,  and 
continued  in  the  same  situation,  wherever 
the  meetings  were  held,  for  ten  or  fifteen 
years.  But  perhaps  we  may  as  well  finish 
this  last  house  before  we  leave  it.  It  was 
used  regularly  as  a  meeting  place  till  1835 
-36,  and  the  puncheons  being  preserved, 
services  were  held  in  the  grove  when  the 
weather  allowed.  A  season  of  foot-washing 
was  occasionally  appointed  here  and  con 
scieutiously  observed.  After  societies  were 
organized  iu  other  places  and  this  house  no 
longer  mot  the  demands  of  the  church, 
it  was  sold;  Capt.  Newby  bought  it  and 
converted  it  into  a  shop.  He  already  had  a 
small  shop  west  of  the  road  and  nearly  op- 
posite his  dwelling,  and  he  put  the  second 
shop  east  of  the  road  north  of  his  dwelling, 
put  up  two  forges  in  it  and  used  it  for  years. 
It  was  in  this  house  that  George  Starner 
worked  for  Newby,  and  here  Jefferson 
Stephenson,  afterward  County  Judge  of 
Washington  County,  hammered  iron  for  a  long 
time  after  he  came  to  Mount  Vernon.  Many 
of  oiu"  readers  will  remember  the  church, 
and  still  more  the  shop. 

The  second  Baptist  Church  in  the  county 
was  erected  near  what  was  called  the  soap 
ford  on  the  creek,  less  than  half  a  mile 
north  of  the  Fairfield  road.  It  was  reached 
from  town  by  a  trail  that  went  by  where 
Hobbs  &  Sons'  mill  now  stands,  by  where 
Charley  Patton  lives,  and  so  on  to  the  creek. 


30a 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


a  trail  frequently  used  by  Caj)t.  Sursa  and 
others  in  the  upper  part  of  that  settlement, 
coming  to  town.  This  church  consisted  of 
four  large  shanties  standing  about  ten  feet 
apart,  forming  an  oblong  square,  with  two 
halls  crossing  at  right  angles.  The  hall 
running  north  and  south  was  closed  at  both 
ends.  Of  coui-se  it  was  the  design  to  hold 
camp-meetings^here,and  several  were  actually 
held,  one  room  or  shanty  being  used  for 
worship  and  the  others  used  as  camps.  Meet- 
ings were  hold  here  regularly  for  years. 
This  curious  structure  was  built  about  1833, 
and  stood  and  was  used  for  six  years  or  more. 
Traces  of  it  may  still  be  seen  there. 

We  left  the  various  buildings  and  im- 
provements in  Mount  Vernon  about  1830, 
closing  up  the  history  of  the  first  houses.  In 
the  meantime,  other  houses  were  coming  on. 
Greorge  Pace  married,  lived  awhile  in  the 
north  room  of  the  Kirby  House,  then  built  a 
chimney  to  Tuustall's  old  store  room,  on 
the  lot  where  Herdman  lives,  and  lived  there  a 
year;  built  a  house  on  Bennett  Maxey's  lot, 
No.  1 ,  now  Crebs',  and  finally  bought  Lot 
No.  37,  where  the  Prince  House  stands,  built 
and  moved  there.  The  house  he  built  on 
Lot  No.  1  was  occupied  by  many  after  he  left 
it,  but  perhaps  as  much  by  a  negro  called 
Old  Nick,  as  anybody  else.  Nick  died  there, 
and  it  was  not  used  as  a  dwelling  house 
afterward.  Yet  some  have  said  that  this 
house  was  the  old  Clerk's  office,  moved  up 
there  by  Dr.  Adams,  and  the  same  that  Mrs. 
Crosnoe  got  torn  down  in  1 841.  George  Pace 
sold  his  lot,  now  the  Prince  House,  to  John 
Van  Cleve  and  went  to  Salem,  as  before  no- 
ticed, in  1836.  In  the  spring  of  1829,  Buck 
Pace,  or  W.  W.  Pace,  by  consent  of  John 
Tyler,  who  was  agent  for  Nelson  Ferguson 
and  brother-in-law  to  both  men,  built  a 
cabin  on  Lot  No.  28,  where  the  National 
Bank  stands.     Here  Buck  kept  grocery.      He 


or  some  one  else  subsequently  built  another 
cabin  just  east  of  this.  Both  were  quite 
small,  built  of  small  logs  and  "  skelped 
down."  After  Pace  left,  S.  G.  Hicks  lived 
for  a  time  in  the  corner  house.  By  this  time, 
however,  Edward  H.  Eidgway  had  built  a 
huge,  hip-roofed  house,  in  1832,  wtst  of  the 
square,  where  Hudspeth  &  Taylor  keep.  It 
was  furnished  with  a  store  room,  and  here 
Hicks  sold  goods  in  1834,  1835  and  1836, 
when  he  built  a  large  frame  north  of  the 
square,  where  Varnell's  meat  shop  stands.  Lot 
No.  25.  Some  years  later.  Hicks  built  a 
house  near  where  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  stands.  Benjamin  Miller  bought  it 
in  1854  and  moved  it  to  his  lot;  Coffee  en- 
larged it,  and  Maj.  Summers  now  lives  in  it. 
(You  see,  we  took  up  Hicks  and  ran  clear 
away  with  him.)  After  he  left  the  cabin  on 
the  Ferguson  lot,  Isaac  [Casey  lived  there, 
and  in  1837,  when  Stiuson  Anderson  came 
back  from  Alton,  where  he  had  been  Warden 
of  the  penitentiary,  he  lived  there  long 
enough  to  build  a  cabin  a  little  west  of  where 
Dr.  Green  lives.  And  there  Anderson  re- 
mained, out  east  of  town,  till  he  traded  the 
farm  to  Edward  Ridgeway  for  land  in  Elk 
Prairie.  It  was  not  long  after  Anderson 
left  the  Ferguson  lot  before  John  Kahm  mar- 
ried Ellen  Kirljy,  about  1837,  and  came  to 
town  about  1840,  setting  up  business  at  the 
old  house  on  the  corner,  which  Kirby  had 
already  used  for  a  grocery,  but  making  great 
additions  to  it.  After  Rahm,  John  Bost- 
wick  went  in  with  a  grocery,  and  kept  what 
some  called  a  very  disorderly  house.  As 
John  is  alive  and  we  do  not  know  how  stout 
he  is,  we  will  not  say  much  about  it,  bat 
folks  said  that  three  or  four  old  ladies  went 
to  his  grocery  one  night,  about  1849,  took 
out  his  chattels  to  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  tore  the  old  house  into  a  thousand 
pieces.    It  was  never  ascertained  what  ladies, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


303 


if  any,  did  it,  but  John  left  iu  disgust,  went 
to  Eome  and  hail  the  first  bouse  built  that 
Rome  ever  contained,  Asa  Watson  being 
the  boss  carpenter. 

In  1830,  Dr.  Adams  built  a  house  on  Lot  No. 
26,  where  Goodale  keeps.  William  Baldridge 
had  bid  off  this  lot  at  the  first  sale  for  $70,  but 
lots  declined.  He  sold  it  to  H.  T.  Pace  in 
1825  for  $20;  he  to  Burchett  Maxey  in  1827, 
for  $25;  and  he  to  Oliver  Morris  for  $35. 
Dr.  Adams  built  a  house  on  it,  but  Downing 
Baugh  soon  after  bought  it,  and  Adams  pre 
pared  to  move  to  an  improvement  ho  had 
traded  for  west  of  town.  But  Thomas  Minor 
had  a  claim  against  him,  and  put  Stejihen 
Hicks,  who  was  Constable,  after  him  with 
an  attachment.  Adams  showed  signs  of  re- 
sistance, and  Hicks  struck  him  on  the  throat 
with  a  rock,  a  blow  that  came  near  proving 
fatal.  Adams  now  went  to  the  cabin  where 
Wlecke's  hotel  stands,  then  went — perhaps 
took  the  house  with  hiLU--to  the  place  where 
Old  Nick  died.  Noah  Johnston  and  William 
Bullock  put  up  a  two-story  house,  now  owned 
by  Russell  Dewey  and  occupied  by  Hughes. 
Adams  bought  this  frame  and  lived  in  it  till 
he  left  town  in  1835-3(5.  Baugh  built  a 
store  north  of  the  square,  about  where  Shep- 
herd's drug  store  is,  in  1832,  and  he  built  a 
two-story  fi'ame  house  a  little  east  of  it;  but 
he  sold  these,  rented  Van  Clove's  house,  and  a 
Dr.  Allen  came  into  the  old  house,  built  a 
porch  to  it,  inclosed  the  porch,  piitting  in  a 
glass  front,,  and  the  house  then  went  by  the 
name  of  the  glass  house.  As  we  have  men- 
tioned Noah  Johnston  aud  William  Bullock, 
we  may  add  that  they  came  to  Bullock's 
Prairie  in  1831,  and  that  Johnston  came  to 
town  in  1833,  sold  goods  some  time  where 
the  Crews  building  stands,  some  time  in  1834 
-35,  at  the  next  corner  west,  Lot  No.  21, 
lived  awhile  at  the  Ridgway  building,  where 
Hudspeth  &  Taylor's  store    also  stands,  and 


finally  bought  and  located  where  he  now 
lives.  William  Bullock  first  lived  in  a  cabin 
that  he  built  near  this  end  of  the  Spiese 
farm,  some  sign  of  his  shop  being  still  dis- 
coverable iu  the  road  there.  He  then  came 
to  town  and  had  his  blacksmith  shop  almost 
in  the  middle  of  the  block  south  of  the 
square,  ou  the  "  big  road."  The  south  part 
of  town  was  all  open,  and  the  road  came  di- 
rectly toward  the  com-t  house.  His  dwelling 
house  was  located  where  Bob  Wilbanks  lives, 
but  he  died  at  Noah  Johnston's. 

Somewhere  back  in  the  olden  time,  Green 
Daniel  built  a  cabin  on  John  Johnson's  (the 
writer's  father).  Lot  No.  18,  corner  of  Jordan 
and  Washington  streets,  aud  lived  there  for 
several  years.  Samuel  Goodrich  afterward 
lived  there  for  some  time.  It  was  still  later, 
perhaps,  that  Mr.  Goodrich  built  a  small 
house  south  of  where  Westbrook's  mill  was 
bm-ned,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Curtis 
Johnson's  lots,  and  not  far  from  the  same 
time  that  Allen  Stanton,  a  shoe-maker,  built 
near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  same  lots. 
These  houses  were  all  pretty  good  forty  to 
forty- five  years  ago.  As  old  as  Green  Dan- 
iel's cabin,  was  a  shop  that  John  Williams 
built  northeast  of  the  court  house.  John 
built  this  house  about  1830-31,  used  it  for 
a  time,  made  a  visit  to  Tennessee  and  never 
came  back.  He  was  brother  to  Mastin  Wil- 
kerson's  wife.  So  the  shop  stood  there  until 
Bowman  built  a  frame  house  in  front  of  it, 
and  sold  the  lot,  or  let  Rhodam  Allen  sell  it 
to  John  Johnson.  The  writer's  father  bought 
it  in  1834,  finished  the  house,  used  the  old 
shop  awhile  for  a  kitchen,  built  or  had  Wm. 
Yearwood  to  build  a  new  kitchen,  that  still 
stands  there,  and  we  believe  moved  the  shop 
on  to  some  of  his  lot9.  About  the  time  that 
we  came,  perhaps  in  the  spring  of  1834, 
James  Ross,  a  hatter,  moved  in,  lived  a  year 
in  the  old  house  north  of  Herdman's,    then 


304 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


got  Lot  No.  44,  the  south  lot  under  Strattan 
&  Johnson's  block,  built  the  log  house  that 
Mr.  Schanck  took  away  twelve  years  ago, 
and  after  awhile  succeeded  in  trading  for 
Daniel  Anderson's  grocery  that  stood  on  the 
corner,  where  he  erected  a  large  frame 
building  for  a  shop.  In  this  period  also 
comes  the  grocery  built  by  A.  D  Estes  at 
the  Crews  corner.  Joseph  Estes,  Absalom's 
father,  had  long  owned  the  next  lot  west, 
and  when  Absalom  married  he  built  a  small 
house  there,  where  Morgan  &  Reid's  shop 
stands,  and  painted  it  red,  and  it  was  univers- 
ally known  as  the  red  house.  Absalom  also  set 
up  the  gi-ocery  at  the  comer.  Edward  Wells 
kept  a  grocery  there  for  a  time.  This  house 
on  the  corner  remained  in  statu  quo  till  Rob- 
ert Castles  got  it  in  1840,  built  a  room  west, 
a  dwelling  in  the  rear,  etc.  And  thus  it 
stood  till  Crews  got  it.  It  was  also  in  1834 
-35  that  W.  B.  Thorn  bought  the  lot  second 
from  the  corner  south  of  Hobbs'  mill.  He 
got  it  from  the  writer's  father  for  $100.  He 
then  erected  a  large  blacksmith  shop  in 
frout.  one  that  he  had  brought  from  beyond 
Jordan's  Prairie,  and  a  very  neat  hewed-log 
house  back  for  a  dwelling.  In  1837,  John 
Johnson  built  a  hewed-log  house  where  Tay- 
lor's Hotel  stands,  and  Thomas  B.  Johnson 
and  Dr.  Greetham  used  it  for  a  year  or  two 
for  an  office  and  drug  store;  then  Thomas 
went  to  Kentucky  and  Mr.  Thorn  put  up  a 
harness  and  saddle  shop  in  the  house. 
Thorn  had  converted  the  former  blacksmith 
shop  into  a  dwelling.  In  1841,  he  sold  it  to 
William  Edwards  and  moved  to  the  house 
that  still  stands  just  west  of  Merrill's  livery 
stable.  AVe  remember  but  two  other  houses 
of  this  period,  the  Poteet  house  and  the  La- 
mar house.  Alfred  Poteet,  in  1835-36,  built 
where  E.  M.  Walker  lives  and  lived  there 
while  he  remained  in  Mount  Veruon,  but  the 
house  afterward  fell  into  the  hands  of  Josiah 


Melcher,  and  he  moved  it  up  and  made  a  stable 
of  it  on  the  west  end  of  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Thorn  lot,  and  it  still  stands  there 
The  Widow  Lamar  had  two  sons,  Shelby  and 
James.  The  boys  built  a  cabin  on  John 
Johnson's  lot  south  of  the  jail;  it  was  occu- 
pied by  them,  Mrs.  Foley;  Blackhawk  Will- 
iams, Sullins,  Decoursey  and  many  others, 
and  only  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago  passed 
away. 

A  little  later  and  on  up  to  1840,  houses 
began  to  be  numerous.  Dr.  Greetham  built  the 
house  where  Urry  lives  and  went  into  it  from 
where  Mrs.  Thorn  lives,  in  1S3'J.  AV.  A. 
Thomas  built  just  north  of  Greetham's,  now 
Hitchcock's,  in  1840.  The  same  year,  or  the 
next,  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Phelps  built  the  house 
Conger  lived  in  till  lately,  on  the  south  end 
of  Casey  street,  and  Henry  Pierce  the  house 
across  the  street  east  of  Urry's,  and  Ridg- 
way  put  up  the  four  houses  where  J.  R.  Pal- 
mer, Peter  Brown,  etc.,  live,  long  known  as 
the  Ridgway  Row.  Jarvis  Pierce  erected 
the  tavern  that  stood  opposite  the  present  site 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  sold  to 
Eli  Anderson  and  he  built  a  two-story  house 
north  of  Phelps';  Anderson  improved  his 
tavern  and  Grant  added  rooms  to  the  oast 
end  of  it  at  a  later  date  by  moving  a  school - 
house  in  from  the  woods  near  Noah  John- 
ston's. Little,  a  tailor,  put  up  Joel  Watson's 
house  in  1830;  Daniel  Baltzell  the  house 
just  across  Union  street  west  of  Joel's;  and 
Rufus  Melcher  the  house  recently  torn  down 
by  Mrs.  Baltzell.  The  old  Methodist 
Church  went  up  from  1836  to  1840,  to  which 
the  parsonage  north  of  it  was  added  under 
the  regime  of  J.  H.  Dickens ;  the  third  court 
house  was  built,  etc.  D.  Baugh  built  the 
house  that  stood  where  Heiserman's  new  brick 
is  going  up,  Thomas  Cunningham  the  house 
that  stood  where  Charley  Pool  lives.  M. 
Tromlev  the    old  house   north  of  Latham's, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


305 


Isaac  Faulkenberry  the  old  house  that 
stood  on  the  east  end  of  Latham's  lots,  and 
John  Livingston  the  one  that  stood  where 
George  Ward  lives.  The  Cesar  and  Guyler 
cabins  went  up  near  where  is  now  the  Baptist 
Church.  W.  Prigmore-  built  the  house  now 
better  known  as  the  Klinker  House,  north  of 
the  Prince  house,  and  Johnny  Smith  the  old 
house  that  stood  on  the  corner  of  Walsh's 
lots.  Thomas  Pace  put  a  house  on  the  lot 
west  of  the  old  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  now  Mrs. 
Pace's,  McAtee  got  it  et  al.,  and  it  formed 
part  of  the  old  Bogan  houses  near  the  Su- 
preme Court  House.  Hiram  McLaughlin 
put  one  on  the  east  side  of  Casey  street,  ojj 
posite  George  Haynes',  Gray  got  it,  Nelson 
got  it,  and  it  now  forms  part  of  the  residence 
of  Jeremiah  Taylor.  From  all  this  it  ap- 
pears that  this  was  an  era  of  unusual  pros- 
perity in  Mount  Vernon,  and  this  will  be  in 
part  explained  by  taking  another  look  at 
what  has  been  going  on  outside  of  the  town. 
AVe  have  already  stated  that  not  an  acre 
of  land  was  entered  in  the  township  for 
seven  years  after  the  county  was  organized 
and  the  town  laid  out.  This  was  caused  by 
the  pressure  referred  t(j  elsewhere,  growing 
out  of  there-action  that  followed  the  inflation 
at  the  outset.  The  tirst  entry  was  then 
made  by  Isaac  Casey,  1826,  in  Section  IS, 
now  part  of  Lewis  Johnson's  farm.  A.  T. 
Casey  in  Section  7,  was  the  next  man,  1S29; 
Azariah  Bruce,  1830,  entered  in  the  same 
section,  and  Thomas  D.  Minor,  the  same 
year,  in  Section  19.  Still  it  went  slow;  land 
was  plenty  and  a  man  settled  wherever  he 
pleased,  stayed  as  long  as  he  pleased, 
and  ejectment  was  unheard  of.  In  1831, 
Bennett  N.  Maxey  entered  in  Section  7;  in 
1833,  James  Susca  and  William  B.  Watson 
in  21;  Isaac  Hicks  in  31,  and  E,  D.  Ander- 
son in  32.  and  Dr.  Adams  in  29,  in  1835. 
Then  everything  went  with  a  rush.    In  1836, 


Overton  Harlow  entered  in  Section  2,  Elihu 
Maxey  in  Section  6,  T.  M.  Casey,  M.  Bruce 
and  C.  H.  Maxey  in  7;  Benjamin  Webber  in 
14;  Brewneaty  Wilkey  and  Lewis  Johnson, 
Jr.,  in  IS;  John  Livingston,  David  Hobbs 
and  Z.  Casey  in  19;  Z.  Casey  in  20;  Cole- 
man Smith  in  22;  John  Summers  in  23; 
Calton  Summers  and  John,  in  27;  W.  B. 
Watson  in  28;  H.  T.  Pace,  D.  Baugh  and  S. 
H.  Anderson  in  29;  William  Bullock  and 
Isaac  Casey  in  30;  Thomas  E.  Pace  in  31; 
and  J.  Johnson  in  33,  etc.  In  1837,  Har- 
low entered  more  land  in  Section  2;  Elihu 
Maxey  and  W.  F.  Johnson  entered  in  5; 
John  Dodds  in  10;  Henry  D.  Allen  in  11; 
James  M.  Bridges  in  13;  Matilda  Massey 
:ind  William  Byers  in  18;  Thomas  Cun- 
ningham and  Priscilla  Meek  in  19;  Vir- 
ginia Summers  in  22;  T.  Cunningham 
in  27;  W.  B.  Watson,  John  Summers  and 
S.  H.  Anderson  in  28;  Asa  B.  Watson,  E.  H. 
Ridgway,  Thomas  E.  Pace,  John  Johnson 
and  Cephas  A.  Park  in  29;  T.  Cunning- 
ham in  31;  and  H.  B.  Newby  and  E.  H. 
Eidgway  in  33.  In  1838,  James  Newby 
entered  in  li;  A.  M.  Grant  in  15;  William 
Bvers  in  IS;  Joel  Pace  in  20,  and  D.  Baugh 
in  28.  But  1839  was  as  fast  as  1838  had 
been  slow.  Simeon  Walker  entered  in  Sec- 
tion 1;  Hiram  Duncan  in  2;  O.  Harlow  in 
10;  H.  Duncan  and  Mary  Ann  Summers  in 
11;  M.  A.  Summers  in  1 2 ;  D.  Summers  and 
jMeredith  Strickling  in  13;  D.  Summers  and 
J.  Newby  in  14;  John  Hart,  Martha  Grant, 
Freeman  Burnet  and  David  Stewart  in  15; 
Abraham  Buffington  in  18;  .l)-mstead  W. 
Bruce,  James  Sursa,  Daniel  Barfield,  Aaron 
Yearwood  and  Robert  B.  Rankin  in  21; 
Moses  Kirby  in  22;  John  W.  Summers  in 
23;  Benton  Y.  Little  in  26;  William  Mar- 
low  and  George  W.  Summers  in  27,  etc. 

The  above  is   for   reference,  and  not  to  be 
committed  to  memory.      It  shows,    too,    that 


806 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


up  to  1840  no  land  was  entered  in  Sections 
3,  4,  8,  9,  16,  17.  24,  25,  34,  35  or  36. 
Many  of  these  were  already  settled  upon 
their  entries,  and  some  had  been  occupying 
them  for  many  years. 

We  have  now  reached  a  period  when  in- 
dividual arrivals  and  buildings  did  not 
amount  to  so  much.  But  before  bidding 
adieu  to  the  past,  we  present  a  brief  resume, 
in  different  form,  of  the  last  ten  yeai's'  busi- 
ness. Joel  Pace,  merchant,  licensed  March, 
1831,  remained  till  1837,  when  he  sold  out 
to  Handle  &  Grant;  then  I  believe  Grant 
bought  Kandle  out  in  1838;  D.  Baugh, 
licensed  March,  1831,  still  in  business,  1840; 
Henry  Isbell,  of  Belleville,  or  his  sons,  1831, 
kept  a  few  months  at  the  corner  west  of  Nie- 
man's ;  E.  H.  Eidgway,  1  icensed  1831  and  again 
1833,  was  in  partnership  with  Eli  Anderson  in 
1837,  opposite  the  present  site  of  the  Con- 
tinental. In  1832,  W.  W.  Pace  and  Harvey 
T.  were  licensed  as  merchants;  in  1833,  H. 
B.  Newby  came  in  when  Isbell  went  out,  and 
in  1837  he  had  merchant's  license.  In  1834, 
Noah  Johnston  was  licensed;  next  year  it  was 
Thompson  &  Johnston;  in  1836,  Thompson 
and  Johnston  were  again  separate,  after 
which  both  disappeared  from  the  record  as 
merchants.  Johnston  first  kept  at  the  Crews 
corner,  then  Thompson  &  Johnston  at  the 
Hudspeth  &  Taylor  corner.  Dr.  Adams  held 
forth  on  the  west  side,  renewing  his  license 
in  1836.  Sanderson  &  Estes,  1834,  kept  at 
the  National  Bank  corner;  then  Estes  alone 
at  the  Crews  corner.  In  1835,  John  M.  Pace 
comes  in, but  soon  goes  back  to  his  farm;  W. 
W.  Pace  comes  in  for  a  year,  and  switches 
off;  B.  Wells  and  A.  D.  Estes  take  out  a 
merchant's  license  each,  mostly  selling — not 
dry  goods,  but  to  dry  customers.  In  1836,  the 
licensed  men  of  the  town  were  Hickman  & 
Witherspoon,  L.  C.  Moss,  A.  B.  Watson  and 
James  Kirby.      In  1837,    Bowman  takes    li- 


cense; so  does  Mr.  England,  Cunningham 
&  Shields  followed  Adams;  S.  G.  Hicks 
followed  Thompson;  Barker  followed  Hick- 
man, and  Davis  &  Dodds  went  in  on  the 
west  side.  In  1838,  W.  S.  Van  Cleve  fol- 
lowed Davis  &  Doddk,  and  William  Dishon 
opened  up  at  the  Crews  corner.  In  1839, 
Van  Cleve  was  succeeded  by  Addison,  Daniel 
&  Co.  And  we  may  as  well  add  here  that  for 
the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years,  we  mean  prior 
to  1840,  peltry  was  the  chief  staple  of  the 
country.  Sometimes  it  seemed  to  be  the  only 
thing  anybody  had  to  sell  or  to  buy  goods 
with.  Merchants  sent  deer  hides  to  St. 
Louis  by  the  hundred,  some  shaved,  some 
with  hair  on.  The  shaving  was  done  fast 
and  cheap.  A  man  hung  a  hide  up  by  the 
neck,  took  a  knife  and  scraped  upward,  and 
literally  "made  the  fur  fly;"  and  scraping  a 
deer's  hide  was  considered  to  be  worth  from 
3  to    5  cents. 

In  1840,  the  principal  event  was  the 
building  of  the  new  court  house.  The  old 
one  never  was  really  finished  till  now.  It 
had  long  been  considered  unsafe,  but  the 
county  court  would  not  undertake  a  new 
one.  But  one  bright,  still  morning  in  1839, 
after  "  a  calm,  still  night,"  it  was  found  that 
the  house  had  partly  fallen  down.  There 
was  a  hole  in  one  side  big  enough  for  a 
wagon  to  drive  through.  Nobody  seemed  to 
know  how  it  had  happened,  but  there  was  no 
doubt  now;  it  had  to  come  down.  So  every- 
body in  town  got  out  with  ropes,  which  they 
ran  in  at  one  window  and  out  at  another; 
evei'ybody  pulled  and  halloed,  and  soon  it 
was  only  a  pile  of  rubbish.  The  town  was 
full  of  dust  and  noise  and  fun.  The  coun- 
ty court  thereupon,  March  7,  1836,  made 
the  following  order: 

"Ordered  the  Clerk  advertise  in  the  West- 
ern Voice  at  Shawneetown  and  the  State 
Register  at  Vandalia  that   this  court    will  at 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


30  7 


the  next  June  term  reoeive  sealed  proposals 
for  the  building  of  ihe  brick  coiirt  house  on 
the  public  square  in  Mount  Vernon,  and  that 
Noah  Johnston,  John  "SY.  Greetham,  Down- 
ing Baugh  and  A.  M.  Grant,  who  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Clerk  of  this  court,  shall  con- 
stitute a  committee  whose  duties  shall  be  to 
superintend  the  advertising,  planning  and 
building  of  said  house,  subject  at  all  times 
to  the  direction  of  the  court  and  liable  to  be 
removed  by  said  court." 

Still  the  Commissioners,  Barton  A tchisson, 
James  Sursa  and  William  Bullock,  did  not 
fully  surrender  their  authority  to  "  said  com- 
mittee."  They  all  mounted  horseS  and  rode 
to  Carmi,  examined  the  coui-t  house  there, 
thought  it  good  enough,  and  in  spite  of  the 
earnest  protest  of  the  committee,  determined 
to  take  it  as  a  pattern.  So  that,  June  5, 
1836,  it  was  "  Ordered  by  the  court  that  the 
Clerk  shall  advertise  in  the  Shawneetown 
newspaper  that  they  will  let  on  the  20th  of 
July  the  building  of  a  court  house  in  Mount 
Vernon  on  the  plan  of  the  court  house  at 
Cai'mi,  111.,  and  of  the  same  size  and  finish." 
William  Edwards  got  the  contract  at  $5,500. 
He  was  an  Englishmaa,  married  Sarah  Hyde 
in  London,  came  to  Washington,  there  got  ac- 
quainted with  Gov.  Casey,  bought  land  of 
him  in  Grand  Prairie  and  moved  out  just  in 
time  to  get  this  contract.  He  was  a  Method- 
ist preacher;  of  his  family  let  us  further 
say,  that  Francis  H.,  his  oldest  son,  finished 
his  education  here,  became  a  physician,  mar- 
ried Miss  M.  E.  Hicks  and  died  recently  at 
Sandoval.  Joseph,  the  youngest  son,  also 
a  physician,  married  Miss  Higgins  and  lives 
at  Mendota;  and  the  daughters  married  Will- 
iam Kidd,  William  McLaughlin  and  William 
Gibberson.  The  court  house  was  finished  in 
1840.  But  the  county  was  hard  run  to  pay 
for  it.  Orders  were  issued  for  small  sums, 
but  these  were  not  quite  satisfactory.     In  De- 


cember, 1840,  the  Legislature  was  petitioned 
for  authority  to  borrow  money,  and  in  May, 
1841,  the  Clerk,  E.  H.  Ridgway,  was  au- 
thorized to  make  a  loan  of  S2,200  at  the 
Bank  of  Illinois  at  Shawneetown.  But  not 
till  October  14,  1841,  was  the  final  settle- 
ment made.  It  then  ajj pears  that  Edwards 
had  drawn  in  orders  13,061.61;  he  took 
notes  on  different  parties  to  the  amount  of 
$474.86,  and  four  bonds  due  June  8,  1848, 
for  the  remainder.  This  settlement  did  not 
settle.  In  September,  1842,  Edwards  re- 
turned the  orders  and  bonds  and  took  five 
$500  bonds,  bearing  12  per  cent,  due  June 
8,  1848,  1849,  1850,  1851, 1852.  This  court 
house  was  forty  feet  square,  square  roof, 
cupola  supported  by  pillars  and  surrounded 
by  railing,  court  room  below.  Judge's  seat 
on  north  side,  stairways  in  southwest  and 
southeast  corners,  floor,  half  brick  outside 
bar,  bar  cut  off  by  railing  with  gates,  four 
rooms  for  offices  above,  front  door  south, 
plain  doors  east  and  west.  Cattle  and  sheep 
used  the  old  house  all  through  vacations,  but 
by  the  efforts  of  Dr.  AV.  S.  VanCleve,  the 
public  square  was  now  fenced  for  the  lirst 
time,  and  the  bushes  and  weeds  cut.  So  it 
looked  well. 

About  the  time  of  the  court  house  excite- 
ment, the  Methodist  Chui'ch  was  finished, 
the  old  Academy  was  built  and  the  town  was 
incorporated,  but  these  will  come  up  under 
the  heads  of  churches,  schools  and  city  gov- 
ernment. It  was  in  the  time  of  this  prosper- 
ity, all  in  five  or  six  years,  that  Jonas  Eddy, 
Castles,  Baltzell,  Phelps,  Dr.  Short,  Schanck, 
Hinman,  Thomas,  Clement,  Dick  Nelson, 
Haynes,  Robert  Wingate,  Shaffner,  Scates, 
Dr.  Caldwell,  Dr.  Roe,  Dr.  Gray,  Rahm, 
Stephenson,  Palmei',  Barrett,  Tromley,  Alex- 
ander Barnes,  and  many  others  located  in 
Mount  Vernon.  Then  followed  nearly  ten 
years  with  much  of  the  slow  and  heavy  move- 


308 


HlSTORl'    OF  JEFFERSOIsT  COUNTY. 


ment  of  the  olden  times.  The  pulse  quickened 
a  little  -when  the  Central  Railroad  Company 
was  chartered,  but  became  irregular  again  as 
soon  as  it  was  located.  Among  the  acces- 
sions to  our  population  worthy  of  note  were 
Dr.  Green,  Tanner,  Mills,  Thatcher,  Preston, 
McAtee,  Began  and  Condit. 

There  is  not  much  to  add  respecting  the 
general  history  of  Mount  Vernon.  Most  of 
what  remains  to  be  told  is  included  in  the 
various  sub-headings  that  follow,  or  is  suffi- 
ciently set  forth  in  the  biographical  and 
other  departments  of  this  work.  A  general 
outline  reaching  up  to  the  present  may  be 
given  in  few  words.  The  most  conspicuous 
improvments  in  1854  were  the  Johnson 
House  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
John  N.  Johnson  came  to  town  a  few  years 
before,  with  little  means,  practiced  medicine 
a  while,  got  a  small  stock  of  goods,  managed 
with  eminent  judgement,  won  everybody's 
confidence,  built  up  rapidly,  and  by  a  very 
large  purchase  of  hogs  in  the  fall  of  1853, 
made  about  $5,000.  With  part  of  this 
money  he  biiilt  the  hotel  that  bore  his  name 
for  several  years,  but  has  been  most  recently 
known  as  the  Commercial  Hotel.  He  died 
the  next  winter,  and  the  business,  the 
church,  the  lodge,  the  town,  the  whole  coun- 
try, felt  the  loss.  In  1857,  Strattau  and 
Pavey  came  out  from  Ohio,  bought  the  farm 
of  John  Johnson,  the  writer's  father,  south- 
east of  town,  traded  it  to  Thorn  for  a  very 
large  stock  of  goods,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  present,  Strattan  &  Pavey,  in  conjunction 
with  Fergerson,  Allen,  Taylor,  AVestbrook, 
and  other  associates,  have  occupied  a  very 
large  space  in  our  little  business  world  and 
contributed  largely  to  the  growth  of  the 
town  and  the  development  of  the  country. 
Strattan  &  Fergerson  built  the  store  now  oc- 
cupied by  J.  D.  Johnson  in  1859,  and  Strat- 
tan &  Johnson  the  three-story  block  south- 


east of  the  public  square  in  1872,  both  the 
Johnsons  just  named  being  sons  of  John  N. 
Johnson  above  mentioned,  and  the  last 
named,  Alva  C,  being  Strattan's  son-in-law. 
Pavey  i&  Allen  built  the  store  now  occupied 
by  Hudspeth,  Taylor  &  Company,  in  1875.  and 
Strattan  his  residence  in  1873.  George  H. 
Varuell  was  the  next  important  accession  to 
the  ranks  of  business — proving  indeed  an 
accession  to  the  town  and  the  entire  vicinity. 
He  is  brother-in-law  to  John  S.  Bogan,  who 
has  been  so  intimately  connected  with  our 
history  for  thirty  years,  and  came  from 
Washington  City  in  October,  1861.  In  the 
winter  of  1802-63,  Joseph  J.  HoUomon  came 
from  near  Humboldt  in  Tennessee.  He  had 
bought  of  Mr.  Elder,  of  Gibson  County, 
Tenn.,  thirteen  tracts  of  land  in  Franklin, 
Jefferson  and  Washington  Counties,  contain- 
ing about  1,300  .'acres,  for  something  over 
$13,000.  He  erected  a  tobacco  warehouse 
east  of  town,  now  inside  the  city  limits,  and 
did  a  lively  business  here  until  it  was  burnt 
down  in  1864.  He  and  Varnell  built  the 
"  New  York  Store,"  northeast  of  the  public 
square,  in  1863,  and  the  mill  now  owned  and 
run  by  Hobbs  &  Son  in  the  same  year.  Hol- 
lomon  sold  out  to  Varnell  in  18G5  and  returned 
to  Tennessee.  Varnell  pushed  along.  He 
built  the  Continental  Hotel  in  1877  to  1880, 
and  the  block  north  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  1872.  Henry  W.  Seimer  came  earlier  than 
some  of  those  just  mentioned,  built  up  a 
fortune  gradually,  and  has  contributed  much 
to  the  improvement  of  the  town  and  the 
activity  of  its  business.  A  tailor  by  trade, 
he  has  shown  himself  fitted  for  other  kinds 
of  business,  and  has  succeeded  in  all.  In 
March,  1869,  the  old  court  house  was  burnt, 
and  the  officers  found  rooms  in  the  Phoenix 
Block,  and  the  court  a  room  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church.  At  the  September  term,  1870, 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  ordered  an  election 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


309 


on  the  question  of  building  a  new  court 
house  to  cost  not  over  $30,000;  and  in 
April,  1871,  a  contract  was  made  with  W. 
E.  Gray,  of  Alton,  at  $29,315.  The  Build- 
ing Committee  were  G.  W.  Evans,  Q.  A. 
Wilbanks,  Samuel  Johnson,  D.  H.  Warren, 
John  C.  McConnell  and  Henry  Breeze,  and 
the  house  was  to  be  finished  by  March  1, 
1872.  The  rest  of  its  story  is  well  known. 
The  new  jail  was  erected  in  1872-73.  The 
town  received  a  wonderful  impetus  fi'om  the 
railroad  as  long  as  it  was  a  terminus,  uver 
seventy  houses  being  built  in  as  many  weeks. 

The  township  was  known  in  land  descrip- 
tions, but  had  no  political  existence  for 
many  years.  In  August,  1841,  James  Sursa, 
Aai'on  Year  wood  and  Armstead  W.  Bruce 
were  appointed  Trustees  of  school  lands  in 
the  township,  like  Trustees  being  appointed 
at  the  same  time  for  all  the  townships. 

The  growth  of  townships  as  political  divis- 
ions was  very  gi'adual.  For  twenty  years 
at  all  general  elections,  everybody  voted  at 
Mount  Vernon.  But  it  was  necessary  to 
have  districts  for  magistrates  and  constables, 
and  for  these  officers  to  be  elected  within 
the  districts.  In  a  preceding  chapter,  these 
different  divisions  are  given  from  the  forma- 
tion of  the  county  down  to  the  time  of  town- 
ship organization. 

September  10,  1869,  S.  F.  Grimes  pre- 
sented to  the  county  court  a  petition  for 
township  organization,  as  stated  in  the 
chapter    on    organization    of     the    county, 


and  an  election  was  ordered  for  No- 
vember. The  result  was  1,330  for,  and 
633  against,  out  of  a  total  vote  of  2,182. 
D.  C.  Jones,  William  Kirk  and  G.  L. 
Cummins  were  appointed  Commissioners 
to  lay  off  townships.  At  the  March  term, 
1870,  they  reported  Grand  Prairie,  Rome, 
Field,  Farrington,  Casner,  Shiloh,  Webber, 
Blissville,  Allen,  Bald  Hill,  Anderson, 
Spring  Garden,  Moore's  Prairie,  each  includ- 
ing an  exact  township;  Mount  Vernon,  in- 
cluding Township  2,  Range  3,  and  all  of 
Township  3,  Range  3,  west  of  Muddy;  and 
Pendleton,  Township  4,  Range  3,  and  all 
of  Township  3,  Range  3,  east  of  Muddy.  At 
the  nest  June  term,  Anderson  was  changed 
to  Elk  Prairie  and  Allen  to  McClellan;  and 
at  the  September  term,  Dodds  was  formed  of 
Township  3,  Range  3.  The  lirst  Board  of 
Supervisors  were  Jacob  Breeze,  S.  V.  Bruce, 
W.  S.  Bumpus,  G.  L.  Cummins,  W.  A. 
Davis,  G.  W.  Evans,  E.  B.  Harvey,  Samuel 
Johnson,  W.  A.  Jones,  John  C.  McConnell,  J. 
R.  Moss,  M.  A.  Morrison,  J.  B.  Ward,  D. 
H.  Warren,  Q.  A.  Wilbanks,  and  after 
Dodds  was  formed,  R.  D.  Roane. 

The  Supervisors  of  Mount  Vernon  have 
been,  1870-71,  D.  H,  Warren;  1872-73, 
1876  and  1877,  J.  D.  Johnson;  1874,  G.  H. 
Varnell;  1875,  T.  H.  Hobbs  and  J.  D.  Rob- 
inson; 1878,  John  Klein;  1879,  John  Gib- 
son; 1880,  1881  and  1882,  W.  H.  Herdman; 
1883,  T.  E.  Westcott. 


810 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    v.* 


MOUNT  VERNON— ITS  RELIGIOUS  HISTORY— THE  METHODISTS,  THE  PIONEERS  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN 

THE  COUNTY— A  LIST  OF  MINISTERS— THE  FIRST  CHURCH— PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH— 

BAPTISTS— CATHOLICS  AND  OTHER  DENOMINATIONS— CHURCHES  OF  THE 

TOWNSHIP— SCHOOLS   IN   AND   OUT   OF   THE   CITY,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  God  attributes  to  place 
No  sanctity,  if  none  be  thitlier  brought 
By  men  wlio  there  frequent."— i/f Wore. 

AT  the  conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  which  met  in  the  fall 
of  1819,  David  Sharp  was  sent  as  Presiding 
Elder,  with  five  circuits  in  this  State — Illi- 
nois, Okaw,  Cache  River,  Wabash  and 
Mount  Carmel.  On  the  Wabash  was  Thomas 
Davis,  and  he  included  the  church  at  Old 
Union  in  his  work.  The  next  year,  fall  of 
1820,  two  circuits  were  added  to  the  Illinois 
District— Sangamaugh  and  Shoal  Creek. 
Davis  went  to  Cape  Girardeau,  and  Hacha- 
liah  Vreedenburg  and  Thomas  Rice  came 
to  Wabash.  In  the  general  minutes  for 
1822,  Mount  Vernon  first  appears  upon  the 
record:  Illinois  District,  Samuel  H.  Thomp- 
son; "Wabash  and  Mount  Vernon,  Josiah 
Pattison  and  William  Smith."  These  were 
followed  by  Smith  and  Ruddle  in  1823;  these 
by  William  Moore  in  1824:;  he  by  Orceneth 
Fisher  in  1825  for  part  of  the  year,  Philip 
Cole  a  few  months  and  John  T.  Johnson  for 
the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  1826,  Thomas 
Files  was  sent  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Circuit, 
Charles  Holiday  being  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Wabash  District.  For  several  years  we  were 
in  the  Wabash  District,  then  for  several  in 
the  Kaskaskia  District, before  a  Mouot  Vernon 
District  existed. 

The  following  is  a  very  nearly  correct  and 

•  By  Dr.  A.  Clark  JohDSon. 


complete  list  of  the  Methodist  preachers  here 
from  1825  to  the  time  Mount  Vernon  Station 
was  formed  in  1854;  the  date  given  being 
that  in  which  the  conference  year  began,  in 
autumn:  1826-27,  Thomas  Files;  1828-29, 
John  Fox;  1830-31,  John  H.  Benson;  1832, 
Simeon  Walker;   1833,  James  W^alker;   1834, 

Warren  L.  Jenkins;   1835, Collins,  one 

round,  or  month,  and  Joshua  Barnes  for  the 
rest  of  the  year;  1836,  William  Mitchell;  1837, 
David  Coulson;  1838,  James M.  Massey;  1839, 
John  Shepherd;  1840,  William  T.  Williams; 
1841,  James  M.  Massey;  1842,  James  H. 
Dickens;  1843,  James  I.  Richardson;  1844, 
Allison  McCord;  1845,  Reuben  H.  Moffitt; 
1846-47,  Arthur  Bradshaw;  1848,  David 
Blackwell  and  John  Thatcher;  1849,  I.  C. 
Kimber;  1850,  John  Thatcher;  1851,  James 
A.  Robinson;  1852,  John  H.  Hill;  1853, 
Thomas  W.  Jones;  1854,  Norman  Allyn. 

For  many  years  the  Methodists  had  no 
house  of  worship  in  Mount  Vernon.  The 
ministers  preached  at  Old  Union,  and  the 
people  walked  out  from  town.  Sometimes 
services  were  held  in  the  court  house,  some- 
times in  private  houses.  In  1834,  I  think  my 
father's  and  Downing  Baugh's  were  the  only 
Methodist  families  in  town;  but  very  soon 
re-enforced  by  James  Ross.  They  determined 
to  build.  September  8,  1835,  James  Gray 
conveyed  what  is  now  Lot  No.  1  in  Block  19 
—  the  Episcopal  Church  lot — to  John  John- 
son,  Thomas   M.  Casey,    Joel   Pace,    David 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


811 


Hobbs,  Downing  Baugh,  Joseph  Pace  and 
James  Ross,  as  Trustees,  etc.  Here  they 
built  a  small,  plain  house,  with  no  pretense 
of  a  steeple  or  bell,  and  with  very  plain 
benches  to  sit  on.  It  had  one  coat  of  plas- 
ter and  a  small  box  of  a  pulpit.  But  preach- 
ing was  had  here  monthly,  the  Sunday  school 
and  prayer  meeting  sometimes,  and  occasion- 
ally some  other  kind  of  meeting.  We  had 
DO  Sexton,  so  the  hoTise  was  not  very  well 
kept,  and  the  tirst  one  to  come,  on  preaching 
days,  generally  swept  the  house  and  made  a 
fii-e.  One  very  cold  winter  morning  we  found 
the  door  standing  ojien—  and  it  may  Have 
been  open  a  week,  for  it  was  out  of  town  and 
nobody  passed  that  way — and  the  first  act  in 
the  drama  was  to  drag  a  dead  calf  out.  It 
had  taken  refuge  from  the  storm  within  the 
open  door,  and  died  there,  perhaps  several 
days  before.  The  roof  was  of  boards,  and 
Boon  warped,  so  as  to  let  in  some  rain  and  a 
good  deal  of  snow.  This  made  it  bad  on  us, 
especially  in  winter.  John  Van  Cleve  once 
came  to  hold  quarterly  meeting.  It  had 
snowed.  Judge  Baugh  had  a  big  dog. 
McKay  was  a  tall,  lank,  sickly,  weak-minded 
fellow,  di'essed  in  rags;  and  Baugh's  dog  had 
a  mortal  hatred  for  McKay.  That  morning 
both  were  at  church.  As  the  room  got  warm, 
the  snow  overheau  melted,  and  chunks  of 
plaster  fell.  Baugh's  dog  thought  it  was 
McKay,  so  he  bristled  up  and  growled. 
Other  chunks  fell,  and  the  dog  got  up, 
looked  daggers  at  McKay  and  growled.  At 
the  third  lacket,  the  dog  jumped  up,  barked 
furiously  and  made  for  McKay  in  a  way  that 
made  him  stretch  his  long  leg's  over  the 
benches  with  a  very  unusual  show  of  activity. 
It  almost  bi'oke  up  the  meeting,  as  the  peo- 
ple all  smiled  very  loud. 

In  1840,  funds  were  raised  to  fix  up  this 
church,  adding  ten  or  twelve  feet  to  the  east 
end,  putting  a    belfry  on  it,  a  new  roof,  etc. 


Before  it  was  done,  Circuit  Com-t  came 
on,  and  as  the  old  court  house  had  fallen 
down,  court  was  held  in  the  still  unfinished 
church — the  only  room  in  town  big  enough. 
While  the  court  was  in  session,  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  John  A.  McClernand,  Presiden- 
tial Electors,  Whig  and  Democratic,  came  to 
address  the  people.  McOlernand  occupied 
the  noon  hoiu"  or  two  intermission,  but  when 
Lincoln's  turn  came,  politics  were  summarily 
put  out,  and  court  began.  Scates,  the  Judge, 
and  Bowman",  the  Sheriff,  were  Democrats; 
perhaps  this  was  why.  But  Mr.  Kirby  said 
he  was  "  for  fair  play,  even  in  a  dog  fight;" 
so  he  invited  Lincoln  and  everybody  to  the 
shade  in  front  of  his  hotel,  got  a  huge  goods 
box,  Lincoln  mounted  it,  and  the  crowd  lis- 
tened and  laughetl  and  swore  at  him  for  an- 
other horn*  or  two.  Court  over,  the  house 
was  finished,  having,  besides  the  improve- 
ments named,  a  much  larger  pulpit,  and  here 
a  large  variety  of  meetings  were  held,  besides 
the  regular  services. 

At  length,  a  desire  sprang  up  for  better 
quarters.  The  church  resolved  to  build. 
July  IS,  1S53,  a  deed  was  obtained  from 
Ambrose  C.  Hankinson,  of  Peoria,  to  the 
Trustees — Downing  Baugh,  Darius  C.  War- 
ren, William  J.  Stephenson,  Lucilius  C. 
Moss,  John  N.  Johnson,  Joel  F.  Watson  and 
Charles  T.  Pace — conveying  Lots  No.  05,  66, 
71,  72,  the  present  site  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chui'ch.  The  church  was  erected 
in  \SiA,  at  a  cost  of  over  §4,000.  So  it  re- 
mained, with  minor  improvements  from  time 
to  time,  till  they  put  an  end  to  it — in  fact, 
put  two  ends  to  it  and  a  new  steeple  in 
1881-82,  at  a  cost  of  over  $4,000  more. 

In  September,  1854,  the  Southern  Illinois 
Conference  met  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  at  this 
session  the  society  at  Mount  Vernon  became 
a  station,  with  eighty- four  members  and 
eleven  probationers.     John  H.  Hill  was  Pre- 


312 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


siding  Elder  of  the  district,  and  James  Lea- 
ton  was  appointed  to  the  station.  This  man 
Leaton  was  an  Englishman;  a  thorough 
scholar;  had  been  a  hard  case  in  youth;  had 
later  been  Professor  in  McKendi-ee  College, 
and  was  the  most  lucid  speaker  and  the  most 
perfect  pronouncer  we  ever  heard.  He  still 
preaches  up  North.  The  official  members 
were  John  Johnson,  L.  E. ;  Zadok  Casey,  L. 
D. ;  John  H.  Watson,  H.Davisson  and  Samuel 
Schanck,  Class  Leaders;  and  the  Stewards 
first  elected  were  Zadok  Casey,  '-Joel  F.  Wat- 
son, John  N.  Johnson,  Charles  T.  Pace  and 
Downing  Baugh.  At  the  first  quarterly  con- 
ference, the  Sunday  school  report  showed 
seventy-five  scholars,  ten  teachers.  The  al- 
lowance for  the  Presiding  Elder  was  $41.40; 
for  the  preacher  in  charge,  as  salary,  $272; 
table  expenses,  $150;  traveling'  expenses, 
$50.  In  August,  1858,  the  quarterly  con- 
ference discussed  the  subject  of  a  return  to 
the  circuit,  but  action  was  postponed.  The 
question  came  up  again  at  the  fourth  quar- 
terly conference,  1861,  and  the  church  here 
again  become  a  part  of  Mount  Vernon  Cir- 
cuit. So  it  remained  till  the  annual  confer- 
ence of  1865,  when  it  again  became  a  sepa- 
rate station,  and  continues. 

The  stationed  preachers  here  have  been — 
coming  about  September  each  year — 1854, 
James  Leaton;  1855,  Norman  Allyn;  1856, 
Ephraim  Joy;  1857,  James  Leaton;  1858, 
Thomas  A.  Eaton;  1859-60,  R.  H.  Manier; 
1861,  M.  Hoiise;  1862,  G.  W.  Hughey,  who 
left  early  in  the  spring  because  the  place 
was,  politically,  too  hot  for  him,  and  was 
succeeded  by  John  Ellis;  1868-64,  John  H. 
Hill;  1865,  D.  Chipman,  whose  health  failed 
in  six  months,  and  Thomas  H.  Hordman  took 
his  place;  1866-67,  B.  R.  Pierce;  1868,  John 
Leeper;  1869-70-71.  Joseph  Harris;  1872- 
73,  D.  W.  Phillips;  1874,  N.  Hawley;  1875- 
76-77,  C.   E.    Cline;    1878-79-80,  C.  Nash; 


1881-82-83,  John  W.  Locke.  The  Presiding 
Elders,  most  of  whom  removed  to  Mount 
Vernon,  have  been  John  H.  Hill,  George  W. 
Robins,  James  A.  Robinson,  J.  P.  Davis,  Z. 
S.  Clifford,  B.  R.  Pierce,  L.  C.  English, 
J.  Leeper,  B.  R.  Pierce  again,  C.  E.  Cline, 
C.  Nash.  The  most  prosperous  period  in  the 
history  of  this  church  was  when  C.  E.  Oline 
was  pastor.  The  former  parsonage,  on  Lots 
No.  24  and  21 — east  half  of  21 — was  trans- 
ferred to  the  circuit  September  19,  1855, 
and  the  site  of  the  present  one.  Lots  No.  64 
and  73,  Block  11,  was  bought  of  Dr.  Dixon 
March  23,  1867.  The  present  parsonage  was 
built  in  1877 ;  cost,  $1, 100.  The  church  now 
has  about  foui*  hundred  members  enrolled, 
two  hundred  scholars  and  nineteen  teachers 
in  the  Sunday  scliool ;  j)ays  its  pastor  $1,000, 
and  expends  about  $1,000  on  other  religious 
and  benevolent  objects;  pays  $100  on  the 
Presiding  Elder's  salary. 

The  Presbyterian  Church. — The  growth  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Illinois  has  been 
more  gradual — perhaps,  also,  more  solid — 
than  that  of  some  others.  Up  to  1829,  the 
Presbyterians  were  included  in  the  Missouri 
and  Wabash  Presbyteries,  each  of  which  lay 
mostly  beyond  the  State  lines.  October  28, 
1828,  the  organization  of  Central  Presby- 
tery was  authorized,  and  it  was  organized  in 
January,  1829.  It  was  central  because  it  lay 
between  the  Missouri  and  Wabash.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1831,  the  Synod  of  Illinois  was 
formed,  with  Presbyteries  of  Illinois,  Sanga- 
mon, Kaskaskia  and  Missouri,  Kaskaskia 
Presbytery,  to  which  this  part  of  the  country 
belonged,  having  been  formed  in  1830.  In 
r-38,  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
into  Old  and  New  School  took  place.  Mount 
Vernon  Presbyterians,  the  few  that  were 
here,  being  of  the  Old  School.  B.  F.  Spill- 
man  organized  a  church  here  in  1841,  with 
ten  members  and  two  Elders.     This    church 


^    ^O-n^^^ 


LiBRAKV 

:>r  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


315 


was  served,  more  or  less  regularly,  by  IVifr. 
Spillman,  Alexander  Ewing,  Blackbur?! 
Leffler,  and  others,  Lefflwr  residing  for  sev- 
eral years  in  Mount  Vernon.  The  Kaskaskia 
Presbytery  held  its  spring  session  here  in 
1846;  Judge  Scates  and  Jonas  Eddy  were 
the  principal  members.  But  the  church 
never  became  strong;  and  in  April.  1852, 
upon  the  I'equest  of  the  members,  the  Pres- 
bytery— of  Kaskaskia — dissolved  the  church, 
and  the  members  transferred  their  member- 
ship to  the  Church  of  Gilead,  at  Rome,  Thus 
ended  the  Old  School  organization  at  Mount 
Vernon. 

Alton  Presbytery,  New  School,  now  gave 
us  some  attention,  and  February  21,  1854, 
Eobert  Stewart  effected  an  organization. 
The  first  list  of  members  included  Warner 
and  Eliza  White,  John  S.  and  Louisa  M. 
Bogau,  George  and  Hannah  Mills.  John  C. 
and  Juliana  Gray,  Sarah  A.  Tanner  and 
William  D.  Johnston.  The  Elders  were 
Miles  WTiite  and  Bogan.  Other  Elders:  T. 
Condit,  April  29,  1855,  died  April,  1861; 
James  F.  Fitch;  Samuel  Gibson  and  W.  B. 
White,  January  2,  1870;  S,  B.  Kelso,  De- 
cember, 1874;  James  M.  Pollock,  July  25, 
1876.  The  pastors  have  been  Samuel  R.  H. 
Wylie,  a  native  of  Logan  County,  Ky. ,  who 
took  charge  July  13,  1854,  and  died  August 
11,  1854,  aged  forty-three;  in  1855,  William 
H.  Bird,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
brother-in-law  to  Wylie,  died  1877;  1856, 
Hillery  Patrick,  a  native  of  Vii-ginia:  1858, 
Charles  Kenmore,  an  L-ishman,  who  went 
South,  and  died,  in  1871;  1858,  after  K.'s 
brief  stay,  John  Gibson,  also  an  L-ishman, 
who  died  1869;  1869-70,  R.  G.  Williams; 
1870-73,  Gideon  C.  Clark;  1873-74,  Solo- 
mon Cook;  1874-76,  Adam  C.  Johnson; 
1876,  for  three  months.  M.  M.  Coojjer;  1876 
-78,  George  B,  McComb;  1878,  J.  J.  Graham, 
employed  in  June,  installed  August  16,      In 


the  interval  between  18.58  and  1869,  the 
church  was  without  a  settled  pastor,  but  the 
Presbytery's  missionary,  Joseph  GordoQ, 
made  many  visits,  and  other  ministers  came 
occasionally.  In  the  meantime,  the  members 
worked,  the  Sunday  school  and  prayer  meet- 
ing went  on.  The  church  was  organized  at 
Dr.  Gray's  house.  The  public  services  were 
in  the  basement  of  the  old  Odd  Fellows  Hall, 
Rev. Eben  Muse  has  been  pastor  since  Decem- 
ber, 1882. 

The  Odd  Fellows,  with  their  usual  gener- 
osity, gave  the  church  the  use  of  their  hall 
gratis;  but  the  members  desired  to  be  inde- 
pendent, and  at  once  prepared  to  build. 
The  first  design  was  a  nnestory  house;  but 
Judge  Scates  and  Mr.  Condit,  especially 
Scates,  wanted  it  two  stories,  and  promised 
to  see  the  extra  |2,000  raised  to  have  it  so. 
The  plan  was  changed,  and  they  saw  the 
money  raised — but  saw  Mills  and  Bogan  and 
Dr.  Gray  raise  it.  The  house  was  finished, 
almost,  at  a  cost  of  $4,000,  and  August  6, 
1856,  Zadok  Casey  conveyed  Lots  No.  7  and 
8,  in  Casey's  Addition,  to  George  Mills,  John 
C.  Gray  and  John  S.  Bogan,  Trustees,  To 
finish  paying  for  the  house,  the  Trustees  now 
got  a  loan  of  $500  from  the  Church  Erection 
Fund,  which  was  not  finally  settled  till  1871, 
The  church  now  numbers  100  members,  pays 
its  pastor  1700,  and  has  a  Sunday  school  of 
130  members  and  twelve  teachers. 

The  Baptist  Church. — We  have  already 
noticed  the  earlier  Baptist  Churches.  We 
always  had  Baptists  in  Mount  Vernon,  but 
no  pei-maneut  church  before  the  pi-esent. 
"  The  First  Baptist  Church  of  Mount  Ver- 
non" WHS  organized  August  6, 1868;  Rev.  J. 
W.  Brooks,  Moderator,  Daniel  Sturgis,  Clerk 
of  the  meeting.  R.  A.  Grant,  D.  Sturgis, 
G.  J.  Mayhew  and  G.  W.  Morgan  were  chos- 
en to  carry  letter  to  Salem  Association,  ask- 
ing for  recognition  as  a  church.     September 


316 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


21,  1868,  J.  W.  Brooks  was  elected  Pastor, 
and  G.  J.  Mahew  and  R.  A.  Grant,  Deacons. 
After  being  some  time  without  a  pastor,  the 
church  called  I.  S.  Mahan,  for  a  quarter  of 
his  time;  but  for  some  reason  he  rejected  the 
call,  June,  1871.  The  following  July,  D. 
W.  Morgan  was  called,  and  served  as  pastor 
for  one  year.  July  31,  1872,  J.  F.  James 
was  called,  and  remained  till  after  the  first 
Sabbath  in  January,  1873.  In  May,  Mr. 
Wilson,  then  Principal  of  our  public  school, 
consented  to  preach  for  this  church  while  he 
remained  here.  W.  Sanford  Gee  was  the 
next  regular  pastor,  from  March  4,  1874,  to 
June,  1876.  Then  Mr.  Crawford  was  em- 
ployed for  three  months,  and  in  October 
Crawford  and  Calvin  Allen  were  invited  to 
preach  on  alternate  Sabbaths.  In  April, 
1879,  Allen  resigned,  and  Charles  Davis  was 
elected.  W.  W.  Hay  was  employed  Febru- 
ary 1,  1880.  and  W.  B.  Vassar  in  February, 
1881.  After  an  interval,  the  present  pastor, 
Mr.  Medkifl",  was  employed.  Februaiy,  1883. 
From  the  tu-st,  the  building  of  a  house  of 
worship  was  discussed.  Various  changes 
were  made  in  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
various  plans  were  proposed  and  rejected. 
April  17,  1871,  a  deed  was  made  by  Pollock 
Wilson,  conveying  Lots  No.  9,  10  and  12,  in 
Block  3,  to  the  following  Trustees:  James 
M.  Pollock,  R.  P,  Rider,  Daniel  Sturgis  and 
James  M.  Ferguson.  To  perfect  their  title, 
they  afterward  obtained  a  deed  from  Peter 
Haydea.  of  New  York,  November  28,  1873. 
The  building,  begun  in  1871,  was  finished, 
and  dedicated  by  Rev.  Mr.  Ford,  of  St.  Louis, 
the  second  Sabbath  in  August,  1872.  In 
1875,  the  Southern  Methodists  were  granted 
the  use  of  the  house  one  Sabbath  in  each 
month,  paying  for  lights  and  fuel;  but  this 
did  not  last  long.  Perhaps  the  most  mem 
orable  service  in  this  church  was  tiie  ordi- 
nation of  Mr.  Vassar,  April  5,  1881.     There 


were  present  Rev.  I.  N.  Hobart,  D.  D. ,  Su- 
perintendent of  Missions  for  the  State  of 
Illinois,  as  Moderator;  Rev.  Gilbert  Fred- 
erick, of  Centralia,  as  Clerk;  Rev.  D.  Sech- 
man,  of  Ashley;  Rev.  William  Lowry.  of 
Moore's  Prairie;  Rev.  W.  H.  Carner,  of 
McLeansboro;  Rev.  W.  W.  Hay,  of  Zion's 
Grove;  Rev.  John  Washburn,  of  Ewing,  and 
Rev,  J.  Barry,  of  North  Star  Church,  Chi- 
cago. 

This  church  was  first  connected  with  Salem 
Association:  then  with  Vandalia,  and  is  now 
connected  with  the  Association  of  Centralia, 

It  was  much  embarrassed  for  several  years, 
the  cost  of  the  church  building  having  run 
up  to  about  §4,000;  but  it  is  now  in  a  com- 
paratively easy  financial  condition.  The 
membership  is  about  sixty;  average  attend- 
ance at  Sabbath  school,  sixty-five,  with  seven 
teachers. 

The  Catholic  Church. — For  many  years 
there  was  scarcely  a  Catholic  in  Mount  Ver- 
non, Then  a  few  came  in — Mrs,  T,  S.  Casey, 
Mr.  Maloney  and  others;  and  these  were 
visited  occasionally  by  their  priests,  and  the 
rites  of  the  church  performed.  Their  meet- 
ings were  held  at  the  private  houses  of  the 
members,  seldom  in  more  public  places.  The 
first  step  toward  an  organization  was  taken 
by  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  Joseph  Baltes,  Bishop  of 
Alton,  and  Very  Rev,  John  Jansen,  Vicar 
General  of  the  same  dioces  ■.  January  20, 
1871,  they  appointed  Rev.  John  F.  Mohr, 
priest  of  the  church  at  Alton,  and  William 
O'Connell  and  Lorenz  Fahrig,  laymen,  as 
Trustees  of  the  diocese.  May  20,  1872, 
Bishop  Baltes  and  Vicar  General  Jansen, 
with  Rev.  John  Neuhaus,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  "St  Philip  Neri's  Roman 
Catholic  Church  and  Congregation  of  Mount 
Vernon,  Illinois,"  appointed  Michael  Ward 
and  Phillip  Russell  to  act  with  themselves  as 
Ti-ustees   for  the  church   in  Mount  Vernon. 


HISTOKY   OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


317 


For  several  years' the  services  were  still 
held  in  private  houses,  and  at  irregular  inter- 
vals. At  length,  under  the  leadership,  in 
this  undertaking,  of  Mrs.  T.  S.  Casey — 
without  whom,  it  is  safe  to  sa}%  it  would  not 
have  been  done  for  years — means  were  raised 
to  purchase  ground;  and  May  21,  1880, 
James  Bell,  of  Cobden,  in  Union  County, 
for  SI, 500,  conveyed  to  the  Trustees  of  this 
church  the  block — foui*  lots  with  the  vacated 
alley — north  of  the  Supreme  Court  House, 
Lots  No.  1,  2,  3,  4,  etc.,  Casey's  Second  Ad- 
dition. Father  Hissen,  of  Belleville,  now 
took  charge  of  the  chiu-ch,  and  under  his  su- 
pervision the  present  very  neat  church  edifice 
was  erected  in  1881.  It  cost  about  $2,000, 
mostly  raised  by  the  untiring  efforts  of  Mrs. 
Casey.  And  we  are  requested  by  some  of 
their  own  people  to  say  that  without  the 
generous  aid  of  Protestants  and  "outsiders," 
the  means  to  secure  the  completion  of  the 
house  could  not  possibly  have  been  secured, 
as  the  members  were  comparatively  few  in 
number,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them 
poor.  Father  Becker  succeeded  Father  His- 
sen, and  after  remaining  about  a  year  went 
to  Kaskaskia.  Just  at  present,  the  church  is 
without  a  settled  pastor,  but  is  under  the 
oversight  of  Father  Spaeth,  of  Carmi. 

The  Episcopal  Church. — For  some  years 
Bishop  Seymour,  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Illi- 
nois, now  of  the  diocese  of  Sj^ringfield,  re- 
siding at  Spriuglield,  has  been  hunting  up 
his  scattered  sheep  in  Southern  Illinois,  and 
seeking  to  gather  and  crystallize  whatever 
strength  could  be  found  in  this  section,  by 
sending  out  missionaries  and  organizing 
churches.  Rev.  Martin  Moody  was  appoint- 
ed to  labor  in  this  part  of  the  field,  giving 
special  attention  to  Ashley,  Mount  VernoD, 
McLeansboro  and  Carmi.  These  were,  and 
we  believe  still  are,  called  mission  stations. 
On  the  15th  day   of  March,  1878,  a  church 


was  organized  in  Mount  Vernon  by  Mr. 
Moody,  when  William  Pilcher  and  H,  W. 
Preston  were  elected  Wardens,  and  H.  H. 
Simmons,  T.  T  .  Wilson  and  J.  J.  Beecher, 
Vestrymen,  and  the  name  adopted  was  "  Trin- 
ity Episcopal  Church."  Still  under  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  Mr.  Moody,  the  church 
services  were  held  first  at  a  private  house; 
then  at  a  room  in  the  Supreme  Court  build- 
ing; then  at  Strattan's  Hall.  After  the  death 
of  Mr.  Moody,  Rev.  I.  N.  W.  Irvine  was  ap- 
pointed as  his  successor.  Mr.  Irvine  was  a 
man  of  remarkable  zeal  and  energy,  and,  to 
the  admiration  of  every  one,  succeeded  in  se- 
cm-ing  handsome  church  edifices  both  at 
McLeansboro  and  Mount  Vernon. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Methodists 
went  into  their  present  church  in  1854. 
They  had  already  sold  the  old  church  to 
Harvey  T.  Pace  November  3,  1853,  for  $345. 
Pace  at  once  improved  it  in  every  part,  even 
supplying  cushions  for  the  seats,  so  that  its 
old  acquaintances  could  hardly  recognize  it. 
It  was  then  used  as  a  church  by  the  "Chris- 
tian order,"  or  Campbellites,  all  at  Pace's 
expense,  until  his  death,  August  13,  1876.  As 
he  grew  old,  however,  services  were  less  reg- 
ular, he  being  Seston  and  everything  else 
but  preacher.  After  his  death,  his  heirs 
divided  his  estate  by  deeds,  and  this  lot  fell 
to  W.  H.  Pace,  a  grandson  of  H.  T.,  and 
the  only  child  of  George  T.  Pace.  W.  H.  P. 
now  rented  it  out  to  anybody  that  wanted  it, 
and  for  almost  any  "purpose.  It  was  once 
rumored  that  a  saloou  and  billiard  tables 
were  going  into  it;  but  instead  of  this,  Fer- 
guson went  in  with  his  carpenter  shop,  the 
steeple  was  cut  oflf,  and  a  huge  sign  put  up 
on  top,  80  its  old  acquaintance  could  hardly 
recognize  it  again.  Pace  at  length  sold  out 
to  Mrs.  Cramer,  and  after  a  few  turns,  "  the 
Trustees  and  Rector  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  the  city  of  Mount  Vernon  " 


318 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


got  a  deed  to  the  property  from  Mrs.  Annie 
Pace,  wife  of  W.  H.,  February  25,  1881, 
and  a  deed  from  Gottsworth  and  Minnie 
Eilenstine  April  27,  1881.  The  lot  is  forty- 
one  feet  north  and  south  by  sixty- sis  feet 
east  and  west,  at  tlie  southeast  corner  of 
Block  19.  This  was  accomplished  chiefly  by 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Irvine,  who  also  had  the 
whole  biiilding  renovated  within  and  with- 
out. After  Mr.  Irvine's  te  m  expired,  the 
Bishop  appointed  as  pastor  the  present  in- 
cumbent, Mr.  R.  B.  Hoyfc.  Last  April's  pa- 
rochial report  shows  27  families,  39  commu- 
nicants, 7  baptisms,  6  teachers  and  85  schol- 
ars in  Sunday  school,  and  a  total  of  contri- 
butions of  $167.79,  parochial  and  diocesan. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church. — This  is  a 
church  of  colored  people.  For  many  years 
there  were  very  few  of  these  in  Mount  Ver- 
non. Cesar  Hodge  and  Mai-ia  his  wife, 
their  daughter  Amanda  Guyler,  and  Sam,  her 
husband,  Guyler'e  two  boys,  William  and 
another,  and  Old  Nick,  were  all.  But  about 
1850,  others  came  in,  and  in  three  or  four 
years  they  became  quite  a  colony.  They  had 
meetings  in  the  old  academy,  and  Overton 
and  Loggins  and  others  preached  for  them. 
Thoy  settled  in  between  the  creeks  east  of 
town,  till  that  section  became  well  known 
under  the  name  of  Africa.  They  had  Sunday 
school  and  a  church  organization,  and  so 
moved  on  for  a  few  years,  till  about  1857, 
when  some  evil-disposed  persons  played  Ku- 
Klux  on  them,  and  they  soon  scattered; 
Africa  was  depopulated,  and  scarcely  a  col  ■ 
ored  family  was  left  in  the  county.  After  the 
war,  their  numbers  increased  very  slowly  for 
a  time,  then  more  rapidly,  until  they  found 
themselves  in  force  sufficient  to  again  organ- 
ize a  church.  This  was  done  in  the  spring 
of  ]879,  Willis  W.  and  Rosa  Wilson,  Mar- 
shall and  Margaret  Campbell,  Margaret  Scott, 
Henry  Bradford  and  William  H.  Jones  were 


the  members.  Wilson  was  their  preacher, 
and.  May  27,  Bradford,  Campbell  and  Jones 
were  elected  Trustees.  They  had  Sunday 
school  awhile  in  the  house  south  of  Hobbs' 
mill;  then  they  rented  the  Pace  chiu'ch  of 
Mrs.  Cramer,  tried  to  buy  it,  failed,  and  at 
length  bought  of  Mr.  Strattan  their  present 
house  of  worship,  west  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  for  $300.  Wilson  was  pastor  two 
years;  then  Henry  Jackson,  of  Richview, 
two  years;  the  pastor  last  employed  is  named 
Williams,  of  Carmi.  There  are  seventeen 
members;  all  attend  Sunday  school,  in  which 
are  two  regular  teachers. 

The  Colored  Methodist  Church. — Perhaps 
our  readers  know  that,  after  the  war,  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  encouraged  its 
colored  members  to  form  a  separate  organiza 
tion;  and  by  easy  steps  they  at  length,  in 
1875,  reached  the  point  of  absolute  inde- 
pendence, under  the  name  of  "  The  Colored 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  America."  A 
section  of  this  was  called  the  "  Missouri  and 
Kansas  Conference."  A  member  of  this  con- 
ference, formerly  from  Kentucky,  W.  C. 
Davis,  visited  the  colored  people  in  Mount 
Vernon  in  May,  L881,  and  organized  a  church 
of  ten  members — G.  W.  Persons,  S.  P.  Tandy, 
Charles  Steager,  and  their  wives,  D.  B.  Bell 
and  his  two  sisters  and  Thomas  Slaughter. 
G.  W.  Persons  was  appointed  pastor,  and  has 
continued.  Their  meetings  have  been  held 
sometimes  in  private  houses;  for  a  time  they 
used  the  Colored  Baptist  Church,  and  now 
hold  meetings  up-stairs  north  of  Wlecke's 
Hotel.  They  have  secured  a  lot,  and  are  pre- 
paring to  build  a  chm'ch. 

The  Camp  Ground,  or  Pleasant  Hill. — The 
first  house  erected  here  was  for  the  Cumber- 
laud  Presbyterians.  David  Summers  moved 
down  from  the  Samson  Allen  place,  south  of 
Rome,  to  the  place  in  this  township,  where 
he  lived    so  long,  in  1888.      It  was  not  long 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


319 


before  Rev.  Mr.  Finley,  of  the  Ciimberland 
Preebyterian  Church,  found  him,  and  began 
to  preach  at  his  house.  There  being  neither 
church  nor  schoolhouse  on  that  side  of  Seven 
Mile,  the  neighbors  agreed  to  build  a  church. 
The  host  included  David  and  Oaltin  Sum- 
mers and  their  boys,  Coleman  Smith, Nathaniel 
Parker  and  his  boys  — "only  that  and  nothing 
more."  But  they  built  a  small  house  of  logs. 
It  -was  used  for  several  years  as  a  place  of 
worship.  But  Mr.  Finley  was  sent  to  labor 
in  other  fields,  and  Arthur  Bradshaw,  preach- 
er on  Mount  Vernon  Circuit,  formed  a  Meth- 
odist Society  here,  1846-47,  A  camp  ground 
was  prepared,  and  for  five  or  six  years  camp 
meetings  were  held  here  every  fall.  August 
8,  1848,  George  Leonard,  son-in-law  to  Mr. 
Parker,  conveyed  a  lot  beginning  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  23,  Town- 
ship 2,  Range  3,  thence  running  south  twelve 
rods,  east  twelve  rods,  north  twelve  rods  to 
beginning,  to  Bennett  Short,  Thomas  Short, 
William  Brookman,  Benjamin  Webber,  Na- 
thaniel Parker,  Aaron  Yearwood  and  W,  H. 
Lynch,  Trustees  of  Pleasant  Hill  Mee  ing- 
Hoiise.  The  description  of  the  lot  was  imper- 
fect, but  every  one  knew  where  it  was.  The 
camp  meetings  were  now  less  regular,  and 
finally  ceased;  but  it  was  a  regular  preaching 
place,  services  being  held  in  the  house  in  cold, 
and  under  the  "  shed "  in  warm,  weather. 
October  10,  1853,  James  T.  Parker  conveyed 
an  additional  lot,  beginning  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  Section  23,  Township  2, 
Range  3,  south  twelve  rods,  east  six  and  two- 
thirds  rods,  north  twelve  rods,  antl  west  to 
beginning,  to  the  Trustees;  the  board  then 
being  Coleman  Smith,  R.  A.  Grant,  Aaron 
Yearwood,  George  Grant,  Thomas  Short,  Jr., 
Littleton  Daniel,  Samuel  Musgrove  and 
James  Kelly,   But  deaths  and  removals  made 


sad  inroads  on  the  society;  churches  sprang 
up  in  adjoining  neighborhoods;  uther  denom- 
inations came  in,  and  after  the  war  there  was 
little  of  the  old  society  left.  I  suppose  it 
would  be  impossible  to  tell  just  at  what  point 
the  organization  went  down.  The  house 
went  into  a  heap,  and  was  finally  hauled 
away. 

As  Pleasant  Hill  began  to  decline,  W.  F. 
Johnson  and  other  born  Methodists,  some 
four  miles  northwest,  could  not  be  satisfied 
without  a  church.  John  Thatcher  was  the 
circuit  preacher.  The  neighbors  agreed  to 
build,  and  met  to  select  a  site,  but  failed  to 
agree.  Some  wanted  it  east  of  where  Mont 
Morrow  lives,  some  west.  They  compromised 
by  leaving  it  to  Tommy  Casey  and  Jick 
Maxey.  Mr.  Thatcher  would  not  interfere; 
he  sat  on  the  groand,  leaning  against  a  tree, 
and  read  Peter  Parley.  At  length,  the 
"  Commissioners "  drove  down  the  stakes 
just  east  of  where  the  present  handsome 
church  stands,  and  there  the  house  of  logs 
was  built.  It  was  several  years  before  they 
got  a  deed  of  the  ground.  At  length,  July 
15,  1854,  James  A.  Donoho  conveyed  the  lot, 
beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  4,  Township  2,  Range  3,  running 
south  eleven  chains,  east  eighteen  rods,  south 
seventeen  and  three-fourths  rods,  west  eight- 
een rods,  north  seventeen  and  three-fourths 
rods  to  beginning,  to  James  J.  Slaxey,  Mont 
Morrow,  W.  H.  Chastain,  S.  D.  Misenheim- 
er,  W.  F.  Johnson,  John  Sproiil,  James 
Dodson,  Matthew  Humphrey  and  William 
H,  Maxey,  Trustees.  This  log  house  stood 
for  aboiTt  fifteen  years,  when  it  was  sold  to 
Dr.  Cam  Frost,  who  moved  it  home  and  uses 
it  for  an  ofBce,  In  1869,  it  was  determined 
to  build  a  better  house;  but  they  were  in 
danger  of  being  shut  out  from  the  public 
roads,  so  they  got    an    outlet   by  two  deeds, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUXTY. 


one  from  John  McLaugblin,  for  twenty  feet 
off  the  west  side  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  Section  4,  Town- 
ship 2,  Range  3,  and  one  from  Ed  R.  Collins, 
bea'innino'  three  rods  west  of  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  southwest 
quarter  of  Section  33,  Township  1,  Range  3, 
north  eighty  rods,  west  one  rod,  south  eighty 
rods,  east  one  rod  to  beginning;  the  latl  er  dated 
November  7,  1870,  the  former  dated  August 
19,  1807,  and  made  to  J.  Sproul,  M.  Morrow, 
G.  A.  Collins,  F.  -M.  Bates,  W.  F.  Johnson, 
Jehu  J.  Maxey,  M.  Wilson,  A.  S.  Way  and 
E.  R.  Collins.  The  new  building  is  one  of 
our  best  country  churches,  and  the  society 
there  honor  themselves  and  their  profession 
by  uprightness  of  life  and  zeal  in  maintain- 
ing the  institutions  of  their  church.  Their 
Sunday  school  is  of  the  evergreen  variety. 

The  Methodist  society  at  Liberty  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  J.  Thatcher  or  J.  A.  Robin- 
son, in  1851.  It  included  Anthony  and  John 
Waite,  James  Hails,  Ransom  Wilkerson  and 
a  few  others.  They  built  a  log  church  in 
the  usual  way,  every  man  working  at  what- 
ever he  could  do  t.ill  it  was  done;  and  it  was 
a  preaching  place  as  long  as  it  stood,  the  so- 
ciety experiencing  the  vicissitudes  of  decline 
and  revival  common  to  country  churches. 
The  house  stood  on  James  Hails'  land,  and 
he  was  always  willing  to  make  a  deed,  but 
never  ready.  So  it  went  on  till  1874,  when 
H.  began  to  talk  of  selling  out,  when,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  a  Board  of  Trustees  was  elected  to 
receive  the  deed.  It  was  composed  of  George 
Stitch,  James  Hails,  John  Waite,  Elijah 
Thickston,  John  W.  Coates,  James  D. 
Askew,  Alonzo  Paine,  Patrick  Presslar  and 
Joseph  Howard.  But  even  this  effort  failed. 
Mr.  H.  sold  his  land  to  the  present  owner, 
Daniel  Hershey,  conveyed  to  him  without  re 
serve,  and  Mr.  Hershey  took  the  house  down 
and  moved  it  away.     The  meetings  are  now 


held  in  the  sehoolhouse.  The  society  is 
growing  in  numbers  and  in  activity,  main- 
tains a  good  Sunday  school  and  has  regular 
services. 

The  Baptist  Church  at  Salem  was  organ- 
ized in  1856,  by  James  A.  Keele.  Some  of  the 
earliest  members  were  Bird  Warren,  Johnson 
Motield,  Zebulon  Sledge,  R.  Hawkins,  R.  A. 
Grant,  Robert  Harlow,  G.  W.  Luster,  Will- 
iam Stroud.  Jesse  Clark  and  William 
Hutchinson  and  their  wives. 

Their  meetings  were  held  for  several  years 
in  the  Seven  Mile  Sehoolhouse.  They  pro- 
cured a  lot  from  Bluford  Harlow,  March  13, 
1860,  beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  11,  Township  2,  Range  3,  run 
east  twenty- three  rods,  south  eight  rods  for 
beginning  corner,  then  south  sixteen  rods, 
east  twenty-three  rods,  north  sixteen  rods 
and  west  to  beginning.  The  Trustees  were 
Richard  V.  Hawkins,  William  Hutchison, 
William  C.  Beal,  George  W.  Lester  and  Zeb- 
ulon Sledge.  Here  was  erected  a  substantial 
house  of  hewn  logs,  and  afterward  a  large 
shed  in  front  to  accommodate  the  ovei'flow 
on  special  occasions.  Thus  it  remained  till 
last  year,  when  a  new  house  was  begun  on  a 
lot  bought  from  Hiram  Duncan,  November  1, 
1882.  It  was  finished  this  spring.  This  lot 
begins  12.57  chains  east  of  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  11,  Township  1, 
Range  3,  runs  north  6.20  chains,  west  2.75 
chains,  south  12|°  west  1.85  chains  to  road, 
south  57^  west  3.U6  chains,  south  2.68 
chains,  east  5.72  chains  to  beginning,  being 
just  half  a  mile  north  of  the  old  one.  The 
pastors  of  this  church,  since  its  organization, 
have  been  James  A.  Keele,  George  W.  Grant, 
Thomas  J.  Burton,  W.  P.  Proffitt  (for  a  short 
time),  F.  W.  Overstreet.  J  T.  Tenison,  B.  D. 
Esmon  and  S.W.  Derrickson. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


321 


Southern  Methodist  Church. — The  career 
of  this  denomination  in  Mount  Vernon  has 
been  rather  inglorious.  After  all  its  strug 
gles,  the  writer  remains  almost  its  sole  rep- 
resentative, and  has  to  confess  that  he  feels 
like  a  tall  rag- weed  in  the  middle  of  a  frost- 
bitten turnip  patch,  "  whose  lights  are  fled," 
etc.  Soon  after  the  war  closed,  and  largely 
through  the  efforts  of  Eev. — or  Hon. ,  per- 
haps both — John  "\V.  Westcott,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Chm-ch  South  was  planted  in 
Mount  Vernon— planted  a  little  too  deep, 
and  the  ground  was  heavy,  so  it  didn't  come 
up  well.  They  got  the  use  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Eeed  had  services 
there  for  some  time  in  1867-68.  A  preacher 
by  the  name  of  Frost  organized  a  church  at 
the  Summers  Schoolhouse;  and  this  church 
being  planted  while  the  Froft  was  on  the 
ground,  the  soil  was  mellow,  and  under  good 
cultivation  the  crop  turned  out  well  —about 
sixty  bushels;  that  is,  about  sixty  members. 
Davis,  Halsey,  Jones  and  others  preached  for 
us,  but  we  still  grew  "  small  by  degrees  and 
beautifully  less."  Then,  for  a  year  or  two, 
we  had  no  preacher.  Afterward,  about  187'2, 
a  little  man  by  the  name  of  Ward — a  sickly 
young  man,  with  a  Bible  and  hymn-book  and 
two  shirts  in  one  end  of  his  saddle-bags,  and 
about  five  bottles  and  three  pill-boxes  in  the 
other — came  to  preach  for  us.  He  was  irri- 
table, of  course.  We  got  the  use  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  awhile,  and  he  preached  and  flew 
around  like  whiz;  but  the  bottom  of  his 
tender  fell  out,  and  he  blew  the  crown  sheet 
off  his  boiler  and  quit.  The  writer  then 
switched  off,  and  ran  on  the  Presbyterian 
track  awhile,  but  his  drive- wheel  slipped  on 
the  rails  so  badly  that  he  went  back  to  the 
Southern  Methodists.  In  the  meantime, 
1877-78,  we  tried  to  build  a  chui-ch  in  East 
Mount  Vernon,  for  the  joint  use  of  the  Pres- 
byterians and  Southern  Methodists.    Vi'e  met 


at  Hinman's  saloon  and  elected  the  writer, 
John  Yearwood  and  George  Haynes,  Trust- 
ees, and  got  about  $100  subscribed  in  a  week 
or  two.  We  bovight  Lots  8  and  9,  Dewy's 
Addition,  and  gave  notes  and  trust  deed. 
We  took'  a  deed,  and  while  one  thought  an- 
other had  it  recorded,  it  got  lost — we  have 
no  idea  what  became  of  it.  Rev.  Mr.  Prine 
almost  wore  all  the  nap  off  his  plug  hat  try- 
ing to  get  up  a  Southern  Methodist  Church, 
but  failed  and  abandoned  the  field.  The 
writer  had  to  pay  off  the  notes  and  assume 
the  debts;  so  he  v^-as  out  about  1200,  and  in 
for  about  $100  more.  He  got  a  deed  fi-om 
the  Trustees  and  one  from  Hobbs  &  Guthrie, 
and  a  resolution  of  a  called  meeting  confirm- 
ing the  action  of  the  Trustees  and  accepting 
their  resignation.  The  church  was  "  busted ;" 
so  was  the  writer.  He  tried  to  sell  to  some 
church,  or  somebody  for  a  church,  or  any- 
body for  anything,  at  almost  any  price,  but 
no — not  any.  Yet  the  building  was  a  church, 
or  stood  for  one,  about  four  years.  And 
now,  as  far  as  Mount  Vernon  is  concerned, 
the  Southern  Methodist  Church  is  no  more  ■ 
indeed,  not  near  so  much. 

Schools—  III  Town. — The  people  of  Mount 
Vernon,  for  several  years,  patronized  schools 
in  Shiloh  Township.  In  1830-31,  a  log 
schoolhouse  was  erected  on  the  point,  now  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  city,  north  of  the 
Tolle  property,  or  nearly  south  of  Gen. 
Pavey's.  But  in  1831  it  was  out  of  sight  of 
town — purposely  so,  that  the  children  might 
study  with  less  distm-bance,  and  that  the 
neighbors  north  and  west  might  be  accom- 
modated. Scholars  came  from  the  west  as 
far  as  Bullock's  Prairie.  Here  Mr.  Tally 
taught  our  first  schools,  in  1831-32.  In  the 
winter  of  1833-34,  John  Baugh,  Sr.,  taught 
here;  the  next  winter,  Abner  Melcher,  and 
his  daughter  Priscillathe  following  summer; 
and  both  father   and  daughter  the  next  win- 


332 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUSTTY. 


ter.  In  1836-37,  John  Downer,  who  is  still 
living  among  us,  taught;  after  which  I  think 
the  house  fell  into  disuse.  Miss  Kancl,  one 
of  the  teachers  sent  West  by  an  association 
in  the  East,  taught  in  a  room  over  Dr. 
Parks's  dwelling — the  south  end  of  the  re- 
consti-ucted  dwelling  in  which  Mrs.  Thorn 
lives,  west  of  the  square.  To  all  these  schools 
scholai-s  came  from  a  circle  six  or  eight  miles 
in  diameter.  We  believe  Joshua  Grant, 
brother  of  A.  M. ,  taught  the  next  school,  in 
the  Methodist  parsonage,  a  small  frame 
building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Block  19, 
where  Varnell's  three  little  brick  houses 
stand,  1838-39.  Here  :Miss  Elizabeth  Bullock 
also  had  a  summer  school.  It  was  in  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  and  we  remember  seeing  the 
school  thrown  into  excitement  by  the  appear- 
ance of  snakes  in  the  room. 

At  length  the  people  of  the  town  became 
ambitious  to  do  something  better;  it  was  de- 
termined to  have  an  academy,  and  the  site 
was  chosen.  In  February,  1839,  the  Legis- 
latui-e  passed  the  act  of  incorporation,  and 
the  names  of  the  Trustees  augured  well  for 
the  result.  They  were  Zadok  Casey,  Stinson 
H.  Anderson,  Joel  Pace,  \V.  S.  Van  Cleve, 
H.  B.  Newby,  E.  H.  Ridgway,  D.  Baugh, 
Thomas  Cunningham,  J.  W.  Greetham,  An- 
gus M.  Grant.  On  the  5th  of  July,  1839, 
they  received  from  S.  H.  Anderson  a  deed  to 
a  lot  180  feet  square.  It  was  in  a  very  pret 
ty  o-rove.  just  out  of  town,  on  the  southeast. 
A  Building  Committee  had  been  appointed, 
Tom  King,  et  al.,  and  the  building,  furnish- 
ing materials,  etc.,  was  let  to  John  H.  Wat- 
son for  $350.  Of  course,  at  this  price,  the 
house  was  not  long  in  being  completed;  John 
and  Asa  Watson  and  John  Leonard  doing 
the  work.  There  were  large  schoolrooms — 
one  below  and  one  above — a  hall  and  stair- 
way on  the  north  below,  and  over  these  a 
room  for  apparatus,  etc.     A  fine  little  appa- 


ratus, with  chemicals,  was  furnished,  chiefly, 
we  believe,  by  Gov.  Casey's  liberality,  at  a 
cost  of  about  $100. 

The  first  sessions  were  taught  by  Lewis 
Dwight,  "a  down-easter."  a  graduate,  per- 
haps, of  Yale  College,  and  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  assistant, 
the  first  term,  was  a  Miss  Evans,  the  next 
term  Joel  F.  Watson.  Dwight  began  in  the 
fall  of  1839,  and  taught  two  terms.  In  the 
meantime,  he  married  Mahala,  oldest  daugh- 
ter of  Gov.  Casey,  who  died  the  following 
year,  leaving  an  infant  son — now  Samuel  L 
Dwight,  Esq.,  of  Centralia.  People  were 
jaretty  well  pleased  with  Dwight,  as  Princi- 
pal, except  Bowman,  Sheriff,  father  of  two 
extra  bad  boys-  -Frank  and  Jim — one  of 
whom  Dwight  ventured  to  correct.  Bowman 
tried  to  raise  an  altercation  with  Dwight  on 
the  street,  and  threw  a  brick  bat  at  Dwight's 
head,  inflicting  a  very  severe  wound.  Bow- 
man was  fined   $1  for  this  cowardly  assault. 

The  writer  feels  some  pride  in  having 
been  a  pupil  in  the  academy,  though  he  re 
ceived  of  Mr.  Dwight  the  only  blow  he  ever 
received  in  school.  Many  of  the  pupils  have 
since  risen  to  some  degree  of  eminence. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Dr.  Newton 
E.  Casey,  of  Mound  City,  Mayor,  and  member 
of  the  Logislatiire ;  Thomas  S.  Casey,  now 
Judge  of  this  judicial  circuit  and  also  of  the 
Appellate  Court;  Robert  F.  Wingate,  of  St. 
Louis,  ex- Attorney  General  of  Missoui'i;  Tom 
B.  Lester  and  Ab  F.  Haynie,  of  Salem,  both 
distinguished  in  medicine,  the  latter  also  a 
poet  and  scholar,  the  former  Professor  in 
Kansas  City  Medical  College;  Isham  N. 
Haynie,  Adjutant  General  of  Illinois;  James 
M.  Pace,  first  Mayor  of  Mount  Vernon;  G. 
W.  Johnson,  Superintendent  of  Schools; 
Lewis  F.  Casey,  of  Centralia;  Charles  T. 
Pace,  long  a  leading  man  here  in  business 
and  in  his  church;    Dr.  W.  C.  Pace  and  E. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


323 


C.  Pace,  bankers,  of  Ashley;  Moses  Shep- 
herd, a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chiu-ch;  Robert  Yost,  a  lawyer  of  Thebes; 
John  H.  Pace,  many  years  in  various  offices 
here;  Thomas  H.  Hobbs,  Alderman,  and  yet 
more  prominent  in  other  positions;  Joel  F. 
Watson,  for  sixteen  years  County  Clerk,  and 
others. 

J.  F.  Watson  taught  a  summer  school  after 
Dwight's  second  term  closed;  then  came 
Johnson  Pierson,  who  married  a  Miss  How- 
ard, wrote  ap  epic  poem,  the  "  Judaid,"  and 
went  to  Burlington,  Iowa.  After  Pierson, 
Dr.  Beech  and  lady — the  Miss  Bullock  before- 
mentioned,  W.  W.  Bennett,  T.  B.  Tanner, 
Mr.  Walbridge  with  his  sister,  and  the  noto- 
rious Robert  G.  Ingersoll,  were  successively 
Principals  of  the  institution. 

But  all  this  while  the  academy  was  grad- 
ually slipping  away  from  the  Trustees.  The 
later  teachers  taught  on  their  own  hook. 
The  financial  career  of  the  academy  was  in- 
glorious. The  tangle  began  early.  The  first 
schedule,  from  some  cause,  missed  fire;  and 
February  24,  1843,  an  act  of  the  Legislatm-e 
was  passed,  authorizing  and  requiring  the 
School  Commissioner  to  receive  the  schedule 
of  a  school  taught  in  1S40,  and  apportion 
thereon  its  share  of  the  funds  of  1842,  pro- 
vided all  other  schedules  in  tie  county  were 
paid  iu  the  same  manner — rather  an  odd  act. 
Then  there  was  a  balance  due  Watson  and 
Leonard  on  the  building;  John  B.  Leonard 
obtained  a  judgment  against  the  house  for 
$40.53;  the  claim  changed  hands  a  few  times, 
not  being  considered  worth  much  litigation. 
Asa  Watson  found  a  purchaser  in  the  Ragan 
family;  execution  had  issued  in  November, 
1852;  Watson  transferred  the  claim,  and 
Sheriff  Dodds,  in  1854,  conveyed  the  prop- 
erty to  Richard  and  Barzilla  Ragan.  After 
the  death  of  these  old  people,  on  partition  of 
the  estate,  the   lot  was    sold  to  C.  R.  Poole, 


who  transferred  it  to  Mi-s.  M.  G.  Rohrer. 
She  had  the  old  building  taken  down  in 
1882,  and  a  neat  brick  cottage  erected  in  its 
stead. 

After  the  fall  of  the  old  academy,  we  had 
schools  at  various  places,  as  happened  to  be 
convenient  When  Mr.  Leffler,  Presbyterian 
ministei",  was  here,  he  undertook  a  private 
enterprise,  and  put  up  a  schoolhouse  west 
of  Noah  Johnston's  a  short  distance.  But 
his  school  broke  down  on  the  start,  or 
soon  after,  and  Judge  Grant  bought  the 
house,  moved  it  into  town,  and  annexed  it  to 
the  east  end  of  his  hotel.  There  it  stood  till 
the  old  hotel  was  torn  down  several  years 
ago.  A  more  successful  effort  was  made  by 
H.  T.  Pace  in  1851-52.  He  had  bought  a 
lot  with  a  beautiful  grove  on  it,  just  north  of 
where  Dr.  Plummer  lives,  on  Union  street, 
and  here  he  erected  and  furnished  a  very 
neat  schoolhouse  at  his  own  expense,  em- 
ployed a  teacher  and  kept  u]i  a  school.  Miss 
AVillard,  afterward  man'ied  to  Rev.  John  In- 
gersoll, taught  in  this  house;  then  Miss 
Chamberlain,  Mrs.  Hogue,  A.  M.  Green  and 
others.  Some  schools  were  taught  in  the  old 
Methodist  Church — notably  those  of  the 
Misses  Martha  and  Sarah  Green,  both  now 
residing  at  Normal,  where  the  former,  now 
Mrs.  Haynie,  is  a  Professor;  the  latter  is  the 
widow  of  the  late  Dr.  Gray. 

When  the  Methodist  Episcojaal  Chui-ch 
was  built,  it  was  understood  that  the  three 
rooms  below  were  for  school  jjurposes;  and 
here  Prof.  J.  Leaton,  the  tu-st  stationed 
preacher,  opened  a  school  in  the  fall  of  1854. 
Februarj'  0,  1855,  a  charter  was  granted  by 
the  Legislature  to  Zadok  Casey,  James  Lea- 
ton,  John  N.  Jo  nson,  John  H.  Watson,  Joel 
F.  Watson,  Charles  T.  Pace  and  Walter  B. 
Scates,  who,  with  three  others,  to  be  named 
by  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference,  were  to 
be  Trustees   of  "  The  Mount   Vernon  Acad- 


324 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


emy."  Prof.  Leaton  was  chosen  Principal, 
of  course,  and  continued  for  thi-ee  years.  He 
succeeded  well,  being  a  finished  scholar  and 
thoroughly  systematic.  After  he  left,  Prof. 
A.  C.  Hillman,  now  of  Carbnndale,  John  H. 
Pace,  Charles  E.  Robinson  and  others  con- 
ducted the  school.  But  there  was  a  steady 
decline  of  enthusiasm,  till  the  academy  de- 
generated into  a  common  school — sometimes 
very  common. 

After  the  war,  however,  interest  revived, 
and  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  re-organized. 
It  then,  1865,  consisted  of  S.  T.  Strattan, 
Joel  F.  Watson,  C.  T.  Pace,  J.  S.  Bogan,  W. 
H.  Herdman,  Dr.  W.  D.  Green,  D.  C.  War- 
ren, James  Lyon,  C.  D.  Morrison  and  Thomas 
H.  Hobbs.  The  services  of  Rev.  Thomas  H. 
Herdman,  of  Greenfield,  Ohio,  were  secm'ed 
as  Principal,  with  Mrs.  Carrie  Smith,  of 
Mattoon,  as  assistant.  The  school  numbered 
sixty  to  seventy-five  pupils.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  year,  Mrs.  Smith  returned  to  Mat- 
toon,  and  Miss  Sadie  K.  Sellars,  who  had 
formerly  taught  with  Prof.  Herdman,  in 
Ohio,  was  chosen  to  take  her  place.  Miss  S. 
remained  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Miss  Anna  Waggoner,  now  Mrs.  A.'M.  Strat- 
tan. Thus  Prof.  Herdman  remained  four 
years,  giving  entire  satisfaction  to  his  pa- 
trons, and  winning,  in  an  unusual  degree,  the 
love  and  respect  of  his  pupils. 

In  1866,  the  subject  of  building  a  school- 
house  was  warmly  discussed — indeed,  it  was 
hot.  Several  sites  were  proposed,  but  it  re- 
quired an  efibrt  of  the  board  to  get  the  peo- 
ple to  say  they  wanted  any.  The  effort  cost 
Bogan,  Sattertield  and  others  their  positions. 
But  a  site  was  chosen — Lots  No.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5, 
6,  Block  4,  Green's  Addition,  and  a  deed  was 
obtained  of  Vi\  H.  Herdman  November  6, 
1866.  After  so  long  a  time,  a  large,  two- 
story  brick  building  was  erected,  costing 
about  $12,000,  and   having  two  large  rooms 


above  and  two  below.  A  Mr.  Barbour  was 
employed  to  teach,  but  got  cut  by  Duff  Green, 
one  of  his  pupils,  and  quit  before  his  time 
was  out.  E.  V.  Satterfield  finished  his  term. 
Then  followed  G.  W.  Johnson  in  1869,  then 
Ryder,  Forbes,  Wilson,  Woodward,  Courtney, 
Frohock  and  Barnhart,  the  present  Principal. 
It  was  made  a  gi-aded  school  under  Mj. 
Ryder. 

When  the  schoolhouse  was  finished,  the 
classes  that  had  been  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  went  into  it.  Those  in  the 
Presbyterian  Chm-ch  remained  till  1878. 
The  contract  made  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  August  3,  1859,  by  N.  Johnston,  C. 
T.  Pace  and  I.  G.  Carpenter,  Directors,  was 
for  the  use  of  the  room  ninety-nine  years, 
for  females  only;  the  Directors  were  to  finish 
the  house  and  keep  it  continually  in  good  re- 
pair, and  to  keep  account  of  all  expenses,  and 
the  church  could  annul  the  contract  by  re- 
funding the  sum  expended.  In  1878,  the 
church  asked  for  a  settlement.  The  Directors 
presented  a  bill  of  about  1555.  The  Trustees 
of  the  church  thought  this  too  much,  as  noth- 
ing had  been  done  but  lathing  and  plaster- 
ing the  room,  running  a  partition  and  put- 
ting up  two  cheap  privies  and  fencing  the 
lots.  They  specially  kicked  at  $50  or  $60 
for  the  privies.  They  also  claimed  to  have 
kept  up  the  repairs.  They  also  wanted  some- 
thing for  the  seats  that  were  in  the  room  at 
first,  but  now  gone.  A  hot  war  was  brewing, 
but  was  finally  compromised  by  the  Trustees 
allowing  the  Directors  to  use  the  rooms  for 
one  more  term  and  paying  $50.  Thencefor- 
ward, the  school  was  consolidated.  In  1881, 
an  addition  eighty  feet  long  was  erected,  and 
now  oiir  six  or  seven  hundred  pupils  are 
pretty  well   accommodated. 

Country  Schools. — The  first  school  in  the 
township,  outside  of  Mount  Vernon,  was 
taught  by  the  late  William  H.  Chastain.    He 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


325 


came  in  ]  338,  and  located  near  the  spring, 
near  where  Johnson  Hutchison  lives,  about 
three  miles  northeast  of  town.  Finding  out 
that  he  was  a  teacher,  the  neighbors  com- 
bined and  put  up  a  log  house  on  the  rise — 
now  the  eastern  part  of  Joseph  Dawson's 
farm.  Here  Ghastain,  Holt,  Leech,  Stockton 
and  others  taught  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  pati'ons  of  these  schools  were  O.  Harlow, 
Mr.  Lisenby  (Chastaiu's  father-in-law),  Bur- 
rell  "Warren,  James  Carroll  (who  lived  near 
where  George  Stitch  lives),  A.  D.  Estes 
(near  the  mouth  of  Two  Mile),  Freeman 
Bm-nett,  Mr.  Marlow,  the  Summerses,  the 
Yearwoods,  etc. 

As  the  country  liecame  more  populous,  a 
division  became  necessary,  and  a  school  was 
taught  in  the  Cumberland  Church  at  the 
Camp  Ground,  by  a  Mr.  Wineburger.  I 
think  the  next  school  there  was  taught  by 
Miss  Hamline,  now  Mrs.  William  B.  Casey, 
Miss  Tempe  Short  following  in  the  summer, 
and  William  H.  Summers  the  next  winter. 
These  schools  were  about  1848  to  1851. 
The  writer  taught  tlu-ee  schools  there  in 
1853,  1854,  1855.  July  12,  1856,  John 
Wright  conveyed  to  J.  R.  Satterfield,  W.  M. 
A.  Maxey  and  R.  A.  Grant,  Township  Trust- 
ees, a  lot  beerinninn:  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  Pleasant  Hill  Church  lot,  running  north 
208  feet,  east  208  feet,  south  208  feet  and 
west  to  beginning. 

About  the  time  the  Chastain  or  hickory  log 
house  fell  into  disuse,- and  the  division  above 
spoken  of  ensued,  the  northern  neighborhood 
erected  a  house  of  split  logs  near  Hiram 
Duncan's.  This  was  known  as  the  Split  Log, 
the  Seven  Mile,  or  the  Duncan  Schoolhouse. 
After  doing  service  for  live  or  six  years,  this 
house   was   bm-nt   down,   and    in    1853    the 


hewed  log  house  was  erected  near  the  same 
place,  where  most  of  the  people  in  that  part 
of  the  township  received  their  education. 

After  the  Hutchisons  and  some  others  came 
into  the  border  neighborhood,  between  Mount 
Vernon  and  the  Camp  Ground,  still  another 
schoolhouse  was  demanded,  and  a  site  was 
secured  from  John  W.  Summers  April  7, 
1856.  It  is  described  as  beginning  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  Section  22,  Town- 
ship 2,  Range  3,  running  south  ten  rods,  east 
eight  rods,  north  ten  rods,  and  west  to  be- 
ginning. A  house  was  built  here,  and  so 
continues,  except  the  addition  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet  to  the  north  end. 

Later  school  buildings  are  of  such  recent 
date  as  to  require  but  brief  notice.  The  Col- 
lins Schoolhouse  was  built  on  a  lot  bought 
from  Joshua  C.  Maxey  Maj  3,  1863.  It  is 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  4,  and  is  eight  rods  wide  firom 
north  to  south,  and  twenty  from  east  to  west. 
The  Block  Schoolhouse  was  built  in  a  district 
organized  chiefly  by  the  efforts  of  C.  G. 
Vaughn,  and  is  built  on  a  square  half-acre 
bought  of  Garner  Mc Walker  October  9,  1876. 

It  is  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 16.  The  Waite  Schoolhouse  was  built 
on  a  lot  bought  of  Mrs.  Jane  C.  Webber  De- 
cember 6,  1880.  The  boundary  of  the  lot 
begins  24.89  chains  west  of  quarter-section 
corner  on  the  east  side  of  Section  35,  Town- 
ship 2,  Range  3,  runs  east  4.47  chains,  south 
2.23  chains,  we.st  4.47  chains,  north  2.23 
chains  to  beginning.  The  schools  in  these 
houses  are  well  sustained,  and  the  people  aim 
to  employ  better  teachers  and  have  better 
schools  with  each  succeeding  year. 


3a6 


HISTORY  or  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   VI.* 


MOUNT  VERNON— TOWN    SURVEYS  AND  ADDITIONS—"  MORE   THAN   ANY  MAN   CAN  NUMBER"- 

CASEY'S  ADDITION— GREEN'S,  STRATTAN'S  AND  SEVERAL  OTHERS— THE    NUMBER  OF  ACRES 

COVERED  BY  THE    CITY— MUNICIPAL  GOVERNMENT— CITY   OFFICIALS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"VXT^E  have  already  noticed  the  sm'vey  of 
V  V  the  original  town  of  Mount  Vernon. 
It  is  dated  July  10,  1819,  and  signed  by 
William  Hosick.  The  question  is  often 
asked  why  our  corners  aft'e  not  right 
angles.  A  sufficient  answer  is  found 
in  "  Will's "  statement  of  his  beginning 
and  first  line:  "  The  public  square  be- 
ginning at  the  northwest  corner  at  a  mul- 
berry stake,  running  thence  thirteen  degrees 
east,  agreeably  to  the  magnetical  direction 
ran  by  a  compass  made  by  Thomas  Whitney, 
of  Pihladelphia,  No.  419,  thirteen  poles  to 
another  stake  of  the  same  description,"  etc. 
This  was  the  west  line.  The  survey  and  plat 
are  acknowledged  by  Henry  B.  Maxey,  John 
Jordan  and  William  J.  Tunstall,  before  Oliver 
Morris,  Justice  of  the  Peace.  The  fact  that 
William  Casey  sold  ninety  rods  off  the  west 
side  of  the  quarter  section  on  which  the  town 
stood  to  James  Gray  has  been  referred  to. 
Gray  sold  a  lot  to  theMethodist  Church  Sep- 
tember 8,  1835.  September  12,  1885,  he 
also  sold  to  John  Johnson  all  the  ground  he 
owned  east  of  the  town  and  north  of  Bunyaa 
street,  now  Blocks  14  and  15.  August  25, 
1837,  he  sold  a  square  acre  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  his  tract  to  Rhodam  Allen,  now 
Block  31 ;  October  5,  1887,  he  sold  to  James 
Ross,  Df.  Adams  and  John  Stanford  all  the 
ground  he  owned  west  of  the  town  and  south 
of  Banyan  street,  now  Block  G;  October  7, 
1839,  he  sold  to  W.  S.  Van  Cleve  a  strip  in- 

*By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johnson. 


eluding  the  ground  where  Merrill's  livery 
stable  stands,  running  as  tar  west  as  Mrs. 
Baltzell's  and  back  to  the  alley.  Downing 
Baugh  bought  all  the  ground  Gray  owned 
south  of  the  town  and  east  of  Union  street, 
now  Blocks  3  and  4. 

Some  of  these  were  at  once  laid  out  in  lots. 
Adams,  Ross  &  Stanford's  Addition,  of  six 
lots  with  a  twenty-one  foot  alley — "North 
west  Alley" — on  the  west,  was  surveyed  by 
Daniel  P.  Wilbanks,  De^juty  Surveyor,  No- 
vember 27,  1837.  Baugh's  Addition  of 
thirty-two  lots  in  two  blocks  was  laid  out  by 
the  same  surveyor,  April  20,1838,  comprising 
the  ground  above  named;  the  blocks  were 
not  numbered.  The  lots  were  numbered 
retroversely;  acknowledgement  taken  by 
Noah  Johnston.  The  title  to  the  lots  in  this 
addition  was  pretty  badly  tangled  for  some 
time,  but  finally  came  out  pretty  straight  in 
most  cases. 

By  this  time  Gray  had  sold  out  most  of  his 
land  around  the  town  that  was  available  for 
building  lots.  Very  naturally  the  Village 
Trustees  wished  to  see  the  town  grow  and 
branch  oat  in  good  shape;  so  they,  and  not 
Jimmy  Gray,  as  some  supjjose,  but  no  doubt, 
at  Gray'8  suggestion,  employed  John  Storm, 
County  Surveyor  of  White  County,  to  come 
up  and  survey  the  town.  Storm's  survey 
was  to  include  all  the  tracts  just  mentioned 
and  what  Gray  had  left  and  the  original 
town.  Fortunately,  there  was  not  a  block  in 
the  whole  menagerie,  so  he  was  free  to  num- 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


327 


ber  his  blocks  any  way;  but  wherever  lots 
were  immbered  the  numbers  could  not  be 
changed.  This  explains  the  numbers  run- 
ning so  irregularly  in  some  parts  of  the  town. 
The  ninety  rods  off  the  west  side  of  the  quar- 
ter section  made  about  ninety-  four  acres. 
The  plat  is  dated  September  18,  1840.  The 
key  corner  stone  was  set  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Section  29,  and  the  variation  main- 
tained 0  degrees.  The  blocks  ran  from  1 
in  the  southwest  corner  to  35  in  the  north- 
east. Block  24  and  several  others  in  the 
north  and  east  were  not  lotted;  they  were 
so  far  from  town  and  so  badly  in  the  woods, 
Storm  states  in  his  certificate,  that  the  survey 
was  "made  pm-suant  to  the  request  of  the 
Trustees  of  said  town."  The  survey  and 
field  notes  fill  thirty  pages  of  the  record, 
Book  C,  and  J.  R.  Sattertield,  Recorder,  cer- 
tifies that  they  were  recorded  from  the  Ist 
to  the  27th  of  September,  1845. 

But  of  all  the  parties  interested,  not  a 
man  but  Jimmy  Gray  acknowledged  the 
"act  and  deed."  This  raised  grave  doubts  as 
to  the  legality  of  it.  Hence  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  was  procured  and  approved  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1843,  declaring  "  That  the  survey 
of  the  town  of  Mount  Vernon  in  Jefferson 
County,  made  by  John  Storms  in  the  year 
1840,  and  the  plats  and  profiles  made  by 
him  of  said  survey,  are  hereby  legalized  and 
shall  be  taken  and  received  in  all  courts  as 
prima  facia  evidence  of  the  facts  therein  con- 
tained and  set  forth,  and  the  beginnings, 
endings,  boundaries  and  abuttals  thereby  es- 
tablished are  hereby  legalized  and  con- 
firmed." Thus  perfected.  Storms'  survey  has 
remained  almost  unchanged.  In  February, 
1865,  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  six  feet  were 
taken  off  the  east  side  of  Washington  street 
from  Main  to  Harrison,  and  added  to  the 
several  lots,  but  in  March,  1869,  this  was  re- 
pealed.     Block  24  was  laid  off  into   thirteen 


lots  for  J.  F.  Wataon  by  B.  R.  Cunningham, 
April  27,  1880.  And  Varnell  opened  an  alley 
in  Block  19,  and  S.  H.  Watson  and  others 
an  alley  through  Block  26.  Lots  7  and  8, 
Block  12,  have  been  cut  up  by  H.  T.  Pace's 
heirs,  but  no  record  made  of  it.  It  may  be 
added  that  Storms'  chain  may  have  been 
just  slightly  too  long,  as  many  of  his  lines 
overrun  a  little.  I  may  also  add,  as  I  am 
better  at  addition  than  multiplication,  that 
Judge  Pollock,  April  14,  1881,  carved  four 
lots  out  of  the  parts  of  Blocks  28,  29,  30 
and  31,  lying  west  of  the  Salem  road.  He 
opened  a  street  and  an  alley,  biit  failed  to 
give  them  names,  and  A.  Curt.  Johnson  has 
divided  Block  5  into   lots. 

Casey's  Addition  soon  followed  Storms' 
survey.  November  14,  1840,  Zadok  Casey 
had  E.  M.  Grant,  Deputy  Surveyor,  to  lay 
out  some  lots  on  a  triangular  piece  of  ground 
just  west  of  town,  from  the  Nashville  road  to 
the  Carlyle  road.  It  had  been  a  field.  He 
moved  his  east  fences  back  to  a  line  west  of 
where  Judge  Casey  lives,  and  the  town 
looked  expansive.  He  built  two  cottages  and 
a  store,  now  on  Main  street,  and  invited  im- 
provement. But  Jarvis  Pierce  had  an  idea 
that  the  improvement  would  take  the  opposite 
direction,  and  center  about  the  academy;  so 
he  bought  a  strip  ten  rods  wide,  and  about 
fifty  rods  fi-om  north  to  south,  in  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  Section  32,  from  James 
Gray,  and  laid  out  sixteen  lots,  with 
Seminary  street  twenty  feet  wide  on  the 
west  side,  and  South  street  fifty  feet  wide  on 
the  south.  This  was  done  by  A.  M.  Grant, 
Deputy  Surveyor,  May  18,  1841;  and  Pierce's 
Addition  stretched  from  where  Mr.  Brun- 
ing  lives  toward  the  Sunny  South.  But  Jar- 
vis  failed  to  pay  for  the  ground;  failed  to 
sell  lots,  failed  all  over,  and  it  all  "  went 
under."  He  and  Albert  Towle  and  Almon  N. 


32S 


HISTORY   OK  JEFFEHSOX  COUNTY. 


Towle,  his  nephews,  held  Gray's  bond  for  a 
deed,  bui  it  did  no  (jood.  In  September  of 
the  same  year,  the  same  three  men.  with  Joel 
Pace,  laid  oat  South  street,  hoping  this 
would  help  Pierce's  Addition  out.  It  ran 
from  Union  street  east  639  feet,  and  was 
sixty-six  feet  wide.  There  was  noth i  ng  but 
open  jirairie  south  of  it — nothing  to  hinder 
its  being  630  feet  wide.  It  was  not  surveyed, 
but  it  was  recorde(1  twice.  The  first  time  they 
had  it  south  of  BlocKs  3,  4  and  5  of  Baugh's 
Addition.  But  they  found  there  were  but  two 
blocks  in  the  addition,' and  they  next  got  it 
south  of  Baugh's  and  R<iss.  Stanford  & 
Adams'  Additions.  This  wiis  no  better,  but 
they  let  it  go  so — and  I  don't  know  that  it 
ever  came  back.  Our  blood  did  not  call 
for  any  more  additions  until  after  the  Su- 
preme Court  came.  Ca.^ey's  Second  Addition 
was  the  result.  Gov.  Casey  moved  his  fences 
in  again,  and  May  5,  1854,  W.  B.  Anderson 
surveyed  one  tier  of  lots  south  of  Bvinyan 
street  two  blocks  north  of  them,  a  huge 
block  for  the  Supreme  Court,  and  three 
blocks  north  of  that  The  lots  ran  from  1 
to  *25.  On  the  plat  of  the  huge  block  afore- 
said was  written  "Block  1. donated  to  the  State 
of  Illinois."  This  was  all  the  "  Block"  in  it, 
and  this  is  all  the  deed  the  State  ever  had  for 
that.  Fourth  street,  which  ran  north  and 
south  from  the  middle  of  the  court  house 
lot,  was  soon  after  vacated.  The  court  house 
and  the  Presbyterian  "Church  soon  brought 
this  addition  into  notice. 

Green's  Addition  came  next.  The  tidal 
vrave  had  moved  west — it  now  turns  back  to 
the  east.  Billy  Casey  had  sold  the  east  sev- 
enty acres  of  this  quarter  section  to  Stins. 
Anderson.  March  1,  1836.  Anderson  had 
sold  it  to  Edward  Ridgway,  April  4.  1850, 
and  at  length.  October  *20.  1856.  Ridgway 
had  sold  it  to  Dr.  W.  Duff  Green.  When 
Storm  made  his  survev.  evervtbing  east  and 


north  of  where  Fletcher  Johnson  now  lives 
was  iu  the  woods,  except  an  awfully  small 
and  more  awfully  stumpy  field  on  the  hil) 
north  of  the  Fairfield  road,  and  a  field  not 
quite  so  small  and  stumpy  soutli  of  it.  But 
now  those  fields  had  growa  v.-istly.  and  mere- 
ly a  few  clumps  of  the  blackjack  woods  were 
left.  So  Dr.  Green.  October  29.  1859,  had 
Mr.  L.  J.  Germain.  Deputy  Surveyor,  under 
Mr.  Grant,  lay  otit  the  entire  seventy  acres 
into  blocks  and  lots.  This  added  seventeen 
blocks  to  the  town,  in  throe  tiers  running 
north  and  south,  with  Breckinridge  and 
Spring  streets  between,  and  Green  street 
separjiting  all  from  the  old  town,  Jesse  J. 
Fly  owned  Block  7;  H.  D.  Hinman  most  of 
Block  17;  Block  9  was  owned  by  Dr.  Brown; 
Dr.  Green  reserved  Block  12  for  his  home, 
and  15  and  16  included  the  s))rings,  so  that 
these  blocks,  as  well  as  two  and  three,  were 
not  lotted.  The  street  between  15  and  16 
was  soon  after  vacated.  Fly  had  Block  7 
divided  into  lots  by  a  Mr.  William  S.  Morgan. 
Deputy  Surveyor.  April  9. 1861,  making  eleven 
lots,  except  a  strip  at  the  northeast  corner 
that  he  did  not  own.  Indeed,  he  did  not  own 
near  all  the  rest.  Frank  Parker  coming  in 
on  the  west  and  Benjamin  Miller  on  the 
east.  etc.  Block  9  was  subdivided  by  B.  R. 
Cunningham.  February  26,  1880,  or  rather 
he  surveyed  and  platted  its  seven  lots,  for  it 
was  already  divided  among  as  many  owners. 
The  rest  of  this  addition  remains  about  as  it 
was.  Improvement  progressed  slowly  until 
the  railroad  was  built,  when  it  swept  over  the 
whole  addition  like  another  tidal  wave. 
Newby's  Addition,  surveyed  by  Germain 
June  '20,  1860.  also  improved  slowly  for  sev- 
eral years  and  experienced  a  like  revival 
when  the  railroad  was  first  built.  Perhaps 
a  sufficient  clew  to  the  location  of  this  addi- 
tion is  furnished  by  the  record,  for  it  seems 
to   have   one   corner    at   the    intersection  of 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


329 


Breckinridge  street '  and  the  Shawneetown 
road,  its  northeast  comer.  The  record 
don't  say  where  it  is. 

As  soon  as  the  railroad  was  an  assured 
thing,  several  more  additions  were  made. 
Samuel  Iv.  Caser  came,  bought  out  the  Gov. 
Casey  heirs,  and  October  9.  1S67,  had  a 
large  square  tract  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  30  laid 
out  into  twenty-one  lots.  TJie  southeast  cor- 
ner, or  key  corner,  is  north  68  degrees 
west  3.90  chains  from  the  key  corner  of 
Storm's  survey,  vernier  set  at  zero.  This 
throws  it  150  feet  west  of  First  street 
or  the  Brownsville  road;  Mills  and  Elm  ai-e 
its  principal  streets.  Gov.  Casey  had  sold  a 
lot  at  the  corner  of  First  and  Bunyan  to 
Dr.  Short,  and  lots  fronting  on  First  to  va- 
rious persons  from  time  to  time,  south  of  the 
Short  lot  and  running  back  the  same  dis- 
tance. After  Samuel  Casey  had  platted  his 
square,  as  he  called  it,  it  was  hard  for  the 
Assessor  to  pi-operly  describe  the  lots  between 
it  and  First  street,  as  they  hardly  seemed  to 
be  still  "  parts  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  30.  Town  2 
Range  3."  So  Samuel  W.  Jones,  then  Treas- 
urer and  Assessor,  had  the  County  Surveyor 
make  a  plat  of  those  lots.  Joel  Pace  owned  one 
at  the  corner:  N.  C.  Pace  one  west  of  that, 
and  south  of  it  were  lots  owned  by  Samuel 
Hawkins,  T.  H.  Herdman,  J.  J.  Garrison's 
heirs,  J.  J.  Fly,  J.  F.  Johnson  and  J.  &  J. 
Slevin.  a  bad  place  for  jays.  The  surveyor's 
plat  of  these  lots  has  no  name  on  the  record, 
but  is  generally  known  as  the  Williams  Sur- 
vey. It  was  made  May  21,  186S.  Then  in 
the  same  year,  August  3.  S.  K.  Casey's  Sec- 
ond Addition  was  surveyed.  It  lies  entirely 
west  and  north  of  the  Supreme  Court  Irjt, 
beginning  sisty  feet  west  and  sixty  feet 
north  of  the  northwest  corner  of  it.  It  con- 
sists of  two  tiers  of  large  lots,  its  lots  being 


numbered  from  1  to  9.  The  town  now 
reached  as  far  west  as  the  depot  south  of  the 
railroad,  and  as  far  as  the  west  line  of  Bell's 
and  Goodale's  lots,  etc.,  north  of  the  raih'oad. 

The  pendulum  of  improvement  now  swings 
to  the  east,  and  A.  M.  Strattan  opens  up 
Strattan's  Addition.  May  7,  1869.  This  is 
on  the  same  tract  with  Green's  Second,  that 
is.  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  Section  29,  Town  2,  Range  3.  The 
Yearwoods  ovmed  eighteen  rods  off  the 
east  side,  and  Strattan  had  bought  a  strip 
west  of  theirs,  5.235  chains  wide,  and 
sold  an  acre  off  the  south  end  to  Fitch;  on 
the  rest  he  laid  out  his  addition.  But 
it  is  described  as  beginning  at  .a  point 
fifteen  feet  south  and  176  feet  west  of  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
29,  thus  lapping  over  on  to  the  Tear- 
woods  121  feet  A  recent  deed  from  Dr. 
Green,  however,  corrects  this  error.  This 
addition  contains  four  lots.  Rynd  L.  Sti'at- 
tan  put  a  good  house  and  iiarn  on  No.  1,  now 
owned  by  Dawson,  and  the  rest  are  unim  • 
proved.  In  fact,  the  Sti-attans  have  sold  two 
strips,  fifty  and  twenty  feet,  off  the  east  side 
of  Lot  No.  -i,  and  what  is  left  is  two  feet 
eight  inches  wide  by  630  feet  long. 

Then  the  pendulum  swings  back  to  the 
west,  and  S.  K.  Casey's  Third  .Addition  is 
thrown  open.  It  was  surveyed  by  John  A. 
Garber,  civil  engineer.  January  25,  1870. 
It  includes  seven  blocks,  on  both  sides  of 
the  railroad,  north  of  Bunyan  street  or  the 
Ashley  road,  and  lies  just  within  the  western 
limits  of  the  city,  extending  to  Bogan  street. 
It  is  there,  and  seems  to  be  well  fastened 
down  with  stakes  and  things,  but  it's  hard  to 
tell  how  it  got  there,  for  Garber  located  it  on 
the  northwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  Section  30.  Town  2.  Range  3,  about  where 
the  big  pond  is.      Then  it  swung  back  to  the 


330 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFKRSON  COUNTY. 


east— the  pendulum— and  Varnell's  First 
Addition  was  the  result.  Varnell  owned  the 
south  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  29,  and  Novem- 
ber 24,  1870,  he  laid  out  about  half  of  it 
along  the  Fairfield  road — or  Main  street — 
into  lots,  in  three  blocks.  It  is  ninety  feet 
seven  inches,  widest  at  the  east  end. 

The  improvement  now  swings  round  to  the 
south.  First,  Green's  Second  Addition, 
January  4,  1871,  took  in  or  let  out  all  he 
had  left  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  29.  The  Doc- 
tor seldom  did  things  by  littles — don't  think 
he  ever  gave  a  quit-claim  deed,  but  always 
a  warranty. )  There  are  nine  blocks,  only 
the  first  four  being  laid  out  in  lots;  all  the 
rest  fronted  on  the  Fair  Ground  road.  But 
the  demand  for  lots  was  such  that  September 
18,  1871,  he  divided  Block  5  and  the  south 
part  of  Block  6  into  lots.  This  is  Green's  Di- 
vision, etc.  He  had  sold  300  feet  off  the  north 
end  of  Block  6  to  the  Lowrys.  This  Second 
Addition  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Lee  ave- 
nue and  the  east  line  of  the  tract,  on  the 
west  by  Park  avenue,  and  divided  in  the  mid- 
dle by  Lee  avenue.  Next,  Augixst  10,  1871, 
George  S.  Winslow  throws  over  seventy-five 
acres  of  lots  into  the  market  in  Winslow' s 
Addition.  It  occupied  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  northeast  quarter  and  all  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter,  except 
four  and  one -half  acres  ofi"  the  south  side  of 
Section  32.  Its  avenues  ran  east  and  west, 
Casey,  Opdyke,  Castleton,  Walnut  and  New- 
by;  its  streets,  Temple,  Water  and  Sum- 
mer, north  and  south.  It  had  224  lots  and 
no  blocks.  Lot  No.  222,  including  the  ma- 
chine shop  grounds.  But  afterward,  Decem- 
ber 22,  1S77,  Lots  1  to  166  were  vacated, 
except  Lot  No.  128,  being  all  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion   32,    except    one    lot.       Still    swinging 


around,  we  ne>  see  Newby's  Second  Addi- 
tion, August  29,  1871. 

It  is  more  definitely  located  than  his  first, 
beffinnino-  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  32,  running  north  140  feet,  east  714 
feet,  south  492  feet,  west  714  feet,  and  north 
322  feet.  All  lies  south  of  the  shops,  at  the 
extreme  south  end  of  town  Then,  Novem- 
ber 14,  1871,  John  Liebundgut  lays  out  an 
addition,  west  of  Winslow's,  on  ten  acres 
north  of  the  railroad,  bought  of  Joel  Face. 
This  addition  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  south 
end  of  Washington  street.  It  vas  part  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  the  noj  jwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  32,  extending  south  407  feet 
and  west  633  feet,  from  the  northeast  cor- 
ner. 

But  there  is  still  a  demand  1  Jots  in  the 
east;  so,  August  8,  1872,  De  's  Addition 
begins.  John  Yearwood  had,  I'ebruary  18, 
1865,  sold  thirty-one  rods  eight  links  off  the 
south  end  of  his  five  acres,  eighteen  rods  wide, 
to  Joe;  the  next  October  Joe  sold  it  to  Bob, 
and  in  June,  1868.  Bob  sold  the  west  half  of  it 
to  Eussel  Dewy.  Dewy,  then,  April  20, 1870, 
bought  fifty  feet  off  the  east  side  of  Lot  4, 
Strattan's  Addition,  to  give  hira  an  outlet  to 
Main  street.  He  then  laid  out  his  addition,  as 
above  stated.  This  addition,  according  to  the 
recorded  survey,  has  these  impossible  bound- 
aries: Beginning  255  feet  south  and  nine  rods 
west  of  the  northeast  corner  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
29,  Town  2,  Range  3,  running  south  301  feet, 
west  19Si  feet,  north  595  feet,  east  fifty  feet, 
south  234  feet,  east  ISSi  feet,  to  beginning. 
There  are  nine  lots,  1  and  2  reaching  for 
Main  street,  the  rest  lying  east  and  west. 
Then,  April  22,  1873,  Varnell  lays  out  his 
Second  Addition,  covering  the  rest  of  his 
twenty-acre  tract.  There  is  one  tier  of  lots 
in  three  blocks,    reaching   across  the  north- 


iX'r 


V,7 


'Mf 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


333 


west  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 29.  This  and  Dewey's  were  surveyed  by 
B.  C.  Wells.  With  these  additions  the  dis- 
position to  go  east  seems  to  have  been  ex- 
hausted, and  the  movement  has  since  been 
in  the  opposite  direction. 

May  14,  1874,  Fry's  Addition  of  twenty- 
two  lots  is  surveyed,  with  First  street  on  the 
east  and  Franklin  street  on  the  we.st.  This 
street,  of  course,  was  named  in  honor  of 
Franklin  S.  Casey,  Z.  A.  Fry's  father-in-law. 
This  addition  occupies  the  east  part  of  the 
south  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  31.  April  26, 
1875,  John  J.  Casey's  Addition  was  surveyed 
by  S.  C.  Polk.  John  had  inherited  six  acres 
west  of  S.  K.  Casey's  First  Addition  and  of 
Fifth  street,  extending  fi'om  the  Ashley  road 
siiuth  w  the  south  line  of  Section  30,  and 
about  six  and  one-third  chains  in  width. 
This  he  laid  out  into  five  lots,  one  west  of 
Edge  wood  street  and  four  east  of  it.  in  a 
few  years.  Buck  Casey  bought  the  foui'  east 
lots,  and  February  25,  1878,  had  them  cut 
up  into  twenty-six  lots,  under  the  name  of 
William  B.  Casey's  Subdivision.  December 
I.  1876,  Noah  Johnston's  Addition  was  sur- 
veyed. It  differs  from  all  other  additious, 
It  has  no  streati,  no  alleys,  and  each  lot  is 
totally  unlike  the  rest  in  both  shape  and  di- 
mensions. It  is  an  irregular  triangle,  bounded 
by  the  section  line  between  Sections  29  and 
30  an  the  east  and  the  Carlyle  road  on  the 
southwest.  There  are  four  lots;  No.  1  is  a 
small  wedge,  while  No.  4  has  600  feet  front 
on  the  road  and  the  same  on  its  north  or 
northwest  line,  and  over  700  on  the  east. 
No.  4  is  the  Major's  home,  and  his  "  cabin" 
ha-;  been  there  fifty  years.  William  T. 
Pace's  Addition,  January  20,  1877,  is  the 
last  "Harvey  Pace's  meadow,"  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
Section  32,  was  a  well-known  held  for  many 


a  long  year.  When  its  owner  died,  his 
heirs,  in  making  a  division  of  his  estate, 
found  it  convenient  to  convey  this  tract  to 
William  T.  Pace,  a  grandson,  and  have  him 
cut  it  up  into  lots  and  re-convey  to  each  as 
might  be  agreeable.  It  contains  six  blocks, 
three  on  each  side  of  Casey  street,  with  two 
east  and  west  avenues — the  northern  Pace 
avenue;  the  southern,  Virginia. 

xis  a  result  of  all  these  surveys,  Mount 
Vernon  has  about  500  acres  now  laid  out 
into  875  lots,  of  which  about  490  are  im- 
proved and  385  unimproved. 

Municipal  Government. — The  effort  to  in- 
corporate Mount  Vernon  was  made  in  1837. 
At  that  time  the  statute  required  a  popula- 
tion of  150  to  entitle  towns  to  be  incorpo- 
rated, 80  an  act  was  passed  to  enable  Mount 
Vernon,  Mount  Salem  and  Carlyle  to  incor- 
porate without  the  requisite  population  un- 
der the  general  law.  But  the  records  of  the 
town  are  now  lost  and  few  of  its  officers  re- 
main. The  government  continued  for  nearly 
ten  years  before  it  faded  out  and  had  to  be 
renewed.  Theu  it  ran  on  for  nearly  twenty 
years  longer  before  it  had  to  be  sent  to  the 
renovator  again.  See  below.  It  generally 
appeared  in  feeble  health,  but  in  1853,  when 
Capt.  Newby  tried  the  experiment  of  starting 
a  saloon  on  South  Union  street  without  its 
authority,  he  found  it  was  still  alive.  At  the 
end  of  six  months,  he  had  to  move  out. 
John  Johnson,  William  Edwards,  A.  Melcher 
and  D.  Baugh  were  members  of  the  old 
board  for  years;  we  understand  there  were 
not  many  third  termers  in  the  later  board. 

May  2,  1804,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  was 
held  to  decide  whether  or  not  they  would  be 
incorporated  under  the  general  law.  R.  W. 
Lyon  was  President  and  A.  N.  Pace  Secre- 
tary of  the  meeting.  A  vote  was  taken  and 
was  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  propo.-iitiou 
— 82  to  0.     On  the  17th  of  the   same  month, 


334 


HISTOKY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


an  election  for  Trustees  was  held,  and  among 
nearly  twenty  candidates,  the  five  who  re- 
ceived the  highest  votes  were  T.  B.  Tanner, 
83;  Thomas  H.  Hobbs,  64;  Harvey  T.  Pace, 
64;  J.  J.  Holloman,  62;  J.  R.  Satterlield, 
61.  John  H.  Pace  receivod  60  votes  for 
Police  Magistrate,  D.  C.  "Warren,  with  24. 
being  the  nest  highest  man.  The  Trustees 
were  sworn  in  by  J.  S.  Bogan  June  13, 
1864,  and  the  board  was  ready  for  busine.ss. 
Most  of  this,  however,  was  routine  business, 
and  not  much  to  note,  except  the  annual 
struggle  on  the  license  question,  which  we 
may  consider  under  the  head  of  temperance 
movements. 

In  1872,  Mount  Vernon  became  a  city  un- 
der the  general  law  respecting  cities  and  vil- 
lages. The  last  Board  of  Trustees  was  "Wal- 
ter E.  Carlin,  President;  John  N.  Satter- 
field,  Clerk;  and  James  D.  Johnson,  Russell 
Dewy,  Newton  C.  Pace  and  William  E. 
Jackson,  Trustees.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  Mayors  and  Aldermen  under  the  city 
government: 

1872 — J.  M.  Pace,  Mayor;  T.  Hansacker, 
T.  H.  Hobbs,  A.  Smart,  J.  J.  Bambrook,  Al- 
dermen. W.  D.  Watson  succeeded  Smart  in 
the  fall.     Four  wards  and  four  Aldermen. 

1873— N.  C.  Pace,  Mayor;  H.  W.  Seimer, 
R.  Dewey,  C.  A.  Loomis,  J.  R.  Allen,  S.  S. 
Porter  and  J.  J.  Bambrook,  Aldermen.  Three 
wards  and  six  Aldermen. 

1874 — N.  C.  Pace,  Mayor;  James  Guthrie, 
H.  "W.  Seimer,  J.  Taylor,  C.  A.  Loomis,  Silas 
Downer  and  H.  Davisson,  Aldermen.  J.  Bam- 
brook succeeded  Downer,  moved  out  of  city. 

1875— G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  J.  Taylor, 
James  Guthrie,  C.  A.  Lnomis,  J.  A.  Clinton, 
J.  J.  Bambrook  and  H.  A.  Baker,  Aldermen. 

1876— G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  H.  A.  Baker, 
J.  J.  Bambrook,  J.  A.  Clintiin,  D.  B.  Good- 
rich, C.  A  Loomis  and  N.  C.  Pace,  Alder- 
men. In  September,  R.  L.  Strattan  ap- 
peared as  successor  to  Baker. 


1877— G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  J.  J.  Bam- 
brook, J.  A.  Clinton,  J.  B.  Crowder,  D.  B. 
Goodi-ich,  N.  C.  Pace  and  R  L.  Strattan, 
Aldermen. 

1878— G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  J.  J.  Bam- 
brook, J.  A.  Clinton,  J.  B.  Crowder,  D.  B. 
Goodi-ich,  Alexander  Smart  and  R.  L.  Strat- 
tan, Aldermen. 

1879  -G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  D.  B.  Good- 
rich, J.  D.  Johnson,  J.  A.  Clinton,  A.  Smart, 
H.  W.  Preston,  G.  W.  Yost,  Aldermen. 
Johnson  soon  moved  out  of  his  ward  and  was 
succeeded  by  M.  M.  Goodale;  then  Goodrich 
moved  out  and  was  succeeded  by  C.  D.  Ham. 

188()-G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  M.  M.  Good- 
iile,  C.  D.  Ham,  W.  A.  Keller,  H.  W.  Preston, 
S.  T.  Strattan  and  G.  W.  Yost,  Aldermen. 

1881— G.  H.  Varnell,  Mayor;  J.  R.  Allen, 
R.  Dewy,  C.  D.  Ham,  John  Gibson,  S.  T. 
Strattan  and  "W.  Barg  Casey,  Aldermen. 

1882— G.  H.  Vai-uell,  Mayor;  J.  R.  Al- 
len, R.  Dewey,  John  Gibson,  M.  M.  Goodale, 
A.  W.  Plummer  and  A.  M.  Strattan,  Aldermen. 

1883— H.  S.  Plummer,  Mayor;  M.  M. 
Goodale,  W.  T.  Goodrich,  R.  Dewy,  A.  W. 
Plummer,  A.  M.  Strattau  and  Q.  F.  M. 
Ward,  Aldermen. 

Peter  Brown  has  been  City  Clerk  ever 
since  1873. 

The  City  Marshals  were  E.  J.  Watson   in 
1872:  S.  D.  Cooper  in  1873;    J.  R   Guthrie, 
1877;  L  F.  Hamlin,  1878;  F.  W.  Fiy,  1878; 
T.  J.  Casey,   1879;    R.  A.  Smith.   1880;  and' 
C.  C.  Satteraeld,  1882. 

The  Police  Magistrates  were  John  H.  Pace, 
1872;  James  M.  Pace,  1874;  J.  \V.  Bauo;h, 
1876;  Wesley  Yost,  1880. 

The  City  Attorneys  were  T.  T.  Wilson, 
1872;  E.  V.  Satterlield,  1875;  T.  T.  Wilson, 
1877;  S.  Laird.  1879;  Albert  Watson,  1881; 
and  W.  H.  Green,  1881. 

The  Street  Commissioners  were  W.  D. 
Edgington  in  1874;  John  Maloney,  in  1878; 
and  in  1882,  G.  W.  Johnson. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEUSON  COUNTY- 


335 


CHAPTER    VII.* 


MOUNT  VERNON— TEMPERANCE  MOVEMENTS— THEIR  GOOD  WORK  IN  THE  COMMUNITY— VILLAGE 
OP  EAST  MOUNT  VERNON— MYSTIC  ORDERS— MASONS,  ODD  FELLOAVS,   ETC.— MISCEL- 
LANEOUS—WHICH     COMPRISES    FIRES,    FIRE    DEPARTMENT    AND    MANY 
OTHER  LOCAL    ITEMS— BIRTHS,  DEATHS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"Finis  coronal  opus." — Shukespeare. 

AS  the  temperance  movement  has  been 
one  of  the  most  important  factors  in 
our  public  life,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  give 
it  considerable  space  in  these  pages. 

The  first  temperance  organization  iii  the 
county  was  the  "  Mount  Vernon  Temperance 
Society,"  organized  in  March,  1832.  The 
basis  of  their  action  was  this  preliminary 
resolution : 

"  Refiolivd,  That  the  meeting  proceed  to 
form  a  temperance  society,  provided  they  can 
form  a  constitution  that  shall  be  free  from 
all  sectarian  taint  and  shall  be  liberal  in  all 
its  provisions." 

The  pledge  was  couched  in  Article  II  of 
the  Constitution,  as  follows:  "The  members 
of  this  society  mutually  agree  to  abstain 
from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  only  in  cases 
of  necessity,  and  they  further  agree  to  use 
their  influence  in  every  mild  and  prudent  way 
with  others  for  the  same  piu-pose."  It  will  be 
seen  th&t  this  language  is  very  ambiguous,  but 
everybody  understood  that  signing  the  pledge 
meant  temperance. 

Their  annual  meetings  were  to  be  held  in 
September,  with  other  meetings  at  the  call 
of  the  President  or  two  Managers,  As  they 
were  all  akin  to  us,  I  have  a  mind  to  give 
the  whole  outfit:  John  Baugh  was  President; 
Samuel  E.    Goodrich,    Vice  President;  Joel 

•  By  Dr.  A.  Clark  Johoson. 


Pace,  Secretary;  Joseph  Pace,  Abraham  T. 
Casey,  Samuel  Cummins  and  William  Cris- 
well,  Managers.  The  members  gathered 
from  the  whole  country  during  the  year  were 
Zadok  Casey,  Joel  Pace,  Abraham  M. 
Knapp,  Lewis  Johnson,  John  Baugh,  Jos- 
eph Pace,  William  Criswell,  Samuel  Cum- 
mins, Edward  Maxey,  John  Maxey,  John 
Milburn,  James  Overbay,  Abraham  Bnffing- 
ton,  Spencer  Pace,  Isaac  Casey  James  G. 
Bruce,  Edward  King,  Abraham  T.  Casey. 
Bennett  N.  Maxey,  Charles  H.  Maxey, 
Thomas  M.  Casey,  Samuel  E  Goodrich, 
Abel  Overbay,  Harvey  T.  Pace,  Nathan  Good- 
rich, James  Tally,  David  Little,  Polly  Baugh. 
John  Parker,  Margaret  Butfington,  Jane 
Buffington,  Susan  Buffington,  Jonathan 
Wells,  Rhodam  Allen,  James  A.  Brown. 
John  Hudlow,  John  C.  Casey,  James  Dodds, 
H.  J.  Scott,  Nathaniel  Parker,  Philip 
Buffington,  Ann  Anderson.  Margaret  Ander- 
son, Martha  Anderson,  Caroline  Anderson, 
Pamela  Pace,  Asabel  Bateman,  Sofronia 
Scott,  Jerusha  Wells,  Keziah  Scott,  Sarah 
Scott,  Scynthia  Scott,  Mary  Knapp,  Rebecca 
W  ilkerson,  LittlemanWells,  Phebu  Pace,  Mary 
Wilkerson,  Mary  Atwood,  Patsy  Goodrich, 
Calendar  Goodrich,  Robert  Goodrich,  Mar- 
anda  Goodrich,  Elgelina  Goodrich,  Ai-milda 
Goodrich,  Henry  Goodrich,  Mary  Goodrich, 
Jehu  Scott,  Downing  Baugh,  Milly  Baugh, 
Mary  Pace,    Elihu  Maxey,   Loyd  Buffington, 


336 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSO]^  COUNTY. 


William  Maxey,  Wallace  Caldwell,  Samuel 
W.  Carpenter.  George  Johnston,  Goodman 
Elkins,  Ananias  Elkins.  Henry  B.  Maxey, 
Jehu  G.  D.  Maxey,  Robert  Maxwell,  Will- 
iam M.  A.  Maxey,  Henry  Tyler,  James  John- 
son, Lewis  Johnson,  Jr.,  John  N.  Johnson, 
William  F.  Johnson,  Matthew  M.  Taylor, 
William  Wells,  Eeubeu  S.  Crosuo,  Green 
B.  Wells,  John  Tyler,  Russell  Tyler,  Benja- 
min Patterson,  Azariah  Bruce,  John  Baugh, 
Jr.,  Allen  Hunt,  Marcus  Bruce,  John  Bruce. 
Sarah  Maxwell,  Sarah  Tyler,  Rhoda  Casey, 
Hannah  Taylor,  Elizabeth  Taylor.  Nancy 
Roland,  Delia  Hunt.  Folly  A.  Maxey,  Vy- 
linda  Casey,  Milla  Carpenter,  Elizabeth 
Bruce,  Eddy  Maxey.  Theodore  Masey,  Har- 
riet Casey,  Rhoda  Overbay,  Elizabeth  Casey, 
Catharine  Tyler,  Clarissa  Johnson,  Patsy 
Johnson,  Emily  Johnson,  Elizabeth  Johnson, 
Susan  Maxey,  Catherine  Maiey,  Luciuda 
Allen,  Polly  Crosno,  Rachel  Crosno,  Sally 
Crosno,  Mary  Maxey,  Elizabeth  Wells. 
Lucinda  Overbay,  Patsy  Bruce,  Elizabeth 
Baugh.  Emily  Baugh,  Sarah  Maxey,  Jarvis 
Pierce,  Peter  Bingaman,  -John  M.  Pace,  Joab 
Peterson,  Nancy  Pace,  E.  H.  Ridgway,  Sarah 
Maxey.  Nancy  Johnson,  Ransom  Moss,  Su- 
sannah Johnson,  H.  Bingaman,  William 
Bingaman,  John  E.  McBryau.  Margaret  E. 
Black.  Joel  Harlow,  James  Carroll.  Green 
Depriest.  Robert  Elkins,  Daniel  G.  Anderson, 
John  M  Lane.  William  Hicks,  Solomon  God- 
dard,  Gazaway  Elkins  and  Robert  Yearwood. 
At  the  first  meetings  of  this  society  Gov. 
Casey  was  the  chief  speaker.  Dr.  J.  S. 
Moore  came  in  the  fall  of  1833  and  took  a 
very  active  hand,  as  did  Rev.  John  Johnson, 
who  came  in  from  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of 
1834.  The  impulse  was  sustained  by  the  ar- 
rival of  Rev.  John  Van  Cleve  as  Presiding 
Elder  the  next  year.  But  it  was  such  a 
sweeping  revival  that  a  lull  followed;  yet  a 
new  constitution   was  drawn   up,  and  under 


the  name  of  the  Jefferson  County  Temper 
unce  Society,  met  on  the  4th  of  July,  and 
sometimes  oftener.  Among  the  Presidents 
were  John  Baugh,  Sr.,  Edward  Masey.  Jos- 
eph Pace,  Downing  Baugh,  Arba  Andrews 
and  John  Johnson.  The  record  of  this  so- 
ciety, preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Pio- 
neer Association,  extends  to  1840. 

Another  record  in  the  same  archives  begins 
the  story  of  a  new  society,  January  25,  1842, 
under  the  old  name,  Jefferson  County  Tem- 
perance Society.  Judge  ^Scates  was  one  of 
the  leading  spirits.  James  Kirby  was  Chair- 
man and  H.  T.  Pace  Secretary  of  the  first 
meeting.  The  pledge  was  simply  an  agree- 
ment not  to  use  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  bev- 
erage, nor  trafiic  in  them,  nor  provide  them 
for  others,  etc.  The  record  runs  over  four 
years,  to  June,  1846,  and  contains  over  300 
names  of  persons  subscribing  the  pledge. 
During  this  period,  the  Presidents  were 
James  Kii'by,  John  Johnson,  W.  J.  Stephen- 
son and  Joel  F.  Watson;  the  Secretaries 
were  H.  T.  Pace  and  J.  R.  Satterfield. 
During  the  existence  of  the  society,  it  brought 
out  some  good  speakers,  as  Johnson  Pierson, 
Samuel  D.  Marshall,  John  Moore  (afterward 
Governor),  Rev.  R.  H.  Moffit,  Dr.  J.  C.  Gray 
and  S.  S.  Hayes— all  in  1842;  Edward 
Jones,  W.  B.  Scates,  R.  F.  Wingate,  Mr. 
Kittinger,  of  Alton,  Dr.  Roe,  of  Shawneetown, 
in  1843;  John  Dougherty  in  1844.  In  1843, 
the  speakers  at  their  4th  of  July  meeting,  all 
selected  from  the  academy,  were  James  M. 
Pace,  Wesley  Johnson,  Charles  T.  Pace  and 
Thomas  S.  Casey.  I  have  half  a  mind  to 
give  the  names  of  a  few  of  those  who  appear 
as  signers  on  the  later  lists — up  to  1846: 
but  perhaps  it  would  only  make  some  of  us 
ashamed  of  ourselves — of  oui-selves  in  con- 
trast with  our  fathers  and  mothers,  or  of 
ourselves  now  in  contrast  with  what  we  were 
then,  so  we  forbear. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


337 


For  several  years  after  1846,  the  temper- 
ance societies  were  short-lived,  and  tem- 
perance meetings  vpere  held  at  iiTegular  in- 
tervals. But  about  the  year  1855.  and  large- 
ly throiigh  the  influence  of  Judge  Scates  and 
Prof.  Leaton.  a  division  of  the  Sons  of  Tem- 
perance was  organized  and  a  section  of  the 
Cadets.  These  flourished  a  few  years  with 
the  usual  routine  of  initiations  and  expul- 
sions, installations,  public  meetings  and  pro- 
cessions, till  the  novelty  wore  off  and  inter- 
est began  to  fail;  then  the  whole  machine 
went  to  pieces.  But  it  soon  revived  again 
under  a  different  form — the  Good  Templars 
— and  in  this  form  subsisted  till  after  the 
war.  The  war  which  destroyed  slavery  and  at 
the  same  time  nearly  everything  of  any  value 
in  our  social  fabric,  sowed  the  seeds  of  de- 
struction in  the  Good  Templars'  organization. 
It  was  agreed  that  every  member  should  be 
"good  OD  the  books"  as  long  as  he  was  in  the 
army,  whether  he  paid  dues  or  not.  After 
the  war,  some  complained  of  not  having  been 
treated  properly,  a  division  arose,  and  a 
part  of  the  lodge  seceded.  It  culminated 
thus  in  the  winter  of  1868-69.  McClure 
and  Williamson,  with  Hill — a  new  man,  but 
for  temperance  all  over — started  the  Sons  of 
Temperance  again  in  that  modiiied  form 
which  admitted  both  sexes,  and  the  Good 
Templars,  having  lost  this  distinguishing  ad- 
vantage, went  under — no,  come  to  think, 
most  that  went  anywhere,  went  over  to  the 
new  organization.  This  went  on  til)  some 
of  the  most  zealous  got  married,  when  it  be- 
gan to  wane,  and  finally  went  out. 

But  still  the  friends  of  temperance  were 
moderately  active.  Many  of  them  were  bus 
iness  men,  and  afraid  of  offending  good  cus- 
tomers; some  were  hoping  one  day  to  get 
office,  and,  ot  course,  had  to  be  cautious; 
and  some  were  weak-kneed  on  general  prin- 
ciples.     Yet  every  winter,  or  just  before  the 


city  election  in  spring,  at  the  latest,  they  got 
lecturers  from  a  distance'  and  got  up  more 
or  less  rousement.  G.  W.  Hughey,  Col. 
C  ampbell  and  Miss  Frances  E.  Willard  were 
chief  among  them.  In  the  winter  of  1878- 
79,  Col.  Campbell  carried  the  town  away,  and 
the  blue  ribbons  met  the  eye  everywhere. 
Everybody  wore  them,  whether  they  quit 
drinking  or  not;  in  one  ward,  a  new  convert 
beat  the  most  staid  old  temperance  man  in 
town  for  Alderman.  But  all  that  goes  u]> 
has  to  come  down,  and  in  due  time  down 
came  the  blue  ribbon. 

Soon  after  the  spring  Rlection,  however, 
Miss  Willard  and  Mrs.  Anderson  came  and 
began  work  in  a  different  way.  Miss  Willard 
lectured  and  left  the  same  night;  but  Mrs. 
Anderson  remained  to  organize  a  branch  of 
the  Lwd'^s  Christian  Temperance  Union. 
This  was  done  May  22.  1879.  The  original 
officers  were:  President,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Gray: 
Vice  Presidents,  Mrs.  Sue  A.  Pace  and  Mrs. 
Louisa  Bogan;  Recording  Secretary,  Mrs. 
(G.  W.)  Morgan;  Corresponding  Secretary, 
Mrs.  Mary  S.  Pace;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Marga- 
ret A.  Johnson.  This  organization  proved  to 
have  the  requisite  amount  of  vitality,  and  is 
still  vigorously  at  work.  They  circulate 
temperance  documents,  sometimes  hold  jubi- 
lee meetings,  and  every  week  have  some- 
thing sound  and  sensible  to  say  in  their  own 
special  column  in  each  one  of  our  county 
papers. 

To  other  temperance  societies,  reference  is 
made  elsewhere.  We  must  not  omit  to  men- 
tion, however,  the  time  when  the  city  fa 
thers  agreed  to  license  saloiins  for  $1,000 
each,  if  a  majority  of  all  persons  of  twenty- 
one  years  said  so.  The  women  voted,  and 
about  530  said  no,  while  only  about  sixty 
said  yes.  By  such  and  various  efforts,  Mount 
Vernon  waft  made  for  ten  years  a  temperance 
town.      But  last  spring,  by    the    help    of  St. 


338 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Louis,  Belleville  and  East  Mount  Vernon,  the 
whisky  element  prevailed  and  elected  a  Mayor 
and  a  majority  of  the  Aldermen.  It  is  biit 
due  to  the  reputation  of  our  town,  as  well  as 
to  the  truth  of  histoiy,to  say  that  only  about 
ten  per  cent  of  the  whisky  party  were  per- 
manent residents,  owning  their  hc>mes  and 
interested  in  the  real  welfare  of  the  town. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  solid  men  of  the  town 
were  opposed  to  saloons,  and  seeing  the 
amount  of  dninkenness  increased  twofold  by 
the  saloons  has  made  them  more  so. 

The  Village  of  East  Mount  Vernon. — This 
settlement  or  village  grow  out  of  the  whisky 
contest.  In  1859,  as  before  stated,  Dr.  Green 
sold  five  acres,  being  a  strip  eighteen  rods 
wide  and  about  forty-four  rods  long, 
off  the  east  side  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Section 
29,  to  John  Yearwood.  .John  started  a 
grocery  on  his  purchase  and  sold  lots  to  Joe 
and  others,  and  thus  sprang  up  what  was 
called  Yearwood  Town.  John  sold  his  gro- 
cery to  some  one  else  and  started  a  gunshop, 
and  this  added  to  its  importance.  At  length, 
tired  of  getting  along  without  any  saloons 
in  town,  as  above  stated,  it  occurred  to  some 
admirers  of  the  institution  that  if  they  had 
a  village  organization,  they  might  have  a  sa- 
loon there,  even  though  it  were  within  the 
interdicted  distance  of  the  city.  Of  course, 
many  went  into  the  project  with  no  thought 
but  of  the  advantages  of  a  separate  govern 
ment  in  the  way  of  internal  imjjrovements. 

At  the  May  term,  1877,  May  24,  "the  peti- 
tion of  Robert  A.  Yearwood,  John  Liebund- 
gutand  Samuel  Laird  for  the  organization," 
etc.,  came  into  the  County  Court  in  due 
form.  The  village  was  to  be  eighty  rods 
wide  along  the  east  line  of  the  city  limits, 
one  mile  north  and  south,  including  part  of 
the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter,  part  of 
the  west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter,  part  of 


the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter,  and  part 
of  the  east  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  Sec- 
tion 29,  and  part  of  the  west  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter, and  part  of  the  east  half  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  Section  32,  160  acres. 
The  petition  was  signed  by  thirty-three  per- 
sons. An  election  was  ordered  for  June  12, 
1877;  W.  H.  Newcum,  Robert  A.  Yearwood 
and  William  Hall  were  appointed  Judges, 
and  G.  B.  Leonard  and  Thomas  H.  Goodwin 
Clerks.  The  result  was  twenty-six  for  vil- 
lage organization,  one  against.  From  the  re- 
turns it  appears  that  the  Judges  who  actually 
held  the  election  were  James  Webber,  George 
Beagle  and  John  Yearwood,  and  the  Clerks 
W.  H.  Hinman  and  Peter  Brown — not  exact- 
ly the  Board  that  Judge  Foster  appointed. 
At  the  June  term  of  the  County  Court,  the 
case  was  docketed  "No.  11,"  but  the  whole 
page  is  blank.  At  the  July  term,  it  is  again 
docketed  "  No.  17, "  and  the  case  stated  as 
"canvass  of  election  return,"  and  all  is  blank 
again — no  order  or  semblance  of  one — not 
one  word.  But  an  election  for  officers  was 
held  July  10,  1877,  whenT.  H.  Goodwin  was 
elected  Police  Magistrate,  and  J.  William 
Leonard.  William  Randall,  William  Hall, 
William  B.  Wright,  William  H.  Newcum  and 
John  Yearwood,  Trustees;  and  William 
Goodwin,  Clerk.  July  17,  the  Williams — we 
mean  the  Trustees — met,  organized  and 
adopted  thirty-three  ordinances.  Everything 
went  nicely  for  awhile,  the  best  elements 
controlling  the  business;  a  street  was  opened 
east  of  Strattan's  Addition,  walks  were  built 
and  all  seemed  orderly  and  in  good  shape. 

But  the  saloons  produced  their  legitimate 
fruit.  Hinman  &  Hutchison  kept  as  good  a 
house  as  can  be  of  the  kind,  honestly  trying 
to  keep  from  violating  the  law;  but  those  on 
the  south  side  seemed  to  go  on  from  bad  to 
worse,  till  at  length,  in  1880,  Mr.  Thomas 
Caborn  concluded  that  he  would  endure  them 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFKKSON  COUNTY. 


339 


no  longer.  So,  at  the  May  term  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  Keller  &  Ctarpenter  commenced 
a  suit — People  ex  rel.  Caborn  vs.  Satterfield, 
County  Clerk  and  the  Village  of  East  Mount 
Veriion — in  an  action  of  certiorari.  This 
suit  was  dismissed  at  the  cost  of  the  peti- 
tioner. Before  court  adjourned,  however, 
the  suit  was  revived  as  an  action  quo  war- 
ranto, a  change  of  venue  asked  and  cause 
continued  till  it  could  be  tried  before  a 
Judge  not  objected  to — Judge  Jones.  At  the 
December  term,  a  trial  was  had  and  judgment 
of  ouster  obtained, Conger,  Presiding  Judge, 
and  an  appeal  granted.  In  the  Appellate 
Court,  the  defendants  got  a  continuance,  and 
at  next  term  dismissed  their  appeal.  It  then 
came  up  in  the  Circuit  Court  under  "  Motion 
to  .4.mend  and  CoiTeet  Record  of  Judgment, " 
before  Judge  Jones.  At  this  time  the  court 
declared  they  had  assumed  to  act  and  had 
acted  as  Trustees  without  legal  authoriza- 
tion, and  ordered  a  writ  of  ouster  against 
the  defendants  and  their  successors.  Aa  ap- 
peal was  again  allowed  and  bond  tiled;  but 
it  went  no  further,  the  village  had  money 
enough  to  pay  its  lawyers,  did  this,  and  quit. 
So  people  often  do  in  divorce  suits — pay  no 
body  bat  their  lawyer.  It  may  be  well  to 
state  that  the  grounds  for  ouster  were  that 
the  village  never  had  300  inhabitants,  that 
some  of  the  petitioners  were  non-residents, 
that  one  was  a  woman,  that  the  first  election 
was  illegal  and  that  the  record  showed  no 
canvass  of  the  vote. 

The  fall  of  East  Mount  Vernon  brought 
all  the  whisky  forces  into  the  city  election 
last  spring  and  helped  to  carry  the  whisky 
ticket  through. 

Mystic  Orders. — Marion  Lodge,  No.  13,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  April  30,  .1845. 
The  charter  members  were  John  W.  Greet 
ham,  James  B.  Tolle,  Thomas  Metsler,  Hen- 
ry Wood  and  William  White.    Besides  other 


accessions,  Dr.  W.  D.  Green  came  in  the  fol 
lowing  year  and  contributed  much  '^o  give 
the  order  character,  vim  and  success.  Never 
was  a  better  worker  than  Mr.  Tolle,  but  he 
was  less  eminent  than  the  Doctor,  who  rap- 
idly rose  to  the  position  of  presiding  oiBcer 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  Daniel 
Baltzell  was  another  important  accession,  a 
man  of  rugged  mold,  but  kind  and  gener- 
ous, one  of  nature's  noblemen.  But  we  can- 
not now  mention  other  names  in  our  limited 
space.  In  1849,  May  21,  Gov.  Casey  do 
nated  a  lot — No.  28  of  his  addition — for  a 
hall,  conveying  it  to  Daniel  Baltzell,  Lewis 
F.  Casey,  John  N.  Johnson,  Hezekiah  B. 
Newby  and  William  B.  Thorn,  Trustees, 
and  tboir  successors  in  office.  Here  the 
lodge  at  once  proceeded  to  erect  a  building, 
now  known  as  the  "  old  Odd  Fellows  Hall." 
Here  they  celebrated  their  mystic  rites  and 
cfevised  their  works  of  charity  for  nearly 
thirty  years  without  accumlating  much 
wealth  in  their   treasury.       But    at    length, 

,  they  bought  a  lot  off  the   south  end  of 

Lot  28,  Block  17,  and  proceeded  to  erect 
their  present  splendid  hall,  at  a  cost  of  over 
$6,000.  It  proved  a  good  investment,  as 
the  building  is  already  paid  for,  the  lodge  is 
out  of  debt  and  has  about  $500  in  the  treas- 
ury, with  about  100  members. 

Jefferson  Encampment,  No.  91,  was  organ- 
ized October  13,  1868.  The  charter  mem- 
bers were  J.  K.  Albright,  R.  L.  Strattan,J.  S. 
Bogan,  G.  E.  Welborn,  T.  H.  McBride,  J.  B. 
Tolle,  W.  D.  Green,  J.  G.  Rease,  G.  C. 
Vaughn  and  J.  F.  Carroll. 

Lodge  No.  104,  Independent  Order  of 
Mutual  Aid,  was  instituted  December 
14,  and  chartered  December  27,  1880. 
Its  charter  members  were  H.  S.  Plum- 
mer,  J.  H.  Mitchell,  R.  W.  Lyon,  Ju- 
lian L.  Frohock,  G.  F.  M.  Ward,  J.  F.  Balt- 
zell, F.  S.  Burnett,  R.  E.  Ryan,  G.  H.  Bitt 


840 


HISTORl'    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


rolf,  W.  A.  Jewell.  J.  S.  Gowenlock,  V.  G. 
Haag,  T.  H.  Goodwin,  J.  T.  Daily,  H.  Bur- 
ger. J.  H.  Rainey.  F.  W.  Hwman,  J.  W. 
Cochran,  J.  J.  Stern  and  V.  Lippert.  Of 
course,  the  two  last  named  organizations  met 
in  Odd  Fellows  Hall. 

Iron  Hall,  No.  68.  was  organized  a  few 
years  ago.  This  also  meets  in  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows Hall.  Its  charter  members  were  J.  S. 
Bogan,  W.  B.  Anderson,  W.  M.  White,  N. 
Staate,  W.  V.  B.  Bogan,  E.  Iddinge,  W.  J. 
Levall,  M.  O'Connor.  A.  L.  Hobbs,  Joseph 
Boswell,  S.  Rupert.  J.  W.  Morgan,  A.  A. 
Hamilton,  J.  M.  Davis,  F.  D.  Boswell,  W. 
S.  Davis.  V.  G.  Haag,  W.  D.  Rogers.  W.  H. 
Herdman.  R.  Dewy,  J.  H.  Mitchell,  W.  A. 
Jones,  Peter  Brown,  N.  H.  Moss,  Joseph 
Hudson,  W.  H.  Smith.  J.  T.  Daily,  T.  H. 
Goodwin.  N.  C.  Malone,  R.  P.  Moyer,  T.  H. 
Hobbs,  B.  C.  Strattan,  C.  W.  Lindley  and 
AVilliam  Blythe. 

Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  186,  A.  O.  D. 
W.,  began  June  14.  1881.  and  meet.'?  in  the 
Odd  Fellows  Hall.  Its  first  officers  were 
William  J.  Ellis,  P.  M.  W. ;  C.  A.  Keller, 
M.  W. ;  W.  C.  Pollock,  G.  F.:  William  A. 
Goodwin,  O.;  N.  Staats,  Recorder;  George 
W.  Reid,  F.  &  R. :  Van  Wilbanks.  G.;  J. 
T.  S.  Brattin,  I.  W. ;  and  William  B.  Hawk- 
ins. O.  W. 

Mount  Vernon  Council,  No.  7.  R.  T.  of  T., 
was  instituted  Jannary  17,  and  chartered 
January  23,  1880.  Its  first  officers  were, 
C.  A.  Keller,  S.  C. ;  S.  C.  Polk,  V.  C;  W. 
N.  White,  P.  C. ;  Adam  C.  Johnson,  Chap- 
lain; C.  W.  Lindley,  Recording  Secretary; 
A.  Ransom  Merrill,  Financial  Secretary; 
John  C.  Bray,  Treasurer;  James  Hitchcock, 
Her'd:  Mrs.  Annie  E.  Hitchcock,  Deputy 
Her'd;  John  A.  Greenhoe.  G. :  William  D. 
Rogers,  Sentry;  Dr.  W.  Watson,  Medical 
Examiner.  There  were  forty-two  charter 
members.     The  council  meets  in  the  old  Odd 


Fellows  Hall.  This  society  has  demon- 
strated that  the  average  toper  will  drink  if 
he  knows  the  drink  will  cost  his  needy  fami- 
ly !$2,000. 

Coleman  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  the  Department 
of  Illinois,  was  organized  by  Department 
Commander  H.  Hilliard.  of  Springfield,  .July 
26,  1876,  with  about  forty  members.  Its 
officers  were  Frederick  D.  Boswell,  Post 
Commander;  William  Randall,  Senior  Vice 
Com.;  J.  A  Phillips,  Junior  Vice  Com.;  T. 
H.  Goodwin.  Adjutant;  John  B.  Crowder, 
Quartermaster;  H.  S.  Plummer.  Surgeon;  C. 
E.  Cline.  Chaplain;  D.  K.  Goodale,  Officer 
of  the  Day;  A.  J.  Williamson,  Officer  of  the 
Guard;  C.  C.  McBryant,  Sergeant  Major;  J. 
W.  PhillijM,  Quartermaster  Sergeant.  Its 
meetings  were  held  in  the  old  Odd  Fellows 
Hall.  A  year  or  so  since,  the  attendance 
became  so  small  that  the  burden  of  expense 
fell  heavily  on  a  few.  and  they  paid  up  the 
rents  and  suspended  their  meetings.  In  the 
meantime,  the  higher  powers  have  changed 
the  work,  and  the  post  is  not  prepared  to 
take  it  up;  but  recently  it  has  received  a 
permit  to  get  the  new  work  and  go  on,  and 
it  is  now  waiting  till  a  sufficient  number  can 
be  got  together  to  take  it  up. 

K.  of  H.  Lodge.  No.  683,  was  organized 
September  3,  1878.  The  chai'ter  members 
were  S.  F.  Crews,  "U".  H.  Smith,  li.  B.  Salis- 
bury, D.  Sturgis,  C.  W.  Lindley,  S.  C.  Polk, 
R.  L.  Strattan.  C.  Zier jacks,  J.  G.  Brunner, 
James  Owen.  C.  H.  Patton,  J.  C.  Dawson, 
E.  E.  Hazzard,  James  Hitchcock,  T.  H.  Good- 
win, William  Hill,  Frank  Smith,  John 
Stumpp  and  Jacob  Smith. 

Jefferson  Division,  No.  154,  Brotherhood 
of  Locomotive  Engineers,  was  chartered  Au- 
gust 19,  1882. 

Evening  Star  Lodge,  No.  112,  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Firemen,  was  char- 
tered   July    2,    1882.     The    charter    mem- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


341 


bers  were  A.  J.  Randall,  "W.  N.  Han- 
sacker,  P.  C.  Johnson,  J.  Murphy,  R.  L. 
Bracy,  B.  W.  Vawter,  C.  Joyce,  J.  G.  Bos- 
well,  T.  Lancey,  T.  F.  Thixton,  J.  C.  Bran- 
ham,  F.  C.  Wyard,  A.  D.  Isom,  Daniel 
Messitt,  James  W.  Bui-ns,  I.  T.  Cavr,  Will- 
iam Stephenson,  A.  Vogt,  F.  P.  Nance,  T. 
H.  Buckley.  J.  Melton,  T.  E.  Peck,  R.  W. 
Lindley,  Harry  Laswell,  J.  M.  Covington, 
C.  O.  Simms  and  Bruce  Rawsun.  The  last 
three  orders  meet  in  the  Masonic  Hall. 

Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31.  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  is  nearly  as  old  as  Marion  Lodge  I.  O. 
O.  F.  The  charter  is  signed  bj  W.  F.  Wal- 
ker. G.  M.,  and  is  dated  at  Jacksonville, 
October  9,  1845.  It  is  granted  to  William 
W.  Bennett.  M. ;  W.  A.  Thomas,  S.  W. ;  and 
^V.  H.  Short.  J.  W.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  this  ancient  order  has  grown  more  gi-ad- 
uallv  than  the  others.  At  first  the)'  met. 
like  everybody  else  in  those  days,  where 
they  could.  Their  first  hall,  entitled  to  the 
name,  was  in  the  room  over  the  store  of  J. 
Pace  &  Son,  corner  of  Main  and  Union 
streets.  This  they  occupied  till  the  Strattan 
&  Johnson  building  was  erected,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Washington  and  Bunyan,  when  they 
secured  the  upper  story  with  its  ample  ac- 
commodations. They  meet  on  the  first  and 
third  Monday  evenings  in  each  month,  al- 
though for  thirty  years  they  had  met  by  the 
moon. 

H.  W.  Hubbard  Chapter.  No.  160.  R.  A. 
M.,  dates  back  to  October  31,  1873,  and  the 
charter  is  signed  by  Asa  W.  Blakesley,  G. 
H.  P  ,  at  Chicago.  The  list  of  charter  mem- 
bers shows  that  its  start  in  the  world  was 
eminently  respectable.  They  were  C.  H. 
Patton,  R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks,  S.  S.  Porter, 
H.  S.  Stephenson,  Frederick  Merrill,  Z.  C. 
Pace.  A.  F.  Taylor.  N.  C.  Pace.  J.  W. 
Baugh,  J.  C.  McConnell,  H.  S.  Plummer, 
J.  J.  Bambrook,  A.  W.  Plummer.  T.  T.  Wil- 


son, T.  Gowenlook,  Joel  Dubois  and  George 
Pickett.  The  principal  ofiicers  were  C.  H. 
Patton,  H.  P.;  R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks.  K. ;  S. 
S.  Porter,  S.  Their  meetings  are  held  on  the 
first  Friday  of  each  month. 

United    Brothers    of    Friendship  Lodge 
No.  11,  was    organized  in  December,  1881 
The  first  officers  were  Charles    Bisch,  Mas 
ter;  Henry    Bradford,    Deputy    Master;    W 
H.    Jones,  Secretary;  J.  K.   Kearney,    Treas 
iu"er;      Hemy     Jackson,     Senior     Marshal; 
Samuel    Martin.     Junior    Marshal;    Thomas 
Tinsley,     Chaplain;    Jesse    Redman,     Out- 
side   Sentinel;   Prince  Neal,    Inside    Senti- 
nel;   Nelson    Gorman,     R.     H.    Supporter; 
George    Scott,  L.    H.    Supporter.      It   is   a 
colored    institution    and  meets    at    the    old 
Odd  Fellows  Hall. 

The  first  fire  in  the  town  occurred  in 
February,  1842.  It  burned  a  large  two- 
story  building  erected  by  T.  B.  Afflack, 
but  then  occupied  by  W.  J.  Kirby,  that 
stood  where  Merrill's  livery  stable  now 
stands,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Casey 
streets.  It  was  entirely  destroyed.  Bow- 
man's house  burned  near  where  D.  K.  Good- 
ale  lives,  was  not  in  town.  The  next  fire  of 
any  magnitude  destroyed  the  tobacco  ware- 
house of  Varnell  &  Holloman,  near  East  Main 
street,  iu  the  spring  of  18(53.  The  next 
swept  nearly  the  entire  block  north  of  the 
public  square,  about  the  9th  of  March,  1868. 
This  fire  was  charged  to  a  tailor,  a  new  man 
here,  who  worked  in  a  little  shop  near  where 
Seimer  &  Klinker  now  keep.  He  had  been 
arrested  and  fined  for  brutal  treatment  of  a 
bound-bny  he  had,  and  he  disappeared  about 
the  time  the  fire  broke  out.  It  is  supposed 
he  fired  his  shop  to  get  revenge  of  the  peo- 
ple for  their  having  him  prosecuted.  The 
buildings  were  of  combustible 'material,  all 
wooden,  and  the  mud  was  about  four  inches 
deep  in  the  street,  so  it   was   found   impossi- 


342 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ble  to  save  the  buildings   and  very  difficult 
to  save  any  of  the  goods.    In  the  frenzy  that 
always  possesses  some  crazy  fools  at  fires,  thou- 
sands of  dollars  worth  of  goods  were  thrown 
down  in  the  street  and  trampled  in  the  mud. 
A    brick    wall    saved    the    building   on    the 
southwest  corner  of  the  block.    After  the  fire, 
G.  H.  Patton,   J.  S.  Kl inker  and  J.  C.  Daw- 
son combined   their    forces    and    put   up  the 
Phcenix  Bluck,  which  still  stands,    an  orna- 
ment  to    our  city.       Nearly    exactly    twelve 
months  after  this,   March   16,    1869,    the  old 
court  house  took  dre  iu  the  night  and  bui-ned 
to  the  ground.     It  was  generally  believed  to 
have  originated    in  some    late    bacchanalian 
revels  of  W.  E.  Coffey,  the   Sherifi".  and  was 
supposed  by  many  to  have  been  contrived  by 
him  to  cover  up  some  of  his  financial  crook- 
edness.    All    the    books   and    neaily    all  the 
papers  belonging  to   the  of&ces   were  saved. 
The  fire  was  discovered  by  the  Circuit  Clerk, 
J.  S.  Bogan.  who,  in  answer  to  an  extraor- 
dinary  call,  was  making  his  way  to  the  office 
at  the  dead  hour.s  of  night  to   issue  papers. 
The  nest  orand  attack   of   the   tire  fiend  was 
upon  the  beautiful  machine  shops  of  the  St. 
Louis   &    Southeastern    Railroad  Company. 
Just  before  night  on  the  27th  of  May,  1874, 
when  the  men  had  had  but  just  time  to  get 
homo  from  their  day's  work,  a  prolonged  sound 
of  the  whistle  was  heai'd,  and  the  citizens  soon 
gathered,  but  only  to  see  the  flames  sweep- 
ing   like    a    tornado   over    the    combustible 
roofing  of  the  magnificent  shops.       Little  of 
the  machinery   was   saved    and  the  building 
was  a  total  loss.     Before  the  year  closed,  the 
city  was  visited  by    another  calamity.      De- 
cember  20,    1874,    the   woolen  factory    and 
mills  of  J.  B.  Tolle  and  others  were  burned. 
The  fire  started  early   in  the   night,    but  the 
oil,  etc.,  rendered  all  so  inflammable  that  it 
was  impossible  to  save  it.  The  loss  fell  heav- 
ily on  all    parties,    but    was  ruinous  on  Mr. 


Tolle.  Two  fires  involving  larger  losses 
have  occurred  this  year — S.  W.  Westbrook's 
mill,  on  the  night  of  July  2,  and  Bell's  lum- 
ber yard  a  week  later.  The  latter  is  believed 
to  have  been  fired  by  tramps,  or  by  some  of 
our  own  night  hawks.  The  former  may  have 
been  from  spontaneous  combustion  or  from 
some  part  of  the  machinery,  or  from  some 
juvenile  tramps  seen  hanging  about  the  pre- 
vious day.  The  loss  by  the  lumber  yard  was 
about  $4,000;  by  the  mill,  over  .§10,000. 
Besides  these,  Henry  M.  Williams  lost  a  fine 
dwelling  a  mile  north  of  town  some  fifteen 
years  ago.  In  1874,  Strattan  &  Johnson 
procured  a  force  pump  and  some  hose,  and 
provided  temporary  trucks.  After  this  had 
been  borrowed  for  every  fire  alarm  for  a  year 
or  so  and  began  to  need  repairs,  they  pro- 
posed to  the  City  Council  to  donate  what  they 
had  to  the  city  if  the  latter  would  buy 
another  pump  with  hose  and  furnish  the 
trucks.  This  offer  was  accepted,  and  a  fire 
company  organized  which  has  proven  very 
efficient. 

Speaking  of  the  factory  reminds  us  that 
our  first  woolen  factory,  which  was  really 
only  a  carding  machine,  was  built  about  for- 
ty-five years  ago  on  the  same  lot  where 
Westbrook  &  Co.'s  mill  was  burned.  Jarvis 
Pierce  got  up  the  enterprise,  and  the  ma- 
chine was  run  by  a  pair  of  oxen  on  a  huge 
inclined  wheel.  After  a  few  years,  Abner 
Melcher  got  up  a  similar  machine  on  Lot 
No.  16,  south  of  where  James  Urry  now  lives. 
A  corn  mill  was  attached,  and  for  many 
years  they  did  excellent  service.  Tolle'smill 
followed,  a  mile  northeast  of  town,  and  was 
run  for  twenty  years  or  more  before  it  was 
burned  out  there  and  came  to  town.  Not  far 
from  the  time  that  Tolle  started  up  on  the 
creek,  Dr.  Short  built  a  mill  at  the  present 
northeast  corner  of  the  fair  ground,  where 
he  made  a  large  amount  of  meal  and  lumber. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEUSOX  COUNTY. 


34? 


It  was  here  that  Sager  got  an  arm  fearfully 
mangled  with  a  saw,  as  many  of  our  citizens 
remember.  John  Summers  made  very  good 
tlour  at  his  steam  mil),  two  miles  east  of  town 
already  mentioned,  but  it  was  not  till  Varnell 
&  Holloman  put  up  the  mill  now  owned  by 
Hobbs  &  Sous  that  we  began  to  have  a  better 
class  of  mills.  The  Jefferson  Mills  and  the 
Mount  Vernon  Milling  Company,  now  fur- 
nishing the  best  of  everything,  are  recent 
enterprises. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Mount  Ver- 
non was  chartered  June  10,  1872,  and 
opened  up  and  commenced  business  August 
14.  The  stockholders  were  J.  J.  Fitzgerald, 
A.  M.  Grant,  C.  D.  Ham,  T.  G.  Holland, 
Noah  Johnston,  S.  S.  Marshall,  J.  Taylor 
and  B.  Temple.  The  banking  house  of 
Evans,  "Wilbanks  &  Co.,  composed  of  G.  W. 
Evans,  John  Wilbanks  and  Van  Wilbanks, 
began  operations  in  June,  1873.  Both  are 
institutions  of  the  highest  repute. 

Our  first  resident  lawyer  was  Clement,  in 
1838-39,  soon  followed  by  Henry  Eddy  for  a 
few  months  in  1840,  and  R.  S.  Nelson  and 
R.  F.  Wingate  soon  after,  for  much  longer 
periods.  These,  with  D.  Baugh  and  S.  G. 
Hicks  of  our  own  men,  and  E.  H.  Gatewood, 
J.  A.  McClernand  and  A.  C.  Caldwell,  of 
Shawneetown,  Edward  Jones,  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  H.  Boyakin,  of  Belleville,  and  others, 
constituted  our  bar  from  1840  to  1850.  But 
our  lawyers  are  noticed  elsewhere.  Dr.  Wat- 
son   was   our    lirst    physician    (1821);    then 


Adams  &  Glover,  1823;  then  Dr.  Simonds; 
then  Dr.  J.  S.  Moore,  in  1833;  Dr.  Parks, 
Dr.  Greetham.  Dr.  Allen,  Dr.  Gray,Dr,  T.  S. 
Roe,  Dr,  Green,  Dr.  Edwards,  etc.  The 
names  of  the  high  contracting  parties  to  the 
earliest  weddings  cannot  now  be  given.  The 
first  death,  perhaps,  was  a  child  oat  east  of 
Pleasant  Grove  neighborhood  a  little  later. 
Our  first  tombstone  cutter  was  Washington 
Dale,  about  1842.  Our  first  brickyard  was 
west  of  town,  Mr.  Hirons',  1823;  the  next 
was  made  by  Hirons  and  W.  B.  Hayes,  north 
of  the  Fairfield  road  and  west  of  the  creek, 
in  what  is  now  Ragan's  field  Our  earliest 
tailors  were  G.  W.  Duckworth,  William  Gib- 
berson  and  Sethman,  before  and  up  to  1840, 
and  A.  H.  Barnes,  now  of  Lampasas,  Tex., 
and  Wallace  Campbell,  a  few  years  later. 
Our  first  and  only  pump-maker  was  J,  J.  Fly, 
about  1845.  Oui-  fii'st  shingle  cutter  was 
William  Campbell,  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Shipley,  followed  by  R.  C.  Jarrell  and 
others.  Our  first  tinner  was  Jacob  Shaffner, 
of  Ohio,  brother-in-law  to  Edward  and  Rich- 
ard Noble,  in  1840.  Our  first  and  only  hat- 
makers  were  James  Ross  and  Wylie  Prig- 
more.  Our  first  jeweler  was  Michael  Tromly, 
about  1841.  Our  first  tanner  was  Nathaniel 
Parker,  just  south  of  the  Short  camp-ground. 
Abraham  Buffington  was  our  first  gun-maker. 
In  other  branches  of  business,  or  most  of 
them,  there  was  no  exclusiveness,  almost 
every  one  working  at  them,  in  more  or  less 
clumsy  stylo.      Quantum  suffie.it. 


344 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    Vlllr 


SHILOH   TOWNSHIP— GEXEKAL    DESCRIPTION— TOrOGRAPHY    AND  BOUNDARIES— EARLY  SETTLE- 
MENT-PIONEER HARDSHIPS  AND  PRIVATIONS— MILLS,  ETC-AN  INCIDENT— BIRTHS. 
DEATHS    AND    MARRIAGES  —  ROADS    AND    BRIDGES— STOCK-RAISING- 
SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— WOODLAWN  VILLAGE,  ETC.,  ETC. 

Life  is  one 


"Youth  smiled  and  all  was  heavenly  fair — 
Age  came  and  laid  his  finger  there, 

And  where  are  they'!"— Old  Spanish  Poem. 

NEXT  to  Moore's  Prairie  and  the  imme- 
diate settlements  around  Mount  Ver- 
non, this  division  of  the  county  dates  back  in 
its  history  beyond  any  other  township.  More 
than  sixty  years  have  dissolved  in  the  great 
ocean  of  the  past  since  the  first  of  our  race 
located  in  what  is  now  Shiloh  Township. 
And  what  a  story,  what  a  history  is  envel- 
oped in  those  threescore  years.  They  have 
witnessed  empires  shaken  to  their  centers  by 


in  the  hoary  and  infirm  winter, 
long  day  of  ceaseless  and  weary  labor,  and 
much  truer  did  the  pioneers  find  this  to  be 
so  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  than  do  we  in  this 
age  of  civilization  and  refinement,  when  ed- 
ucation and  wealth  surround  us  on  every 
hand.  The  years  that  have  elapsed  since 
the  first  settlement  in  Shiloh  have  made  the 
frontier  of  Illinois  almost  the  very  center  of 
civilization.  A  State  that  then  contained  but 
a  few  thousand  people,  now  has  almost  as 
many  as  the  Republic  had  when  it  won  its 
independence;  and  a   county   that  had  but  a 


the  throes  of  popular  revolfitions;  they  have  i  score  or  two  of  souls  has  a  population  now 
seen  the  hand  of  oblivion  passed  over  priu-  |  of  over  20,000,  so  rapidly  has  the  country 
cipalities  and  powers,  and  their   places  upon     so  rapidly  the  great  West — grown  and  devel- 


the  maps  blotted  out  forever.  They  have 
looked  upon  the  old  man  full  of  years  and 
honor,  gathered  to  his  fathers,  and  watched 
the  young  bride  stricken  down  at  the  very 
altar. 

Eacb  of  these  sixty  years  has  been  the  very 


oped  in  the  last  half   or   three-quarters  of  a 
century. 

Shiloh  Township  lies  west  of  Mount  Ver- 
non, south  of  Rome,  east  of  Casner  and 
north  of  McClellan  Townships,  and  is  desig- 
nated in  the  Congressional   Survey  as  Town- 


reflex  and  symbol  of  human  life.    The  young  |  giiip  2  south,  and  Range  3  east.    It  is  one  of 


babe  is  shadowed  in  the  opening  leaves  and 
buds  and  flowers.  The  strong  and  lusty 
youth  appears  in  all  his  manly  strength  and 
beauty  in  the  vigorous  spring;  the  man  of 
mature  years  and  approved  wisdom,  and 
stands  erect  in  the  ftiUness  and  flush  of  the 
summer;  the  descent  of  lite  is  seen  in  the 
fading  glories  of  autumn,  and  the  nigh  ap- 
proach unto  the  end  is  too  well  foreshadowed 

•Bj  W.  H.  Perrin. 


the  finest  agricultural  regions  io  the  county, 
except  Moore's  Prairie,  and  many  tine  farms 
are  to  be  found  within  its  limits.  The  sur- 
face is  rolling,  and  even  broken  in  some  por- 
tions of  the  township,  and  originally  was 
mostly  timbered  land,  on  which  grew 
in  great  abundance  several  kinds  of 
oak,  hickory,  elm,  ash,  locust  (black  and 
honey),  sweet  gum,  sassafras,  papaw,  etc., 
etc.     It  is  watered  and   drained  by  the  West 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


345 


Fork  of  Big  Muddy,  formerly  called  Casey's 
Fork,  Hooper's  Creek,  Cole's  Creek,  and  sev- 
eral •smaller  streams.  An  excellent  stone 
quarry  has  been  opened,  and  is  owned  by 
Thomas  Knott.  It  is  pretty  extensively 
worked,  and  atfords  a  crood  building  stone. 
The  principal  crops  are  wheat,  corn,  oats, 
hay,  potatoes  and  beans.  Considerable  at- 
tention is  paid  to  fruit,  particularly  apples. 
The  St.  Louis  Division  of  the  Louisville  & 
Nashville  Railroad  passes  through  Shiloh 
nearly  from  east  to  west,  with  VVoodlawn 
Station  on  its  west  line,  a  village  of  consider- 
able business  enterprise.  The  railroad  has 
been  of  great  value  to  the  township,  increas- 
ing the  price  of  lands  and  affording  excel- 
lent shipping  facilities.  The  township  re- 
ceived its  name  from  old  Shiloh  Church. 

The  first  white  settler  in  what  is  now 
Shiloh  Township  is  said  to  have  been  Zadok 
Casey,  who  is  so  often  mentioned  and  so  ex- 
tensively noticed  in  other  chapters  of  this 
volume,  that  nothing  additional  can  be  said 
here  without  repetition.  He  served  his  coun- 
try in  the  field  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  in  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  State,  in  the  halls  uf  Con- 
gress and  as  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  bet- 
ter than  all,  he  served  his  fellow-men  as  a 
minister  of  the  Cross  of  Christ.  For  almost 
half  a  century,  he  served  the  people  of  Jeffer- 
son County,  and  at  last  laid  down  his  life 
with  the  harness  on,  for  he  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Senate  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
But  it  was  the  death  of  all  deaths  he  would 
have  chosen  to  die — that  at  the  post  of  duty. 
Calmly  he  sleeps  amid  the  scenes  where  his 
active  life  was  spent.  He  sleeps,  and  his 
mantle  is  folded  about  him  with  but  little 
probabiiity  of  its  ever  being  disturbed  by 
his  successors.  He  sleeps,  and  the  billows 
of  faction,  which  heave  like  the  waves  of  a 
stormy  ocean,  break  not  his  deep  repose  more 


than  the  hail,  the  lightning,  and  the  thunder 
that  fall  around  his  tomb. 

Gov.  Casey,  as  elsewhere  stated,  came  here 
in  1817,  and  made  his  tirst  settlement  in 
what  is  now  Shiloh  Township.  He  was  poor, 
and  brought  his  earthly  all,  which  consisted 
of  his  wife,  one  child  and  a  few  articles  of 
household  use,  upon  a  single  horse,  himself 
walking  most  of  the  way.  He  built  a  cabin, 
cleai'ed  a  piece  of  ground,  raised  a  small 
crop,  and  thus  began  life,  where  he  was  des- 
tined to  live  long  and  serve  his  people  faith, 
fully.  The  history  of  his  life-work  is  told 
in  preceding  chapters,  and  to  them  the 
reader  is  referred. 

William  Maxey  was  another  of  the  early 
settlers  of  this  township,  and  like  Gov. 
Casey  has  been  extensively  written  up  in  the 
preceding  chapters.  He  came  from  Sumner 
County,  Tenn.,  but  was  a  native  of  Virigin 
ia.  He  settled  here  in  1818,  and  raised  a 
large  family  of  children,  most  of  whom  were 
born  and  some  of  them  married  before  he 
came  to  Illinois.  His  _son  Henry  B.  was 
married  while  they  lived  in  Tennessee  and 
had  one  child — an  infant — when  they  came 
here.  It  died  soon  after  their  arrival,  and  is 
said  to  have  been  the  first  death  and  bl^rial 
of  a  white  person  in  the  county. 

The  Maxeys  were  a  prolific  family  of  peo- 
ple. William  Maxey's  childi'en  were  Clarissa, 
Henry  B.,  Bennett  N.,  Elihu,  Harriet,  Vy- 
linda  A.,  Charles  H..  Joshua  C,  Hostillina, 
William  M.  A.  and  Jehu  G.  D.  Of  these 
Henry  had  twelve  children;  Clarissa  seven- 
teen, Bennett  thirteen,  Elihu  twelve  (he  was 
killed  by  a  kick  from  his  horse),  Harriet 
twelve.  Vylinda  seven.  Charles  thirteen, 
Joshua  four,  William  ten  and  Jehu  one. 
William  Maxey,  the  pioneer,  had  101  grand- 
children, forty-four  of  whom  are  now  living. 
He  died  in  1838;  his  wife,  the  year  previous; 
and  in  their  death  the  county  lost  two  good 


346 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


citizens  and  most  exemplary  Christiana  As 
they  moved  about  in  their  daily  walks,  doing 
good  to  all,  myriad  spirits  hovered  over  them 
uttering  the  tones  they  had  learned  in  heaven, 
and  as  the  good  old  couple  drifted  down  the 
somber  and  mysterious  pathway  that  leads  to 
the  door  of  the  tomb,  all  were  fain  to  ac- 
knowledge that  the  world  was  better  for  their 
having  lived  in  it.  A  lasting  monument  to 
their  Christian  piety  is  the  fact  that  they 
left  every  one  of  their  ten  living  children 
professing  the  same  Christian  faith,  and 
zealous  members  of  the  Church  of  God.  Their 
sons  have  been  prominent  citizens  of  the 
county,  some  of  them  preachers,  sijme  physi- 
cians, some  of  them  civil  officers,  and  all 
farmers  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  Joshua 
0.,  or  "  Canon  Maxey, "  as  more  commonly 
called,  is  living  on  the  old  homestead,  a 
place  settled  originally  in  1818,  and  which 
has  never  been  out  of  the  possession  of  the 
Maxey  family.  Canon  Maxey  is  a  preacher 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for  nearly 
forty  years  he  has  been  pointing  the  unre- 
generate  to  that  "  far  country  "  beyond  the 
"  River,"  where  those  who  have  gone  before 
are  waiting  to  welcome  them  home. 

William  Depriest  was  an  early  settler  in 
this  township,  and  came  in  about  1821.  He 
settled  where  Joseph  Philips  now  lives,  and 
is  long  since  dead.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Gov.  Casey,  and  a  remarkably  large  woman, 
weighing  over  300  pounds.  She  died  a 
short  time  before  her  husband,  and  both 
sleep  side  by  side  at  old  bhilnh  Church. 
They  had  two  sons — Isaac  and  Green,  both 
of  whom  went  to  Missouri,  and,  we  believe, 
died  there.  Lewis  Johnson  came  here  in 
1819,  and  settled  on  Section  22.  He  had  a 
large  family,  many  of  whom  and  their  de- 
scendants are  still  living  in  the  county.  A. 
Bateman,asonin-law  of  Lewis  Johnson, came 
to  the  neighborhood  with  him.     Archibald 


Harris  also  came  about  the  same  time,  and 
was  from  Kentucky.  He  had  been  a  Baptist 
preacher,  but  had  backslidden — if  the  Bap- 
tists ever  do  such  things — and  became  a 
drunkard,  and,  as  we  have  been  informed, 
died  intoxicated.  The  Holtsclaws  were  early 
settlers,  as  will  be  seen  by  sketches  elsewhere. 
William  Woods  came  here  early  (about  1819) 
and  raised  a  large  family,  of  whom  some  are 
still  living  here.  James  E.  Davis  was  also 
an  early  settler  in  this  township,  and  came 
from  Wilson  County,  TenD.  He  did  not  re- 
main long,  but  moved  away.  Lewis  Green, 
the  step-father  of  Jesse  A.  Dees,  was  an 
early  settler  in  this  township,  but  the  people 
were  now  moving  in  so  fast  it  was  impossible 
to  keep  trace  of  them. 

There  were  plenty  of  Indians  here  when 
the  first  settlers  came.  The  Maxeys  remem- 
ber to  have  seen  Indians  passing  their  cabin 
in  early  times.  A  hundred  of  the  "  red  sons 
of  the  forest "  passed  there  once  in  a  body 
and  camped  within  a  hundred  yards  of  their 
house.  They  were  friendly,  and  made  no 
trouble  nor  interrupted  any  one  further  than 
to  call  at  the  house  and  beg  some  salt  and 
meal.  On  the  Gov.  Casey  farm  (where  Capt. 
Moss  now  lives)  the  Indians  used  to  camp  in 
numbers  when  hunting  on  Camp  Branch,  a 
tributary  having  its  source  ou  this  farm  and 
empyting  into  Hooper's  Creek.  For  seven 
years  after  Gov.  Casey  came  here,  the  In- 
dians camped  upon  this  branch  during  their 
fall  hunts.  The  woods  at  that  ti.me  were 
f uU  of  game,  and  the  savages  frequently  came 
into  the  neighborhood  to  hunt,  but  so  far  as 
we  can  learn  never  committed  any  depreda- 
tions after  the  murder  of  Moore  in  Jtoore's 
Prairie,  and  even  that  has  never  been  defi- 
nitely settled;  it  has  only  been  supposed  that 
he  was  murdered  by  Indians.  As  we  have 
said,  there  was  plenty  of  game  here  then, 
and  some  of  the  Maxey   boys,  notably  Ben- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


347 


nett  and  Jehu  were  great  hunters.  Hun- 
dreds cif  deer  could  be  seen  sometimes  at  a 
"single  look,"  feeding  on  the  prairie,  as 
cattle  can  now  be  seen;  and  as  to  wild  tur- 
keys, "  the  woods  were  full  of  them,"  and 
the  settlers  had  but  little  trouble  in  supply- 
ing their  larders  with  meat.  Indeed,  it  was 
great  fun  for  the  most  of  them  to  lay  in 
their  winter's  supply  of  meat,  but  the  pro- 
curing of  bread  was  an  altogether  different 
thing.  The  first  meal  was  brought  with  the 
settlers  from  the  older  States,  and  afterward 
gotten  at  the  little  horse  mills  put  up  in  the 
new  settlements,  which  were  very  rude  in 
their  construction  and  very  p6or  at  best,  but 
better  than  none  at  all.  The  first  mill  in 
this  township  was  built  by  William  Maxey. 
It  was  a  horse-mill  of  Ihe  usual  primitive 
kind,  but  was  of  great  benefit  to  the  commu- 
nity, and  for  many  years  was  their  chief 
source  of  supply  of  breadstuff.  A  distillery 
was  kept  by  Abner  Hill  in  a  very  early  day, 
in  the  northwest  part  of  the  township,  but  it 
is  a  landmark  that  has  long  since  passed 
away.  The  old  wooden  mold-board  plows 
were  the  kind  most  in  use  by  the  early  set- 
tlers. J.  C.  Maxey  used  to  stock  these  old- 
style  plows,  making  the  mold- boards  him- 
self, and  hence,  next  to  the  blacksmith  who 
made  the  plows,  was  a  man  in  great  demand 
among  the  farming  population. 

Joseph  McMeens,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
this  section,  met  with  a  sad  bereavement 
soon  after  his  settlement.  A  child,  a  little 
girl  only  four  years  old,  was  lost  in  the  woods 
and  was  never  found,  nor  was  her  fate  ever 
clearly  established.  Whether  she  was  de- 
voured by  wild  beasts  or  carried  off  by  prowl- 
ing savages  will  probably  never  be  known. 

Births,  deaths  and  marriages  are  matters 
of  great  interest  in  new  countries,  particu- 
larly among  the  female  portion  of  the  inhab- 
itants.     The  first  birth  in  Shiloh  Township 


cannot  be  recalled,  bat  knowledge  of  the 
first  death  is  more  easily  attainable.  All 
things  earthly  are  fleeting  and  transitory, 
even  to  the  human  beings  who  occupy  this 
planet  of  ours.  We  look  around  us  at  the 
landscape  clothed  with  beauty,  ornamented 
with  flowers  of  the  fairest  hue  and  rich  with 
verdure.  But  yet  a  little  while  and  winter 
invades  the  beautiful  fields  and  hills  and 
valleys,  and  with  a  relentless  hand  shrouds 
in  gloom  the  gorgeous  scenery.  We  behold 
the  sky  di-awn  above  us  as  a  magnificent  can- 
opy-  'iyed  in  azure  and  beautiful  with  pict- 
ures of  floating  silver;  but  as  we  gaze  upon 
the  beautiful  scenery,  the  world,  awhile  ra- 
diant with  beauty,  is  mantled  in  darkness. 
Man  looks  upon  these  changes  in  nature, 
and  seems  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  he, 
too,  is  as  perishable  as  they,  and  is  heedless 
of  the  warning  voice  that  tells  him  "  Dust 
thou  art.  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." 
Joui-neying  to  the  tomb,  he  wastes  his  price 
less  time,  until  finally  death  knocks  at  his 
door  and  finds  him  unprepared. 

"Aud  years  may  go, 
But  our  tears  shall  flow 
O'er  the  dead  who  have  died."  etc.,  etc. 

Death  entered  the  settlement  through  the 
Maxey  family,  and  an  infant  of  Henry  B. 
Maxey  was  the  victim.  It  was  brought  here 
an  infant  in  arms,  and  survived  the  change 
of  climate  but  a  short  time.  It  was  the  first 
death  in  the  township,  and  believed  also  to 
have  been  the  first  in  the  county.  The  well 
populated  graveyards  in  the  township  and 
BUi-rounding  country  show  how  well  death 
has  done  his  work  and  how  busy  he  has  been 
among  the  "  children  of  men." 

The  third  wedding  to  occur  in  the  county 
took  place  in  Shiloh  Township,  and  was  a 
kind  of  wholesale  wedding.  Three  couples 
were  married  at  the  same  time  and  place, 
viz.,  Thomas  M.  Casey  and  Harriet   Maxey, 


348 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Abraham  T.  Casey  and  Vylinda  Maxey  and 
Bennett  N.  Maxey  and  Sally  Overbey.  The 
ceremony  was  performed  October  5,  1819, 
and  the  affair  was  a  grand  one  for  those  early 
days.  To  use  a  backwoods  expression,  "the 
big  pot  was  put  in  the  little  one,"  the  fatted 
calf  (deer)  was  slain,  a  great  feast  prepared, 
and  everybody  within  reach  invited.  This 
triple  wedding  was  long  remembered  as  an 
event  worthy  of  note. 

Shiloh  Township  is  as  well  supplied  with 
roads  and  bridges  as  any  portion  of  Jefferson 
County.  Good  wagon  roads  traverse  it  in 
every  direction,  and  substantial  bridges  span 
the  streams  wherever  needed. 

Previous  to  1809,  the  county  was  divided 
into  election  precincts,  but  in  that  year,  it, 
under  a  law  of  the  State,  adopted  township 
organization.  Since  the  chauge.  the  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  township  officers: 

Supervisors — John    R.  Moss,    1870-71;  J. 

C.  Tyler,  1872;  J.  M.  Galbraith,  1873-74; 
W.  C.  Webb,  1875;  V.  G.  Osborne,  1876;  A. 

D.  Collins,  1877;  O.  L.  Moss,  1878;  J.  J. 
Willis,  1879;  N.  L.  Frost,  1880;  J.  C.  Tyler, 
1881;  Thomas  C.  Allen,  1882;  J.  C.  Tyler, 
1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Town  Clerks — John  T.  Johnson,  1872; 
Sanford  Hill,  1873;  W.  Greer,  1874;  J.  D. 
McMeen,  1875;  E.  S.  Dillon,  1876-77; 
N.  H.  Moss,  1878;  W.  A.  Piercy,  1879  to 
1881;  L.  Bond,  1882;  W.  A.  Piercy,  1883, 
now  in  office. 

Assessors— J.  M.  Galbraith,  1872;  J.  D. 
McMeen,  1873;  W.  T.  Webb,  1874;  O.  A. 
Dickerman.  1875;  J.  N.  Bond,  1876;  J.  H. 
Payne,  1877;  J.  A.  Heed,  1878;  W.  T. 
Maxey,  1879-80;  J.  A.  Reed,  1881-82;  S. 
B.  Gilbert,  1883,  now  in  ofSca 

Collectors— W.  C.  Webb,  1872-73;  J.  C. 
Payne,  1874;  Sanford  Hill,  1875;  W.  C. 
Webb,  1876;  J.  A.  Eeed,  1877;  J.  J.  Willis, 
1878;  T.  C.  Allen,  1879-80;  Henry  B.  Wal- 
ker, 1881  to  1883. 


School  Treasurers — J.  Payne,  Sr.,  J.  C. 
Maxey,  T.  C.  Johnson,  J.  Henderson,  T.  C. 
Allen,  J.  C.  Tyler,  C.  C.  Mayfield,  J.  T. 
Payne  and  R.  H.  Hubbard,  the  present  in- 
cumbents. 

Highway  Commissioners — R.  H.  Hubbard, 
C.  B.  Harper,  W.  B.  Casey,  J.  M.  Beckham. 
C.  B.  Harper,  T.  W.  Beal,  George  Hill,  J. 
M.  Beckham,  J.  E.  Ward,  J.  B.  Pearcy,  J. 
R.  Driver  and  J.  E.  Ward. 

Justices  of  the  Peace— C.  B.  Harper,  J.  Q. 
A.  Berry,  J.  R.  Driver,  C.  M.  Casey,  J  R. 
Driver,  J.  DuBois,  C-  M.  Casey,  J.  DuBois, 
L.  H.  Hoiise  and  C.  M.  Casey. 

Constables— Sanfnrd  Hill,  L.  C.  Johnson, 
A.  J.  Smith,  L.  C.  Johns  on,  J.  M.Galbraith 
and  S.  B.  Gilbert. 

Considerable  attention  is  paid  to  stock- 
raising  in  this  township,  and  that  there  is 
not  more  than  there  is  the  mere's  the  pity. 
When  the  farmers  of  this  section  of  the 
State  devote  more  time  and  attention  to  stock 
and  fruit  and  less  to  wheat — a  crop  that  has 
proved  so  thoroughly  to  be  an  uncertain  one 
— it  will  be  far  better  for  them  and  a  good 
revenue  will  result.  Capt.  J.  E.  Moss  and 
A.  J.  Moss  are  among  the  largest  stock- rais- 
ers in  this  immediate  section.  They  raised 
horses,  Durham  and  Jersey  cattle,  Berkshire 
hogs  and  Cotswold  sheep — the  latter  'were 
originally  imported  from  Canada.  Capt. 
Moss  was  the  first  man  who  brought  Cotswold 
sheep  to  the  township  and  has  done  more, 
perhaps,  to  improve  the  stock  interests  than 
any  other  man.  Others  have  more  recently 
embarked  in  stock-raising,  until  at  the  pros- 
(tnt  time  it  is  getting  to  be  the  leading  pur- 
suit of  the  farmers  of  this  re^jion. 

The  people  took  a  deep  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters,  and  schools  were  organized 
very  early.  Among  the  early  teachers  were 
Joel  Pace.  Edward  Maxey,  a  man  named 
Douglas,    E.    Knapp,    Anderson    Booth  ^and 


"S^Sku. 


^^yf^rn^-K^  m^^ 


LiBRARV 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


351 


others.  The  old  "  Jefferson  Academy  "  was 
one  of  the  first  schoolhouses  in  the  township. 
Shiloh  has  never  let  its  interest  flag  iu  the 
cause  of  education,  and  to-day  it  has  nine 
comfortable  schoolhouses  within  its  limits, 
all  of  which  support  good  schools.  Christian- 
ity occupied  the  minds  of  the  people  as 
early  as  the  cause  of  education.  Some  of 
the  earliest  settlers  were  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel—notably Zadok  Casey,  of  whom  mvich 
has  already  been  snid.  Abraham  T.  Casey 
and  Lewis  Johnson  were  also  preachers,  as 
well  as  some  of  the  Maxeys.  These  were  all 
ministers  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  sev- 
eral societies  of  this  denomination  were 
formed  very  early.  Old  Union  Church  in 
Mount  Vernon  Township,  was  the  first. 
Pleasant  Grove  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  organized  in  1839  in  the  schoolhouse, 
and  the  first  preacher  was  the  Rev.  W.  T. 
Williams.  Among  the  early  members  were 
Thomas  M.  Casey  and  family,  Abraham  T. 
Casey  and  family,  Bennett  N.  Maxey  and 
Elihu  Maxey  and  their  families  and  others. 
The  present  church  building  was  put  up  some 
twenty- five  years  ago,  and  is  of, 'brick,  30x40 
feet  in  size,  costing  about  $1!,000.  It  has 
some  eighty  members.  There  is  at  present 
a  Baptist  Church  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  townshij:)  called  New  Hope  Church. 
Old  Shiloh  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
one  of  the  lirst  churches  organized  in  the 
township.  Among  the  early  members  were 
Lewis  Johnson,  Zadok  Casey,  William  and 
Edward  Maxey,  Mr.  Depriest  and  their  fam- 
ilies. Their  early  meetings  were  held  in  a 
house  put  up  for  church  and  school  pur- 
poses in  1821,  and  was  given  the  name  of 
01(1  Shiloh.  For  years  it  was  used  both  for 
chm-ch  and  school  purposes,  but  has  long 
since  passed  away.  The  New  Shiloh  Church 
was  an  early  organization.  The  present 
church    building    was    put    up  in  1S58;  the 


membership  is  about  seventy-five;  the  pres- 
ent minister  Rev.  L.  S.  Walker.  The 
church  maintains  a  Sunday  school  with 
some  seventy-five  pupils  and  five  teachers. 
Little  Grove  Church  was  organized  in  1833, 
near  James  Westcott's,  who  gave  the  land 
upon  which  it  stood.  Salem  Church  was  also 
an  early  organization,  and  its  origin  was 
due  principally  to  Rhodam  Allen,  who  was  a 
zealous  Christian,  and  took  great  interest  in 
religious  affairs. 

Woodlawn  Village  was  laid  out  by  John  D. 
Williams  for  S.  K.  Casey  and  W.  D.  Green, 
and  the  plat  recorded  October  1,  1869.  It  is 
located  on  the  range  line  in  Section  25,  and 
is  on  the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Railroad, 
west  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  has  about  300 
inhabitants.  The  first  house  was  built  by 
Hiram  Ferguson.  Among  the  first  merchants 
of  the  place  were  Benton,  Masters.  J.  Q.  A. 
Bay  and  Dubois.  James  Farmer  put  up  a 
fine  mill  in  1872,  and  Hicks  put  up  a  drug 
store.  The  post  office  was  established  in 
1870,  and  Dr.  Masters  was  appointed  Post- 
master; the  present  Postmaster  is  G.  B. 
Welborn.  An  excellent  school  building  is 
in  the  town.  It  is  a  fi-ame,  24x36  feet,  and 
the  school  attendance  is  about  sixty.  A 
lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  was  organized  in  1874. 
The  present  officers  are  J.  T.  Slade,  N.  G. ; 
J.  F.  Brooks,  V.  G. ;  L.  H.  Hawes,  Treasur- 
er; and  G.  W.  Fyke,  Secretary.  In  1878, 
James  Dillon  put  up  an  oil  factory  in  a  part 
of  Farmer's  Mill,  and  for  several  years  car- 
ried on  the  business.  It  was  said  at  the  time 
to  be  the  biggest  thing  of  the  kind  in  the 
whole  country.  Pennyroyal  and  sassafras 
came  in  by  the  hundreds  of  wagon-loads  and 
was  made  into  oil. 

The    following    is  the   business    outlook: 

Payne  &   Sharp,   Smith  &  Capp,    general 

stores;       George    B.    Welborn,    drug    store; 

John  A.  Lelfield,  groceries;  Mrs.  E.  P.  Rev- 

(5 


353 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Dolds,  millinery;  R.  Richie,  blacksmith,  etc. 
The  village  was  incorporated  under  the  State 
law  in  1880,  with  the  following  officers:  Dr. 
Watson,  President;  Emery  Wood,  James 
Trout,  Harvey  Reynolds,  J.  W.  Beckham, 
J.  H.  Hicks;  and  W.  P.  Willis,  Clerk.  The 
present  officers  are  J.  H.  Hicks,  President; 
J.  H.  Clayborne,  J.  P.  Morgan,  W.  H. 
Breeze,  Andrew  Ferguson  and  L.  A. 
Stevens. 


The  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in 
the  township  in  the  Hicks  Schoolhouse,  and 
among  the  original  members  were  Isaac 
Hicks  and  wife,  Benjamin  McKinney  and 
wife,  Peter  Shaffer  and  wife,  George  Knos 
and  his  mother,  John  Lemmon  and  wife,  and 
others.  The  church  was  built  in  the  village 
in  1879,  and  cost  about  $1,200.  The  society 
has  some  forty  members  and  a  good  Sunday 
school  is  kept  lip  all  the  year. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


PENDLETON  AND  MOORE'S  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIPS— GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  AND  TOPOGRAPHY— THE 

FIRST  SETTLERS— MOORE'S  PRAIRIE  A  HISTORICAL  SPOT— PIONEER  HARDSHIPS  AND 

DIFFICULTIES— EARLY  INDUSTRIES  AND  CUSTOMS— TOWNSHIP  OFFICERS 

—CHURCHES     AND    SCHOOLS— LY;JCHBURG— BELLE   RIVE   AND 

OPDYKE— THEIR    GROWTH,    BUSINESS,    ETC.,   ETC. 


'  Of  'a  the  trades  that  I  do  ken 
Commend  me  to  the  ploughman. 


-Burns. 


THERE  is  no  truer  saying  than  that  of 
the  philosopher  that  oiir  lives  are  what 
we  make  them.  In  the  city,  the  village  or 
on  the  farm  is  this  true,  but  it  is  preemi- 
nently  tnte  of  the  farm.  If  farming  is  only 
given  over  to  ignorant  and  unkempt  boors, 
it  will  to  that  extent  be  forbidding  to  the 
growing  young  men.  If  the  ritral  popiila- 
tion  inform  themselves  and  pursiie  their  bus  • 
iness  in  the  most  ennobling  way,  their  every 
movement  giiided  by  a  type  of  intelligence 
that  brings  the  best  adaptation  to  the  natii 
ral  means  surrounding  them,  it  will  become 
the  most  inviting  puraiiit  for  the  best  men 
and  women.  There  is  no  foolish  notion  that 
more  urgently  needs  to  be  exploded  than 
the  prevalent  onB  which  makes  a  coiintry 
life  below  the  ambition  of  a  young  man  of 
education   and    spirit,     and  which    regards 


towns  and  cities  as  the  only  places  in  which 
men"^  rise  to  distinction  and  usefulness. 
Farming  is  called  a  tame  and  monotonous 
vocation,  but  can  anything  better  be  claimed 
for  the  plodding,  exacting  and  exhaustive 
piirsuits  which  nine-tenths  of  those  who  live 
in  cities  are  compelled  to  follow?  It  is  a 
great  mistake  to  siippose  that  the  population 
of  a  city  is  made  up  of  great  capitalists, 
proprietors,  manufacturers  and  eminent  law- 
yers and  surgeons,  and  that  it  is  an  easy 
thing  for  a  yoitng  man  endowed  with  the 
quality  of  "smartness"  to  achieve  wealth 
and  distinction,  or  even  independence,  in  the 
fierce,  pitiless  whirl  of  city  life.  The  wrecks 
to  be  encountered  in  city  streets  every  day 
disprove  it.  Comparatively  few  persons 
amass  fortunes  in  cities,  and  fewer  still  re- 
tain them.  It  has  been  estimated  that  where 
one  man  becomes  independently  rich  in  a 
city,  a  hundred  never  get  beyond  moderate 
livers,  and  five  himdred  are  but   little  better 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


333 


than  beggars.  That  riches  in  cities  take 
wings  and  fly  away  is  proven  by  the  fact 
that  in  at  least  five  "^cases  out  of  ten  of  a 
wealthy  business  man  in  middle  life,  he  will 
die  penniless. 

Farming  is  not  subject  to  these  rapid  and 
ruinous  chances.  In  this  pursuit  industry, 
economy  and  good  management,  aided  by  the 
increase  which  time  itself  brings,  will  in- 
sure a  competence  in  fifteen  or  twenty  years; 
and  it  is  a  property  of  substance  accumulat- 
ed in  farming,  that,  unlike  fortunes  ac- 
quired in  mercantile  pursuits, jgenerally  lasts 
through  life.  IFew  thrifty,  industrious  farm- 
ers die  poor;  few  prosperous  merchants  who 
continue  in  business  die  rich.  The  farmer's 
profits  come  in  slow  and  small,  it  is  true, 
and  often  he  does  not  find  himself  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  until  middle  age. 
But  it  is  in  the  middle  of  old  age  he  most  needs 
the  comforts  of  independence,  and  if  he  is 
wise  enough  to  keep  oi;t  of  debt,  the  moder- 
ate competency  which  he  has  managed  to 
accumulate  through  his  better  years  will 
come  unscathed  through  the  storms  and  con- 
vulsions that  sweep  away  towering  fortunes 
in  the  business  world.  These  reflections  are 
suggested  in  consequence  of  writing  of  town- 
ships that  are  devoted  almost  wholly  to  ag- 
ricultural pursuits,  and  it  is  our  wish  to  im- 
press upon  the  young  men  of  the  country 
their  own  power  to  make  their  lives  just 
what  they  would  have  them  to  be.  There  is 
no  better  pursuit  or  no  more  ennobling  one 
than  that  of  a  farmer,  if  we  choose  to  so 
make  it. 

The  history  of  this  township  and  the  one 
immediately  south  of  it  is  so  interwoven  that 
it  is  hard  to  separate  them,  and  we  shall 
therefore  incorporate  them  in  one  chapter. 
The  history  of  Moore's  Prairie  is  really  the 
history  of  both  townships,  and  outside  of 
Mount  Vernon  is  the  most  historical  spot  of 


the  county.  It  dates  back  almost  three- 
quarters  of  a  century,  to  the  period  of  the 
first  actual  white  settlement. 

Pendleton  Township  lies  in  the  east  tier 
of  townships,  and  Moore's  Prairie  Township 
forms  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county. 
They  have  for  their  boundnries  Hamilton 
County  on  the  east,  Franklin  County  on  the 
south.  Spring  Garden  and  Dodds  Townships 
on  the  west,  and  Webber  Township  north  of 
Pendleton.  The  latter  is  Township  3  south, 
Range  4  east,  and  Moore's  Prairie  is  Town- 
ship -t  south  and  Epnge  4  east,  under  the 
Congressional  survey.  The  fine  scope  of 
country  known  as  Moore's  Prairie,  which 
forms  the  larger  part  of  one  of  these  town- 
ships, and  extending  far  into  the  other,  is 
probably  the  finest  body  of  farming  land  in 
all  the  surrounding  country.  Beautiful  roll- 
ing prairies,  sufficiently  undulating  to  drain 
well,  it  is  specially  adapted  for  grain  and  is 
a  wheat-growing  region  almost  unsurpassed. 
Some  of  the  finest  and  most  valuable  farms 
in  Jefferson  County  are  to  be  found  in  this 
extensive  prairie.  The  timbered  portions  of 
the  townships  produce  oak,  hickory  and  a  few 
other  kinds  common  in  this  section.  There 
are  no  water- courses,  except  a  few  small  and 
nameless  streams  that  go  dry  in  the  summer 
season. 

The  first  settlement  in  the  county  was 
made  in  Moore's  Prairie  by  one  Andrew 
Moore,  for  whom  the  prairie  was  named. 
He  settled  here  in  1810,  and  the  event  and 
his  unknown,  but  supposed  tragic,  death  by 
the  Indians  is  detailed  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter, and  need  not  be  repeated.  He  was  the  pio- 
neer of  all  the  pioneers  uf  Jefferson  County. 
After  Moore's  untimely  death,  no  further 
effort  was  made  at  a  settlement  here  until 
in  the  spring  of  1816.  when  Carter  Wilkey 
and  Daniel  Crenshaw  came.  The  latter 
moved  into  Moore's  cabin  and  cultivated  his 


354 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


patch  of  ground,  while  Wilkey  raised  a  crop 
in  the  prairie.  Robert  Cook  came  soon  after 
Wilkey  and  Crenshaw,  and  settled  in  the 
lower  end  of  the  prairie.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  Barton  Atchison  came.  He 
bought  Wilkey's  crop  and  settled  near  Cook. 
Mrs.  Wilkey,  Carter  Wilkey's  mother,  and 
Maxey  Wilkey,  an  older  bfother  of  Carter's, 
and  his  family  came  in  October,  and  during 
the  winter  the  two  last-mentioned  families 
occupied  one  room  of  Crenshaw's  cabin. 
But,  like  the  settlement  of  Moore,  these  set- 
tlements are  written  up  in  another  chapter, 
and  nothing  additional  can  be  said  here. 

The  next  settler,  perhaps,  was  Dempsey 
Hood,  who  came  in  1817,  with  four  stalwart 
sons,  one  of  whom  was  a  carpenter,  and  to- 
gether with  Carter  Wilkey,  also  a  carpenter, 
built  many  of  the  first  houses  in  the  coun- 
try. In  the  following  winter  Theophilus 
Cook,  the  widow  Hicks,  mother  of  Col. 
Stephen  G.  Hicks,  and  several  other  fami- 
lies came  in  and  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie. 
Uncle  "Ophy"  Cook,  as  everybody  called  him, 
settled  near  Sloo's  Point.  He  was  a  most 
excellent  man,  and  all  who  knew  him  were 
his  friends.  He  was  a  pure  and  upright 
Christian  man  in  his  character,  was  without 
blemish  so  far  as  man  may  judge,  and  as  friend 
and  neighbor  he  lived  above  reproach.  The 
Cooks,  W^ilkeys.  Mrs.  Hicks,  Atchisons  and 
Hoods  were  originally  from  Georgia.  Mrs. 
Hood  'and  Mrs.  Atchison  were  sisters,  and 
their  maiden  name  Hill.  Mrs.  Hicks  was  the 
widow  of  John  Hicks,  who,  as  stated  in  a 
previous  chapter,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans.  Soon  after  the  settlement 
thus  mentioned,  a  man.  Hodge,  came  in.  and 
a  little  later  Mrs.  Kobinson  came;  also  about 
the  same  time  a  man  named  Fipps,  Bales, 
Fannin  and  Mrs.  Moore,  widow  of  Andrew 
Moore,  ruoved  in  and  made  settlements, 
which  have  been  noticed  elsewhere.     Cren- 


shaw, whose  settlement  has  already  been 
mentioned,  sold  out  in  1822  to  Tunstall,  and 
moved  to  St.  Clair  County.  In  1824,  Dan- 
iel Wilbanks  bought  out  Tunstall  and  settled 
in  Moore's  Prairie,  and  since  that  date  the 
name  of  Wilbanks  has  been  a  prominent 
one  in  Jefferson  County  and  closely  con- 
nected with  its  history.  Daniel  Wilbanks 
was  originally  from  North  Carolina,  but  em- 
igrated to  South  Carolina,  and  from  the  lat- 
ter Slate  came  to  Illinois  about  the  year 
1820.  He  settled  in  St.  Clair  County  in  a 
place  called  Turkey-foot  Hill  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  survey  of  the  lands  in  that 
county.  But  the  malaria  fastened  [on  him, 
and  to  escape  its  effects  he  came  here  in 
1824,  and,  as  we  have  stated,  purchased  the 
Crenshaw  place  in  Moore's  Prairie.  His  sons 
were  Joseph,  Robert  A.  D.,  William,  Dan- 
iel, Davis,  and  several  daughters.  One  of  his 
sons,  Robert  A.  D.  Wilbanks,  once  carried 
the  mail — when  Uncle  Sam  traveled  mostly 
on  horseback  —from  Belleville  to  Metropolis, 
a  fact,  perhaps,  that  many  of  the  old  citizens 
still  remember.  He  was  a  prominent  man  of 
his  time,  and  held  many  offices  and  positions 
of  trust,  and  had  also  represented  his  district 
in  the  State  Senate.  The  family  is  still  a 
numerous  one,  and  the  male  members  are  to 
be  found  among  the  leading  business  men  of 
the  county,  of  whom  sketches  will  be  found 
in  the  biographical  department  of  this  work. 
Robert  Wilbanks,  the  accomplished  and  ac- 
commodating Clerk  of  the  Appellate  Court,  is 
a  grandson  and  an  able  representative  of  the 
old  pioneer,  Daniel  Wilbanks. 

Other  early  settlers  embraced  the  follow- 
ing families:  TheHineses,  William  Jourdan, 
Isaac  Fortenberry,  Aaron  Jourdan,  Samuel 
Atchison,  Lewis  Watkins,  etc.,  etc.  Hines 
came  very  early  and  left  early.  There  were 
bad  stories  concerning  him;  he  kept  a  tav- 
ern on  the  Goshen  road,  and  there  were  dark 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSOX  COUNTY. 


355 


deeds  hinted  at — travelers  stopping  at  this 
tavern  who  were  never  seen  to  leave.  How 
true  were  these  stories,  we  do  not  pretend  to 
know.  The  time  has  been  so  long  ago  they 
are  becoming  dim  traditions.  William  Jour- 
dan  settled  here  in  IS  18.  He  was  the  father 
of  a  large  family,  and  a  number  of  grand- 
children are  living  in  this  and  adjoining 
counties.  The  old  house  he  built  is  now 
used  by  George  Walters  as  a  barn.  Isaac 
Fortenberry  came  soon  after  Jourdan  and 
settled  on  Section  18,  but  afterward  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Missouri.  C.  and  Aaron  Jour- 
dan settled  in  1825,  on  Sections  9  and  10. 
Descendants  are  still  living.  Samuel  Atchi- 
son came  in  early.  Watkins  had  a  store  and 
sold  the  first  goods  in  the  precinct.  Samuel 
Bradford  settled  near  where  Belle  Rive 
now  stands,  but  some  years  later  moved  to 
Wayne  County.  James  Vance  settled  south 
of  Bradford  about  1820.  He  was  from  Ten- 
nessee. Others  came  ,in,  including  James 
Bellow,  Willis  Harderick,  Isaac  Smith  and 
John  Lowrey,  and  Moore's  Prairie  was  rapidly 
settled  up,  as  well  as  the  timbered  land  ad- 
jacent to  it. 

There  has  been  so  much  said  in  previous 
chapters  of  this  work  upon  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Moore's  Prairie,  that  really  but  lit- 
tle additional  can  be  said  here  without  rep- 
etition. Moore's  Prairie  is  a  historic  section, 
and  deserves  considerable  space,  and  we 
deem  no  excuse  necessary  for  the  prominent 
place  we  have  accorded  to  it. 

The  beauty  of  the  country  pleased  the  eye 
of  these  pioneers  when  they  first  came  here, 
and  the  abundance  of  wild  animals  gratified 
their  passion  for  hunting.  They  were  sur- 
rounded by  an  enemy  subtle  and  wary,  but  they 
flinched  not  from  the  contest.  Even  their 
women  and  children  often  performed  deeds 
of  heroism  from  which  the  iron  nerves  of 
manhood    might    well  have    shrunk  in  fear. 


They  had  no  opportunities  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  arts  and  elegances  of  life — of  refined 
life.  In  their  seclusion,  amid  danger  and 
peril,  there  arose  a  peculiar  condition  of  so 
cioty,  elsewhere  almost  unknown  The  little 
Indian  meal  brought  with  them  was  often 
expended  too  soon,  and  sometimes  for  weeks 
andjmonths  they  lived  without  bread.  The 
lean  venison  and  the  breast,  of  wild  turkey 
they  taught  themselves  to  call  bread,  while 
the  fatter  venison  and  the  flesh  of  the  bear 
was  denominated  meat.  This  was  a  wretched 
"makeshift,"  and  resulted  in  disease  and 
sickness  when  necessity  compelled  them  t.> 
indulge  in  it  too  long,  preceded  by  weakness 
and  a  feeling  constantly  of  an  empty  stomach^ 
and  they  would  pass  the  dull  hours  in  watch-1 
ing  the  potato  tops,  pumpkins  and  squash  vines, \ 
hojsing  from  day  to  day  to  get  something  to  1 
answer  the  place  of  bread.  What  a  delight 
and  joy  was  the  first  young  potato!  What  a 
jubilee  when  at  last  the  young  corn  could  be 
pulled  for  roasting  ears,  only  to  be  still  in- 
tensified when  it  had  attained  sufficient 
hardness  to  be  made  into  a  johnny-cake  by 
the  aid  of  a  tin  grater.  These  were  harbin 
gers  from  heaven  that  brought  health,  vigor 
and  content  with  the  surroundings,  poor  as 
they  were,  and  were  only  still  further  sur- 
passed when  mills  were  built  and  put  in 
operation. 

This  was  the  manner  in  which  the  people 
lived,  for  the  first  years  of  their  settlement 
here,  and  is  a  very  brief  and  feeble  sketch 
of  some  of  their  trials  and  hardships.  The 
difficulties  they  encountered  were  very  great, 
and  would  have  utterly  discouraged  men  and 
women  less  brave  and  resolute.  They  were 
in  a  wilderness,  far  removed  from  any  culti- 
vated region,  and  ammunition,  food,  cloth- 
ing and  implements  of  industry  were  almost 
unattainable. 

The  townships  of  Pendleton  and   Moore's 


356 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Prairie  are  devoted  principally  to  grain,  and 
as  we  have  before  stated,  is  the  finest  v^heat- 
growing  section  of  the  county.  It  is  too  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  wheat  for  the  good  of 
the  farmers.  If  they  would  divide  their  at- 
tention between  grain,  stock  and  fruit,  they 
would  soon  find  a  great  improvement  finan- 
cially in  the  results  of  their  farms.  Then 
when  wheat  or  fruit  failed  they  would  have 
the  other,  together  with  their  surplus  stock,  to 
fall  back  on. 

The  early  churches  and  schools  of  these 
townships  were  on  a  par  with  other  portions 
of  the  county.  The  schoolhouses  were  of 
the  primitive  log-cabin  style,  often  de- 
scribed in  this  work,  and  the  first  religious 
meetings  were  held  in  the  cabins  of  the  peo- 
ple, or  in  summer  beneath  the  spreading 
trees.  The  first  schoolhouse  of  which  we 
can  learn  anything  was  a  log  cabin  on  Sec- 
tion 7  of  Pendleton  Township,  and  the  first 
teacher  was  a  man  named  Gibbs.  The  town- 
ship of  Pendleton  now  has  nine  schoolhouses, 
and  Moore's  Prairie  has  six.  These  are  all 
comfortable  buildings — palaces,  when  com- 
pared to  those  the  first  settlers  built  and  in 
which  their  children  obtained  their  meager 
learning.  The  first  church  was  organized  in 
the  northwest  part  of  Pendleton  Township, 
and  the  Estes  family  wei-e  among  the  origi- 
nal members.  Of  this  organization,  however, 
we  obtained  very  little  information. 

Pendleton  and  Moore's  Prairie  Townships 
are  closely  connected  historically,  as  pre- 
viously stated,  and  not  easy  to  separate  the 
sketch  of  them.  Originally  they  comprised 
Moore's  Prairie  Precinct.  Upon  the  adop- 
tion of  township  organization  by  the  county 
in  1869,  they  were  divided  and  the  south 
end  retained  the  old  name  of  Moore's  Prai- 
rie, while  the  north  half  was  called  Pendle- 
ton, as  we  have  been  informed,  for  George  H. 
Pendleton,  the  able  Democratic  statesman  of 


Ohio,  who  was  the  Vice  Presidential  candi- 
date on  the  ticket  with  Gen.  McClellan  in 
1864.  Since  the  adoption  of  township  or- 
ganization, the  township  officials  of  Pendle- 
ton have  been  as  follows: 

Supervisors — W.  A.  .Tones,  1870;  Solomon 
Patterson,  1871;  R.  Brown,  1872-73;  T.  J, 
Holland.  1874;  A.  Knififen,  1875:  John  Gib- 
sou,  1876;  T.  J.  Holland,  1877;  R.  Brown, 
1878-79;  W.  S.  Alexander,  1880^81;  J.  A, 
Wilbanks,  1882;  L.  E.  Jones,  1883. 

Township  Clerks.— H.  Patterson,  1872;  L. 
W.  Cremens,  1873;  W.  W.  Watters,  1874  to 
1876;  J.  S.  Brooks,  1877;  R.  W.  Shelton, 
1878;  J.  W.  Gilpin,  1879;  C.  M.  Jackson, 
1880-81;  S.  C.  Gilbert,  1882-83. 

Assessors.— J.  Guthrie,  1872  to  1874;  H. 
Patterson,  1875-76;  O.  P.  Nesmith,  1877; 
J.  Guthrie,  1878;  E.  Price,  1879-80;  D.  D. 
Smith,  1881:  W.  H.  Estes,  1882-83. 

Collectors.— J.  A.  Creel,  1872;  T.  Cornel- 
ius, 1873;  J.  Maulding,  1874-75;  A. 
Kniffen,  1876  to  1878;  O.  M,  D.  Ham,  1879; 
L.  E.  Jones,  1880;  R.  G.  Wall,  1881;  J. 
Guthrie,  1882;  O.  M.  D.  Ham,  1883. 

Highway  "Commissioners. — W.  B.  Good- 
ner,  W.  C.  Henry,  J.  N.  Miller,  E.  Jones, 
G.  A.  Creel,  E.  Moore,  J.  W.  Miller,  E. 
Jones,  William  Barbee,  J.  Smith,  P.  Will- 
iamson, J.  B.  Jones  and  R.  G.  Wall. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — William  Carpenter 
and  G.  W.  Bliss,  1870;. Alfred  Moore  and  G. 
W.  Bliss,  1871-72;  O.  M.  Tennison,  1873 
to  1876;  G.  D.  Jones  and  E.  Price,  1877-80; 
J.  R.  Williams  and  A.  C.  Jones,  the  present 
incumbents. 

Constables. — S.  Tennison,  W.  H.  Estes,  S. 
L.  Holder,  J.  E.  Miller,  J.  Boswell,  G.  H. 
Edwards,  S.  L.  Holder,  L.  McCann,  W.  Car- 
penter, E.  B.  Jacobson    and  William    Price. 

The  following  are  the  township  officers  of 
Moore's  Prairie  since  the  date  of  township 
oisrauization: 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


357 


Supervisors— Q.  A.  Wilbanks,  1870;  W. 
Oram,  1871-72;  R.  W.  Burshead,  1873-74; 
C.  H.  Judd,  1875;  W.  G.  Casey,  1876;  C.  H. 
Judd,  1877-78;  J.  H.  Smith,  1879;  A.  J. 
Liouberger,  1880;  J.  D.  Kniffen,  1881;  A.  J. 
Lionberger,  1882;  G    W.  Clark,  18S3, 

Town  Clerks  — C.  C.  Allen,  1872  to  1874; 
J.  McPherson,  1875-70;  J.  H.  Zahn,  1877- 
78;  W.  a  Cofield,  1879;  T,  N.  Woodrufif, 
1880  to  1882;  J.  W,  Nooner,  1883. 

Assessors— W.  G.  Casey,  1872  to  1874; 
J.  H.  Smith,  1875;  R.  F,  Heck,  1876;  W. 
H.  Hunter,  1877-78;  A.  Knififen,  1879;  R. 
S.  Compton.  1880;  J.  H.  Price,  1881;  W. 
H.  Cotield,  18S2;  O.  H.  Birkh-aad,  1883. 

Collectors. —J.  A.  Irvin,  1872;  J.  D. 
Knitfen,  1873-74;  H.  C.  Alleu,  1875;  E,  F. 
Burchead.  1876;  A.  Kniffen,  1877;  W.  H. 
Cotield,  1878;  J.  D.  Kniffen,  1879-80; 
George  Shipley,  1881;  G.  N.  Allen,  1882- 
83. 

School  Treasurers.- H.  C.  Allen,  1875;  C. 
H.  Judd,  1876;  VV.  G.  Clark,  1877-78;  D, 
S.  Hunter.  1879;  C.  H.  Judd,  1880;  J.  T. 
Watters,  1881;  C.  H.  Birkhead,  1882;  E.N. 
Kara,  1883. 

Highway  Comaii3sioner.-5. — J.  Lionberger, 
Henry  Bonnett,  J.  T.  Watters,  W.  P.  Wi- 
ley, J.  S.  Brooks.  J.  Hopkins,  W.  J.  Fin- 
ley.  Joseph  Shirley,  William  Cofield,  J.  H. 
Zahn  and  J.  A.  Smith. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — Edward  Price,  D. 
Boyles,  R.  S.  Compton  and  H.  L.  N.  Mills. 

Constables. — J.  J.  Fannin,  F.  Hicks,  J.  S. 
Cook,  T.  G.  Barnett,  T.  Shipley.  William 
Pearson,  T.  Shipley,  G.  Keons  and  J.  W. 
Heok,  Jr. 

These  townships,  particularly  Pendleton, 
are  well  supplied  with  villages.  Lynchburg 
was  laid  out  in  1852-53,  by  VV.  H.  Lynch, 
who  immortalized  himself  by  giving  it  his 
name.  It  is  located  in  Sections  5  and  8  of 
Pendleton    Township,  and    originally    com- 


prised four  blocks  of  eight  lots  each.  Mr. 
Johnson  gives  the  following  introduction  to 
the  history  of  Lynchburg: 

At  the  time  Lynchburg  was  laid  out,  Jon- 
athan Belieu  lived  at  Mount  Vernon,  mak- 
ing himself  conspicuous  as  an  eshorter,  in 
a  protracted  meeting.  Lynch  moved  a  small 
log  house  to  the  southwest  corner  of  his 
town,  and  into  this  moved  Belieu.  The  lat- 
ter built  a  frame  addition  to  the  end  of  the 
house,  for  goods,  but  by  this  time  he  had  no 
means  left.  To  replenishj  his  treasury,  he 
resorted  to  measures  not  becoming  a  good 
Christian  and  an  exhorter.  He  took  one 
horse  from  Mr.  Smith  in  Mount  Vernon  and 
one  from  a  negro  near  town.  These  he  took 
to  Fairfield,  sold  Smith's  horse  and  was  re- 
tu^-niug  home  on  the  othei",  intending  to  turn 
him  loose  on  Black-oak  Ridge  and  walk  home. 
But  he  missed  his  calculations  by  about  half 
a  mile.  Just  before  he  came  to  his  place  to 
change  cars,  he  was  met  by  Capt.  Newby, 
who  at  once  recognized  him  and  the  horse, 
and  marched  him  on  to  town.  Into  jail  he 
went.  He  was  visited  by  his  poor,  afflicted 
wife,  who  brought  him  an  auger,  with  which 
he  bored  the  door  in  twain  and  made  his  es- 
cape. Dr.  Gray  found  him,  brought  him 
back  to  town,  and  again  he  was  incarcerated, 
this  time  in  the  dungeon.  Then  he  tore  his 
blanket  into  strips,  and  by  its  aid  got 
through  the  scuttle  hole  up  stairs,  and  when 
Mr.  Thorn  went  to  pass  his  breakfast  down 
to  him,  he  slipped  out  in  his  sock  feet  and 
again  made  his  escape.  This  was  the  last 
beard  of  him  and  his  family  soon  followed. 
This  was  quite  a  blow  to  the  town,  but  Bar- 
net  Lynch  moved  into  the  deserted  house 
and  built  a  small  shop  east  of  it.  Then  \V. 
H.  Lynch  and  Stephen  G.  Hicks  built  a 
storehouse  and  opened  out  a  stock  of  goods. 
Lynch  bought  out  Hicks,  and  in  1854  sold  to 
Russell  Brown.       D.  E.  Lynch    came    about 


358 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


this  time  and  built  a  blacksmith  shop  east  of 
Barnet's  shop.  Soon  after  selling  out  to 
Brown,  Lynch  died  and  Brown  undertook  to 
make  an  addition  to  the  town,  when  the  fact 
was  developed  that  there  was  no  town  on 
record  to  add  to.  So  he  waited  till  the 
Legislature  assembled,  when  he  got  Gen. 
Anderson,  then  in  the  Legislature,  to  put  a 
bill  through,  by  which  the  original  survey 
of  Lynchburg  was  legalized  and  the  title  of 
purchasers  established.  This  act  is  dated 
February  17,  1857,  but  Brown's  Addition 
beai-s  date  July  31,  1854  A  little  later  a 
post  ofl&ce  was  established.  T.  O.  Brown 
joined  his  brother,  Eussell,  in  the  store,  but 
a  year  or  two  afterward  they  sold  out  to  Dr. 
Bhort.  He  (Short)  was  a  leading  and  active 
spirit  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1859. 
He  built  a  house  just  north  of  town,  and 
also  a  mill,  and  practiced  his  profession. 
Charles  Kahm  traded  his  farm  for  Anderson 
&  Mills'  stock  of  goods  at  Mount  Vernon,  and 
moved  it  to  this  place,  where  he  flourished 
for  a  brief  season. 

At  one  time  Lynchburg  had  a  fair,  even 
flattering,  prospect  for  a  railroad,  and  it  ap- 
peared accordingly.  Houses  were  built, 
stores  opened  and  business  flourished.  Ben- 
jamin Brewer  built  a  house;  Davenport  also 
improved;  Richard  Lyon,  from  Mount  Ver- 
non, opened  a  stock  of  goods  and  built  one 
or  two  houses,  thus  making  times  pretty 
lively.  Frank  Parker  built  a  two-story 
house  and  Dr.  Stonemets  came  to  where 
Major  Estes  lives.  Brown  made  a  second 
addition  to  the  town  and  Romine  also  made 
an  addition.  Dr.  Gray  for  several  years  had 
a  business  house.  About  the  year  1862,  a 
schoolhouse  was  built,  with  a  hall  above. 
But  the  poet  of  Bonny  Doon  tells  us  that  the 
likes  of  "men  and  mice  gang  aft  aglee,"  so 
it  was  with  Lynchburg.  When  the  St.  Louis 
&  Southeastern  Railroad  was   built  it  passed 


Lynchburg  "by  on  the  other  side. "  AVith 
the  railroad  came  Opdyke  and  Belle  Rive,  and 
Lynchburg  went.  Montgomery  and  Stone- 
mets went  to  Opdyke;  Davenport  went  to 
Belle  Rive,  and  so  the  town  scattered.  There 
is  but  little  left  of  it  now  but  a  store  and  a 
shop  or  two,  with  a  few  dwelling  houses. 

"A  place  for  idle  eyes  and  ears, 
A  cobwebbed  nook  of  dreams; 
Left  by  the  stream  whose  waves  are  years 
The  stranded  village  seems." 

Belle  Rive  was  laid  out  April    1,  1871,  on 
Section  27  of  Pendleton  Township.       It  was 
surveyed  by  Mr    Williams  for    Moses  Wat- 
ers, William  Caniield  and    Jesse   Laird,  the 
owners  of  the  laud  upon  which  it  is  located. 
The    original  plat   was    sixty-seven    blocks; 
WatCTS    afterward    four    blocks    and  Laird 
eight  blocks,  and  like  all  new  railroad  towns, 
it    improved  rapidly.     It    drew    inhabitants 
from  the  other  hamlets  in  the    county    until 
they  were  left  almost  depopulated.      Lynch- 
burg  and    Spring  Garden  particularly    suf- 
fered in  this    respect.       A    number    of    men 
came  from    the  latter    place;  Bai-bee    moved 
in  from  the  prairie  and  put  up  a  mill.     Drs. 
Hughey    and    Eaton,     from    Harris    Grove, 
moved  in,  and  Mr.  Wall  came  from  Farring- 
ton;    Boudinot    came    from    St.   Louis    and 
opened  a  store,  and  Howard  opened  a  lumber 
yard;  other  mills  were  built.     A  schoolhouse 
was  built,  and  soon  every  branch  of  business 
is  represented    in    the    live  little    town.     At 
present  the  business  of  the  place  is  about  as 
follows:     R.  J.  Eaton,  W.  S.  Chaney,  J.  W  . 
Wright,  S.  T.   Grimes,  general  stores;  S.  C. 
Guthrie,    di'ugs;    J     Guthrie    &    Son,    dry 
goods  and  post  office;  R.    M.    Seeley,  M.  D. 
Guthrie,  J.  Parks,  J.  Griffin,  grocery  stores; 
T.  L.    Boswell,   hardware;  G.    P.    Yeakley, 
tinware;  Hunter  &  Davenport,    lumber   and 
farming  implements;  John   Garner,   harness 
and  saddlery;  J.  W.  Miller,  fui-niture;  J.  H. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


35!) 


Gilpen,  restaurant  and  family  grocery; 
Belle  Rive  Hotel,  by  Jesse  Laird;  Miller 
Hotel,  by  John  Miller;  Buchanan  &  Co., 
lumber  yard;  physicians,  W.  R.  Ross,  W.  A. 
Hughey,  E.  M.  Miller  and  R.  J.  Eaton;  J. 
W.  Piper,  Police  Magistrate;  Rudd  & 
Maulding,  blacksmiths;  E.  E.  Fancher  and 
Smith,  wagon  and  blacksmith  shops;  L.  D. 
Davenport,  blacksmith;  L.  C.  Waters,  attor 
ney;  F.  M.  Goodwin,  tailor,  and  Miss 
Leake,  millinery. 

A  Christian  Church  was  organized  about 
1873-74;  a  good  frame  edifice  has  been 
built.  Elder  B.  E.  Gilbert  is  present  pas- 
tor. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  in  1871, 
with  C.  S  Todd  Worshipful  Master.  They 
meet  in  a  hall  over  Dr.  R.  J.  EatonV.  store. 
The  membership  is  about  forty-five,  with  C. 
S.  Todd,  Master;  Edward  Miller,  Senior 
Warden;  E.  IS.  Karn,  Junior  "Warden;  R. 
M.  Seeley,  Secretary.  In  1878,  this  lodge 
was  consolidated  with  the  lodge  of  Middle- 
Ion,  Wayne  County. 

Belle  Rive  was  incorporated  under  the 
general  law  in  1872,  and  the  present  are  the 
Board  of  Trustees:  B.  R.  Gilbert,  Jesse 
Laird,  Scott  Cook,  C.  A.  Baker,  H.  A. 
Shields  and  "W.  A.  Hunter.  Of  this  board, 
B.  R.  Gilbert  is  President  and  J.  W.  Piper, 
Clerk. 

Opdkye  was  laid  out  April  14,  1871,  and 
like  Belle  Rive,  its  neighbor,  was  the  result 
of  building  the  railroad.  It  is  located  in 
Section  17  of  Pendleton  Township,  and  had 
almost  as  many  proprietox's  as  blocks  in  its 
plat.  Among  them  were  George  D.  Edgar, 
James  K.,  Jonathan,  Jefferson  H.  and  Alonzo 
Jones  and  D.  T.  Philips.  It  covered  origi- 
nally about  160  acres  of  ground  and  em- 
braced some  sixty- four  blocks.  The  first  res- 
idences in  the  new  town  were  built  by  Dr. 
Stonemets  and  another  by   Dr.  Montgomery. 


Dr  Stonemets  built  a  house  which  was  for 
some  time  used  as  a  store  room.  Joshua  Al- 
len then  put  up  a  store  house;  W.  S.  Ales 
ander  also  built  a  house;  also  Carpenter; 
James  K.  Jones  and  John  Keller  put  up  a 
mill.  The  town,  like  Belle  Rive,  improved 
rapidly,  and  became  quite  a  lively  place. 
Its  business  still  continues,  and  ^is  even 
growing  constantly,  as  the  country  increases 
in  wealth. 

There  are  now  two  mills  in  the  town — Bar- 
bee  &  Co.,  who  own  the  one  built  by  Jones 
&  Keller,  and  the  Atlas  Mills,  by  Montgom- 
ery &  Co.  William  Poole,  Rentchler  & 
Smith.  AVilliam  A.  Jones,  Jesse  D.  Jones, 
general  stores;  Henry  Philips,  drugs;  A.  C. 
Jones,  harness;  Estes  Brothers,  hardvsrare; 
John  Adams  and  G.  Hale,  blacksmiths;  W. 
W.  Teltz,  (iooper  shop;  physicians,  Drs. 
Stonemets  and  Montgomery. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1872.  At  present  it  has  about  fifty 
members,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Franklin.  A  good  Sunday  school  is  main- 
tained. 

The  school  is  an  excellent  one,  with  two 
departments,  and  an  average  attendance  of 
about  sixty  children. 

A  Masonic  lodge,  which  was  originally 
organized  at  Lynchburg,  was  moved  to  this 
place  about  1876.  They  meet  in  the  room 
with  the  Odd  Fellows.  The  officers  are  M. 
V.  B.  Montgomeiw,  Master;  John  Adams, 
Senior  Warden;  W.  W.  Feltz,  Junior  War- 
den; and  William  Young,  Secretary. 

The  Odd  Fellows  !odge'_was  also  organized 
in  Lynchbiu-g  and  removed  to  Opdyke.  The 
present  officers  are  George  C.  JIutson,  N.  G. ; 
J.  J.  Jones,  V.  G. ;  Alonzo  Gibson,  Record- 
ing Secretary;  and  J.  W.  Estes,  Permanent 
Secretary. 

A  post  office  was  "established  in  1872,  and 
W.  S.  Alexander  was    the   first   Postmaster. 


360 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


The  present  Postmaster  is  J.  C.  Tucker.   The 
village  contains  about  200   inhabitants,  and 
■  is  an  enterprising,  stirring  little  town. 

The  railroad  has  been  of  great  benefit  to 
Pendleton  Township,  and  has  increased  the 
value  of  property  greatly  since  it  was  built. 
So  far,  Moore's  Prairie  Township  is  without 


railroads;  but  as  there  are  several  projected 
roads,  and  which  when  built  may  give  it 
railroad  facilities,  so  the  people  live  in  hope. 
There  are  no  villages  in  Moore's  Prairie 
Township,  nor  manufacturing  industries.  It 
is  an  agricultural  region  entirely,  and  as 
such  is  not  sui-passed  in  the  county. 


CHAPTER    X.* 


ROME  TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHICAL  AND  PHYSICAL  FEATURES— OCCUPATION  BV  WHITE  PEOPLE 
—WHO  THE  PIONEERS    WERE— THE    MAXWELLS   AND    OTHERS— HARDSHIPS  AND    TRIALS- 
MILLS    AND    OTHER   IMPROVE.MENTS— TOWNSHIP    OFFICERS— SCHOOLS    AND 
CHURCHES— VILLAGE  OF  ROME— GROWTH,  IMPROVEMENT,  ETC. 


"Another  land  more  bright  than  this, 
To  our  dim  sight  appears. 
And  on  our  way  to  it  we'll  soon 
Again  be  pioneers." 

—  William  Ross   Wallace. 

NIGH  upon  sixty  years  have  been  gath- 
ered into  the  Great  Cemetery  of  the 
ages,  since  the  first  pioneers  came  to  this 
division  of  the  county.  Thirty  years  are  a 
generation's  lifetime,  and  thus  the  period 
alloted  to  two  generations  have  passed.  A 
few  of  the  "  old  guard "  remain,  but  they 
are  fast  hastening  to  the  solemn  valley  where 
"Death  sits  robed  in  his  all-sweeping 
shadow."  The  life  of  man  upon  the  earth 
is  short.  Even  his  "threescore  and  ten 
years  "  are  but  a  swing  of  the  pendulum  of 
the  clock  of  Time.  Were  it  not  for  the  duty 
which,  acted  upon,  becomes  a  part  of  our 
moral  nature,  it  would  be  hardly  worth  while 
to  undertake  any  gi-eat  labors,  to  harbor  any 
wearing  anxieties  AVe  would  be  as  children 
building  play-houses  of  sand  upon  the  shore, 
and  little  caring  how  we  build,  for  the  driv- 
ing wave,  pulsating  to  the  heart  throbs  of 
old  ocean,  would  soon  erase  all  results  of  our 
task  and  toil.     But  while  life  is  short,  society 

•  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


is  long.  ' '  Men  may  come  and  men  may  go, '' 
but  society  remains  forever — an  edifice  whose 
foundations  were  laid  when  it  was  found 
"  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone."  Each  gen- 
eration adds  a  story,  solid  and  beautiful, 
polished  in  the  similitude  of  a  palace;  or, 
unsteady  and  shapeless,  daubed  with  untem- 
pered  mortar. 

The  advent  of  the  pioneers  is  now  but  a 
dream  of  the  past — it  is  a  book,  the  pages  of 
which  are  turned.  Few  now  remember  when 
the  first  cabin  was  erected  in  Home  Town- 
ship, and  when  the  first  man  came  to  its  ter- 
ritory. Rome,  it  is  said,  was  not  built  in  a 
day,  neither  was  Rome  Township  settled  in  a 
day.  Its  occupation  by  white  people  extends 
over  a  period  of  several  years,  from  the  time 
the  first  adventurous  pioneer  wandered  into 
the  section  now  embraced  in  Rome  until  the 
land  was  all  taken  up.  The  first  comers  were 
people  who  sought  homes  here  because  land 
was  cheap  and  game  plenty.  Many  of  them 
wei'e  hunters,  and  spent  miich  time  in  their 
favorite  pastincie. 

Rome  Township  lies  in  the  north  tier  of 
townships  in  the  county,  northwest  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and    is   boimded    north    by   Marion 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


361 


County,  east  by  Field  Township,  south  by 
Shiloh,  west  by  Grand  Prairie,  and  is  known 
and  designated  in  the  Congressional  survey 
as  Township  1  soath,  and  Range  2  east. 
The  surface  is  generally  level,  or  slightly 
undulating,  and  divided  between  prairie  and 
woodland,  the  latter  predominating,  and 
covered  originally  with  oak,  hickory,  walnut, 
sasbafras,  wild  cherry,  etc.  The  principal 
stream  is  a  branch  of  Big  Muddy,  which  has 
its  source  in  the  north  part  of  the  township. 
No  railroads  intersect  it,  but  the  country  is 
thoroughly  a  farming  one,  and  is  occupied 
by  a  set  of  thrifty  and  industrious  farmers. 
Corn,  wheat,  oats,  hay,  etc.,  are  the  principal 
crops.  But  little  attention  is  paid  to  stock- 
raising,  except  horses. 

The  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Rome 
Township  are  supposed  to  have  been  the 
Maxwells.  Mr.  Johnson  says  t'lero  were 
three  brothers,  viz.,  Robert,  William  and 
Archibald  Maxwell.  Another  authority,  how- 
ever, says  that  Robert  and  Archibald  were 
the  sons  of  William  Maxwell,  and  that  the 
latter  came  about  1816-17,  locating  on  Sec- 
tion 7.  He  was  from  Bourbon  County,  Ky., 
and  sold  out  and  left  here  about  1824.  He 
is  ^^escribed  as  a  man  somewhat  wild,  dis- 
sipated and  reckless,  and  when  under  the 
influence  of  whisky,  a  little  dangerous.  His 
boys  would  have  choked  him  to  death  on  one 
occasion,  for  some  of  his  devilment,  but  for 
the  interference  of  the  neighbors.  He  was 
a  good  kind  of  man  when  sober,  but,  like 
hundreds  of  others,  even  at  the  present  day, 
he  let  whisky  steal  his  senses  and  then  he 
was  almost  ungovernable.  His  sons,  Robert 
and  Archibald  Maxwell,  came  soon  after  him, 
and  Robert  Maxwell  entered  the  first  tract  of 
land  in  Jefi'erson  County,  and  paid  the  full 
price  in  cash  for  it.  He  lived  in  Section  11, 
nortliwest  of  where  Mr.  Bruce  now  lives. 
Archibald   Maxwell  died  in  the  county,  and 


had  quite  a  large  family;  Robert  had  no 
family  but  a  wife.  He  left  his  property  with 
M.  D.  Bruce,  and  went  back  to  Kentucky 
about  1848-50.  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
died.  Mr.  Bruce  settled  up  his  estate  by 
order  of  the  court,  and  after  paying  Maxwell's 
debts,  turned  over  the  residue  to  the  Count}- 
Treasury. 

William  Goins  was  an  early  settler  here, 
and  kept  a  tavern,  one  of  the  first  kept  in 
the  county.  He  had  a  bad  i-eputation,  and 
was  accused  of  being  connected  with  horse- 
thieves,  counterfeiters,  and  all  sorts  of  law- 
less characters.  He  finally  left,  for  the  good 
of  the  community,  as  detailed  in  a  preceding 
chapter.  His  tavern  was  the  head- quarters 
of  a  band  who  committed,  as  was  supposed, 
many  dark  deeds.  Even  murders  were  at- 
tributed to  them.  But  as  the  country  set- 
tled up,  a  better  class  of  people  came  in,  and 
the  lawless  band  who  frequented  Goins' 
tavern  were  cleaned  out,  and,  like  their  king- 
bee,  Goins,  were  forced  to  leave  for  the 
good  of  the  country. 

Davis  and  Philip  Whitesides,  brothers-in- 
law  of  Thomas  Jordan,  settled  in  Jordan's 
Prairie  very  early.  They  were  noted  fight- 
ers, and  considered  the  bullies  of  the  lieigh- 
borhood.  Billington  Taylor,  originally  from 
South  Carolina,  was  also  an  early  settler  in 
this  township,  as  well  as  his  son-in-law.  Nel- 
son. The  latter,  however,  finally  went  to 
Salt  Lake  and  joined  the  Mormons.  A  Mr. 
McDaniel  settled  in  the  South  end  of  Jordan's 
Prairie,  and  died  there.  Mr.  M.  D.  Bruce 
came  in  1838,  with  his  father,  and  were  from 
Tennessee.  The  elder  Bruce  was  known  as 
one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  county.  James 
Lewty  settled  early,  but  sold  out  and  went  to 
Texas.  He  afterward  returned  to  this  county 
and  died.  Ai'ba  Andi-ews  located  in  this 
township,  and  built  the  first  horse  mill  in 
this  part  of  the  county. 


362 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Thus  the  township  was  settled,  and  the 
wilderness  reclaimed  from  its  wild  and  natu- 
ral state,  and  converted  into  a  fine  agricult- 
ural region.  But  the  labor  required  to  do 
this  was  great,  and  required  many  years  to 
accomplish.  When  we  consider  the  rude 
simplicity  of  the  times,  and  the  few  and  in- 
ferior implements  the  people  had  to  work 
with,  we  find  ourselves  wondering  that  they, 
succeeded  in  their  great  work.  Their  mill 
facilities  were  meager,  and  as  rude  as  the 
implements  they  had  to  work  their  farms 
with.  The  latter  consisted  of  bull-tongue 
and  shovel-plows,  and  the  old  "  Gary,"  with 
the  wooden  mold-board  These  were  made 
by  Ai-ba  Andrews,  who  was  the  first  black- 
smith, as  well  as  the  proprietor  of  the 
first  horse  mill.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
quite  a  "mechanical  genius."  He  made 
plows  and  stocked  them  for  the  farmers.  He 
built  a  horse  mill,  the  first  mill  in  the  town- 
ship, an  institution  largely  patronized  for 
miles  around,  and  a  great  accommodation  to 
the  people.  He  also  made  all  sorts  of  agri- 
cultural implements,  such  as  plows  and  har- 
rows, and  even  essayed  horse-power  thresh- 
ing-machines. He  put  up  the  first  steam 
mill  in  the  township,  but  previously  o])erated 
a  horse-power  circular  saw  mill,  and  earlier 
had  a  wind-power  mill  for  grinding  corn, 
and  earlier  still,  a  common  horse  mill.  This 
steam  mill  stood  a  little  south  of  Rome  Vil- 
lage, and  Squire  Carpenter  now  has  the 
original  engine  in  his  mill.  Several  other 
horse  mills  were  put  up  in  the  township  in 
early  times,  but  the  history  of  one  is  the 
history  of  all. 
/  The  educational  history  of  Eome  is  similar 
to  that  of  other  portions  of  the  county.  So 
much  has  already  been  said  upon  the  subject, 
that  but  little  can  be  added  here.  The  first 
schoolhouse  in  the  township  was  a  log  cabin, 
18x18  feet,  on  the  land  of  M.  D.  Bruce,  and 


is  still  standing.  The  first  school  in  it  was 
taught  by  Mahulda  Martin,  who  came  here 
with  her  parents  from  Kentucky.  Other 
early  teachers  were  William  Dill,  S.  An- 
drews, now  a  merchant  in  Centralia,  and  C. 
Andrews.  The  township  now  has  eight  good, 
substantial  schoolhouses,  and  supports  good 
schools. 

■^  The  township  is  well  supplied  with 
churches,  and  if  the  people  are  not  religious 
it  is  their  own  fault.  Among  the  churches 
are  Pleasant  Hill  Baptist  Church,  Ebenezer 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Rome  Village. 
Pleasant  Hill  Baptist  Church  was  organized 
about  1850-52,  and  among  the  original  mem- 
bers were  Freemen  and  Mary  Walker,  B.  B. 
Harvey  and  wife,  James  Ward  and  wife,  Levi 
Williams  and  wife,  and  R.  Whitlock  and  wife. 
It  was  formed  in  a  log  cabin,  and  the  first 
preacher  was  Elder  James  Keel,  now  dead. 
The  present  church  was  built  in  1867,  is  a 
frame  34x40  feet,  and  cost  $1,375.  It  has 
122  members,  under  the  pastorate  of  Elder 
W.  W.  Hay,  of  Mount  Vernon.  It  has  a 
good  Sunday  school,  with  an  attendance  of 
eight)-  to  ninety,  of  which  Andrew  Riley  is 
Superintendent. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
was  organized  in  1863.  Among  the  first 
members  were  Elijah  Wimberly  and  wife,  S. 
W.  Carpenter  and  family.  The  present 
membership  is  about  ninety,  under  the  pas- 
torate of  Rev.  C.  M.  Whitson.  A  Sunday 
school  is  kept  up,  under  the  present  su- 
perintendence of  J.  M.  McCormick.  The 
churchis  an  excellent  brick  edifice,  built 
about  1865-66,  and  is  34x50  feet  in  dimen- 
sion. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Rome 
Village  was  built  about  1867,  is  36x40  feet, 
and  cost  about  13,000.  It  has  some  fifty 
members,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Boyer  is  pastor.     A 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


363 


Sunday  school  is  maintained,  of  which  Will- 
iam Ayers  is  Superintendent. 

Originally,  this  portion  of  the  county  was 
embraced  in  Grand  Prairie  Precinct,  but 
when  the  county,  in  1869,  adopted  township 
organization,  it  became  Kome  Township,  and 
received  the  name  from  the  village.  Since 
township  organization,  the  following  is  a 
complete  list  of  township  officers: 

Supervisors. — G.  L.  Cummings,  1870;  Will- 
iam Wood,  1871-72;  W.  A.  Boggs,  1873;  G. 
L.  CuDiraings,  1874;  Eobert  White.  1875; 
Robert  White,  1876;  G.  L.  Cummings,  1877; 
J.  V.  Bruce.  1878;  Matthew  Tilford,  1879; 
Matthew  Tilford,  1880;  Matthew  Tilford, 
1881;  W.  Snow,  1882;  A.  J.  Riley,  1883. 

Town  Clerks.— J.  D.  R.  Brown,  1870-73; 
J.  M.  Thompson,  1874;  A.  J.  Riley,  1875; 
A.  J.  Riley.   187(5;  J.  M.    Thompson,    1877; 

A.  J.  Rile'y,  1878;  W.  Cobb,  1879;  J.  H. 
Rupe,  1880;  J.  H.  Rupe,  1881;  G.  W.  Lee, 
1882;  G.  W.  Lee,  1883. 

Assessors.— J.  V.  Bruce,  1870-73;  T.  W. 
Self,  1874;  T.  W.  Self,  1875;  R.  Casey,  1876; 
J.  H.  Claybui-n,  1877;  Matthew  Tilford, 
1878;  B.  J.  Hawkins,  1879;  W.  Cobb,  1880; 
J.  M.  Thompson,  1881;  R.  White,  1882;  M. 
Jennings,  1883. 

Collectors.— B..  White,  1872;  E.  F.  Casey, 
1873;  J.  D.  Bruce,  1874;  Matthew  Tilford, 
1875;  J.  D.  Bruce,  1876;  J.  D.  Bruce,  [877; 
J.  M.  Kellogg,  1878;  J.  N.  Brown,  1879; 
J.  N.  Brown,  1880;  M.  Jennings,  1881;  W. 
Talbott,  1882;  F.  W.  Purcell,  1883. 

School  Treasurers. — W.  S.  Hodges,  1872- 
73;  B.  P.  Maxfiel(f,  1874;  W.  P.  Fizer,  1875; 
W.  P.  Fizer,  1876;  W.  P.  Fizer,  1877;  Ed- 
win Pufifer,  1878;  J.  M.    McCormick,    1879; 

B.  P.  Maxlield,  1880;  B.  P.  Maxiield,  1881; 
J.  T.  McConnell,  1882;  B.  P.  Maxfield,  1883. 

Highway  Commissioners. — W.  P.  Fizer, 
J.  R.  Ward,  J.  Saunders,  H.  Milburn,  Will- 
iam  Snow,   E.  D.   Puffer,   Hiram   Williams, 


R.  Tate,  M.   D.   Bruce,  R.  Baltzell,  T.  Pat- 
ton,  R.  White. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — R.  M.  Breeze,  J. 
M.  B.  Gaston,  William  Snow,  John  Tilford, 
W.  S.  Rupe,  J.  M.  B.  Gaston,  J.  H.  Ward, 
J.  M.  B.  Gaston,  J.  Roberts. 

Constables. — F.  M.  Purcell,  D.  Coj^ple,  J. 
F.  Caldwell,  S.  T.  Caldwell,  J.  N.  Hawkins, 
S.  N.  Dakes.  J.  N.  Hawkins. 

Politically,  the  township  is  pretty  evenly 
divided  between  Democrats  and  Republicans, 
while  the  Greenbackers  hold  the  balance  of 
power.  In  old  times,  this  section  was  large- 
ly Democratic.  The  first  voting  place  was 
at  James  Bates'  house,  but  was  afterward 
moved  to  Rome;  the  vote  polled  was  small — 
from  130  to  140 — and  the  precinct  was  a 
good  deal  larger  in  extent  than  Rome  Town- 
ship now  is.  The  township  has  always  been 
patriotic,  and  turned  out  soldiers  in  the  Black 
Hawk,  Mexican  and  late  civil  war.  M.  D. 
Bruce  and  S.  ^\'.  Carpenter  are  old  Black 
Hawk  soldiers.  Indians  were  plenty  in  this 
section  when  the  fijst  whites  came,  and  there 
are  those  living  who  still  remember  the  noble 
red  men,  and  saw  them  often  as  they  hunted 
the  wild  game  of  the  woods,  without  the 
benefit  of  soap  and  breeches.  Mr.  Bruce 
well  remembers  the  noted  chief  Whitefeather. 
He  was  a  rather  intelligent  Indian,  and  spoke 
very  good  English. 

Village  of  Rome. — Rome,  not  the  mistress 
of  the  world,  seated  upon  her  seven  hills, 
bi;t  the  little,  unpretentious  village  in  this 
township,  was  laid  out  March  14,  1849,  by 
Arba  Andrews,  and  the  survey  made  by  L.  F. 
Casey.  It  is  situated  on  the  east  part  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter 
of  Section'  13,  and  comprised  four  blocks  of 
five  lots  each.  Andrews  afterward  made  an 
addition  (December  15,  1857)  on  the  west, 
nearly  equal  in  extent  to  the  original  town. 
The  first  house  was  put  up  by  or  for  .'ohu 


64 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Bostwick  for  a  grocery,  as  saloons  were  then 
called.  He  occupied  it  about  three  years, 
and  then  went  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  while 
absent  from  Rome  John  Caldwell  sold  goods 
in  his  house.  He  afterward  returned  and 
occupied  it  again  himself.  Since  his  day, 
Dr.  Hart,  Lakin  &  Branson,  Swain,  Thomas 
Pace,  Harlow  and  others  have  used  it  as  a 
business  house,  b\it  it  is  now  the  reception 
parlor  of  a  stable.  The  nest  house  erected 
was  a  hotel,  built  by  Andrew  Harmon,  and 
the  third  was  put  up  by  J.  R.  Brown,  a  me- 
chanic. "William  Parker  was  the  village 
blacksmith.  Hiram  Milburn  built  a  store- 
house in  1853,  and  the  next  year  built  a 
hotel.  It  is  related  of  this  house,  or  the 
frame  of  it,  that  it  blew  down  with  two  men 
on  the  joists,  and  fell  all  m  a  pile,  but  no- 
body was  hurt.  Milburn  and  West  bought 
Lewty's  Mill,  which  stood  about  a  mile  from 
Bome,  and  moved  it  into  the  town.  Isaac 
Pierson  added  a  carding  machine  to  it.  James 
Sursa  opened  a  grocery  store,  and  in  1854- 
55,  Henry  Blalock  built  a  house  at  the  south 
end  of  town,  and  opened  a  stock  of  goods, 
but  in  a  few  years  later  sold  out  to  Dr.  Jones. 
A  Bchoolhouse  was  built  in  1854,  and  Bome 
years  later  (during  the  war)  a  church,  and  in 
1869  the  brick  church  was  built,  and  thus 
the  village  became  quite  a  moral  little  place. 
The  Doctors  of  Rome  have  been  Jones, 
Booth,  Murphy,  Darter  &  Burns,  Bui-ns  & 
Ayres,  Ayres  &  Darter,  Skillings,  Young, 
Nichols,  Mabry,  Clark,  Bradford,  et  al. 

The  town  was  named  for  Rome,  N.  Y., 
and  not  for  the  capital  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire. Mr.  Andrews,  the  father  of  the  place, 
came  from  near  Rome,  N.  Y.,  and  named  it 
in  honor  of  that  place.  When  the  post  office 
was  established  at  Andrews"  house  in  1830, 
it  was  called  Jordan's  Prairie  Post  Office. 
But  when  Rome  was  laid  out,  it  was  moved 
to  town,  and  it  was  then  found  that  there  was 
oanther  Rome  in  the  State,  and  some  other 


name  must  be  selected.  Dr.  Jones,  who  be- 
lieved in  "  shooting  on  the  spot "  any  man 
who  would  "  haul  down  the  American  flag,"' 
named  the  post  office  for  Gen.  Dis,  the  author 
of  that  patriotic  injunction,  and  Dix  Post 
Office  it  has  since  remained.  Rome  became 
the  voting  place  of  Jordan's  Prairie  in  1852, 
and  when  the  township  was  formed  in  1869, 
it  remained  the  polling  place. 

Rome  was  incorporated  in  1866,  and  S. 
W.  Carpenter,  Hiram  Milburn, Hay- 
worth,  J.  J.  Maxey  and  Dr.  Nichols  were  the 
Trustees.  An  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  was  in- 
stituted June  12,  1869,  and  the  following 
were  the  first  officers:  James  Robinson,  N. 
G. ;  L.  Leffingwell,  Y.  G. ;  J.  N.  Maxey,  Sec- 
retary, and  C.  Douchet,  Treasurer.  The 
membership  at  present  is  twenty-three,  and 
the  officers  are  George   Watson,    N.    G. ;  S. 

Davis,    V.    G. ; Hays,   Secretary,  and  J. 

D.  McMeens,  Treasurer. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  October  4, 
1874,  and  the  first  officers  were  John  F. 
Robb,  W.  M.;  Robert  F.  Casey.  S.  W. ;  G. 
L.  Cummings,  J.  W.:  John  C.  MeConnell, 
Treasurer;  Thomas  W.  McNeeley,  Secretary 
The  present  roll  of  officers  are  as  follows: 
R.  F.  Casey,  Master;  F.  M.  Purcell,  Senior 
Warden;  S.  B.  Bogan.  Junior  Warden;  H.  H. 
Hutchison,  Treasurer;  G.  W.  Lee,  Secretary, 
and   the  records  show  thirty- six  members. 

The  present  business  of  Rome  is:  R.  F. 
Casey,  dry  goods;  Dr.  W.  E.  Bradford,  drugs 
and  dry  goods;  H.  Williams,  groceries;  S. 
W.  Carpenter  &  Son,  grist  mill:  David 
Thompson,  wood-shop;  Miller  &  Shinning, 
blacksmith  shop;  Rachel  Bruce  and  daugh- 
ter, millinery  store;  William  Kyser.  furni- 
ture store;  James  Fields,  boot  and  shoe  shop ; 
one  schoolhouse,  in  which  two  teachers  are 
employed;  two  churches,  and  Drs.  Tucker, 
Bogan  and  Bradford,  physicians.  The  town, 
though  old  in  years,  has  never  grown  to  very 
large  proportions,  and  never  will,  but  it  is 
quite  a  business  little  place. 


HISTORY    OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


365 


CHAPTER   XI.* 


SPRING  GARDEN  TOWNSHIP— GENERAL    DESCRIPTION    AND   TOPOGRAPHY— SETTLEMENT  OF  THE 
WHITES— THEIR  EARLY  TRIALS  AND  TRIBULATIONS— ROADS,  MILLS,  ETC.— SCHOOLS 
AND  CHURCHES— TOWNSHIP  OFFICIALS— SPRING  GARDEN  VILLAGE- 
ITS  GROWTH,  DEVELOPxMENT,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"This  rannot  last; 
For  I  am  of  the  mould  that  loathes  to  breathe 

The  air  of  multitudes." — Daniel  Boone. 

NO  age  fully  understands  itself  or  the 
place  it  occupies  in  the  great  s(jcular 
movement  of  human  history.  If  we  would 
catch  the  "  increasing  purposes  "  which  run 
through  the  ages,  we  mtist  learn  to  look  at 
them  in  the  widely  separated  epochs  which 
mark  the  decline  and  fall,  the  rise  and 
growth  of  political  empire.  Though  today 
be  a  yesterday  and  though  the  morrow  shall 
be  as  to-day,  it  still  remains  to  be  seen  that 
the  subtle  elements  of  historical  change  and 
development  are  constantly  at  work  with  a 
transforming  power  which  is  the  more  or 
less  eflScient  in  its  results  because  it  is  invis- 
ible in  its  operation.  If  we  wotild  clearly 
discern  the  fact  of  human  progress  in  knowl- 
edere  and  virtue,  we  must  look  at  the  file 
leaders  of  humanity  not  as  they  mark  time 
in  the  pauses  and  breathing  spells  of  the 
daily  march,  but  as  they  set  up  the  trophies 
which  signalize  the  tiu-ning  points  of  human 
destiny,  whether  it  be  some  decisive  battle 
which  saves  Europe  from  the  domination  of 
the  Persian  civilization,  as  at  Marathon,  or  a 
transfer  of  the  world's  scepter  from  Pa^an 
to  Christian  hands,  as  typified  by  the  con- 
version of  Constantine.  And  in  like  manner, 
if  we  would   clearly    perceive    the    progress 

«  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


that  has  been  made  by  the  separate  nations 
of  the  world  now  competing  with  each  other 
for  the  prizes  of  place  and  power,  we  must 
contemplate  their  history  in  its  periodic 
times  and  not  in  its  daily  revolutions. 

At  this  distance  of  time  from  the  feeble 
[  beginning  of  the  progress  and  development 
Y  of  this  county,  a  point  has  been  reached  from 
which  a  survey  may  be  made  of  the  steps 
that  have  so  far  been  taken.  Although  we 
may  look  back  with  pride  at  the  progress  we 
have  made,  yet  our  retrospection  must  neces- 
sarily be  tempered  with  some  grief  for  the 
loss  of  those  who  bore  an  honorable  part  in 
the  great  work  of  subduing  the  wilderness 
and  transforming  it  into  the  "  spring  gar- 
den "  of  loveliness.  They  made  history,  little 
reeking  who  might  come  after  them  to  write 
and  read  it.  The  greatest  honor  that  we  can 
pay  them  is  to  perpetuate  their  names  upon 
the  pages  of  the  history  they  themselves 
made. 

Spring  Garden  Township  is  situated  in 
the  south  tier  of  townships  in  the  county, 
and  takes  in  quite  a  little  corner  of  Moore's 
Prairie,  as  fine  a  body  of  land  as  lies  out  of 
doors.  Many  excellent  farms  are  seen  in 
this  section,  and  corn,  oats  and  wheat  are  the 
principal  crops.  Some  fruit  is  raised  and  if 
more  attention  was  paid  to  it  than  there  is, 
it  would  be  much  better  for  the  farming 
community.     It  has  been  very  satisfactorily 


366 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


demonstrated  in  late  years  that  wheat  in 
Southern  Illinois  is  an  uncertain  crop,  and 
the  farmers  sooner  or  later  must  see  the  ad- 
vantage of  stock-raising  and  fruit-growing 
in  this  region.  Spring  Garden  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Dodds  Township,  on  the  east  by 
Moore's  Prairie  Township,  on  the  south  by 
Franklin  County,  on  the  west  by  Elk  Prairie 
Township,  and  is  designated  in  the  Govern- 
ment survey  as  Township  -t  south,  Range  3 
east,  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian.  In 
the  woodland  portion  the  timber  is  that  sim- 
ilar to  other  portions  of  the  county.  The 
streams  are  Casey's  Fork  of  Big  Muddy, 
Atchison's  Creek,  Gun  Creek, Poplar  Branch, 
etc.  Casey's  Fork  runs  south  and  touches 
the  west  side  of  the  township;  Atchison's 
Creek  flows  west  through  the  west  part  and 
empties  into  Casey's  Fork,  while  Gun  Creek 
and  Poplar  Branch  have  their  source  in  the 
northeast  and  east  portions  of  the  township 
and  pass  out  thi'ough  Section  33  on  the  south 
line. 

The  settlement  of  Spring  Garden  Town- 
ship dates  back  sixty -five  years  or  more. 
Among  the  early  settlers  we  may  mention  the 
Smiths,  some  of  the  Atchisons,  James 
Pritchett,  Thomas  Hopj)er,  John  D.  Vaughn, 
Wiley  Prigmore,  Uriah  Compton,  John  Hull, 
Nathaniel  Wyatt,  E.  Crane,  James  McCann, 

Nathaniel    Morgan,    Thomas    Softly, 

Armstrong,  Matthew  Kirk,  William  Harmon, 
Richard  and  Reuben  Sweeton,  Daniel  Parrett, 
etc.,  etc. 

The  Smiths  and  Hopper  are  supposBd  to 
have  settled  here  as  early  as  1S16,  but  they 
were  probably  not  here  quite  so  early  as 
that.  Of  the  Smiths  there  was  Isaac  Smith 
and  one  or  two  sons,  one  of  whom  was  named 
Abram.  Hopper  was  the  father  of  Abram 
Smith's  wife,  and  they  were  all  from  Ten- 
nessee. He  settled  on  Section  1  and  died 
there.     Abram  Smith  had  a  large   family  of 


children,  some  of  whom  are  still  living.  His 
father,  Isaac  Smith,  was  an  Old-School  Bap- 
tist preacher.  He  organized  a  church  of 
that  faith  very  early  in  a  log  cabin  on  Ben- 
jamin Smith's  farm.  Solomon  Goddard  and 
Noble  Anderson  were  also  preachers.  The 
latter  was  quite  an  eccentric  character. 

Uriah  Compton  settled  at  the  old  springs 
called  the  Compton  Springs,  and  from  which 
the  township  finally  received  its  name.  He  was 
a  very  early  settler  and  improved  the  springs, 
making  them  quite  a  resort.  Wiley  Prig- 
more  was  an  early  hatter,  when  hats  were 
manufactm-ed  at  home  instead  of  being 
bought  at  the  stores.  Pritchett  settled  on 
Section  1  and  was  from  Tennessee.  He  was 
a  carpenter,  and  has  a  son,  George  Pritchett, 
still  living  here.  Two  of  Barton  Atchison's 
sous  were  among  the  early  settlers.  Wyatt 
settled  near  the  Compton  Springs,  and  is 
represented  as  a  very  excellent  man.  Mor- 
gan was  a  good  farmer  and  died  in  the  town- 
ship. Hull  settled  near  Crane's  mill  and 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  miller  for  Crane, 
who  owned  a  horse  mill.  Hull  was  a  large 
man  and  an  Irishman,  and,  like  the  majority 
of  his  race,  was  extremely  fond  of  a  "  dhrap 
of  the  craythur,"  and  when  a  little  "  tight," 
was  quite  as  fond  of  a  tight.  McCann  was 
from  Tennessee,  and  came  first  to  Montgom- 
ery County,  and  from  there  went  to  Madison 
County;  then  came  here  and  settled  in  this 
township.  Softly  came  early.  He  was  a 
plain  but  successful  farmer;  was  a  candidate 
once  for  the  Legislature,  but  an  unsuccess- 
ful one.  He  was  as  strong  as  Sampson, 
somewhat  addicted  to  drink,  and  when  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor  was  quarrelsome 
and  always  ready  for  a  tight.  Alexander  was 
a  very  early  settler;  he  was  a  cripple  and 
went  on  crutches.  Finally  he  moved  into 
Franklin  Count}-.  Kirk  had  a  large  family, 
and  many  of  them  are  still  living. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


309 


The  Sweetons  and  Harmon  were  early 
settlers,  but  of  them  we  know  little  beyond 
the  fact  of  their  settlement.  Parrett  settled 
about  one  mile  from  Spring  Garden.  He  was 
a  strict,  close,  but  honest  man,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  "  Hardshell "  Baptist  Church. 
William  Davis  and  William  Braden  were  early 
ministers  of  the  Baptist  Church,  as  well  as 
early  settlers  of  the  township. 

Of  a  little  later  date  came  a  numljer  of 
settlers,  among  whom  we  may  mention  John 
D.  Vaughn,  who  came  about  1830  or  1832. 
He  came  from  Madison  County  here,  but 
was  originally  from  Tennessee,  and  settled  on 
Section  22.  He  died  eventually  in  Dodds 
Township,  and  is  buried  at  the  Arnold 
Graveyard  in  that  township.  He  had  twelve 
children,  and  ten  of  them  grew  up  and 
raised  families  of  their  own.  Many  descend- 
ants are  still  living  here.  Mr.  Vaughn  was  a 
a  liberal-spirited  man,  full  of  energj-  and 
enterprise,  and  did  much  to  better  the  con- 
dition of  the  neighborhood  in  which  he 
lived. 

He  engaged  in  a  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, and  would  exchange  goods  for  pelts  and 
venison  hams.  These  he  would  haul  to  St. 
Louis  by  wagon,  bringing  back  goods  in  re- 
turn. He  was  also  a  carpenter,  and  built 
many  houses  in  the  township.  But  liually  he 
was  unfortunate  in  becoming  surety  for 
friends,  through  which  means  he  lost  heav- 
ily and  died  a  comparatively  poor  man.  He 
was  ever  ready  to  take  hold  of  anything  to 
make  money.  On  one  occasion  he  and  his 
son  Christopher  G.  hired  to  some  cattle 
dealers  to  drive  cattle  from  this  section  up 
into  Michigan,  a  distance  of  about  600  miles, 
for  which  he  received  75  cents  per  day  and 
his  son  50  cents  per  day.  Returning  home, 
they  walked  the  entire  distance,  often  walk- 
ing forty  miles  a  day. 

The  struggles,  the  hard  times  and  dangers 


to  which  the  pioneers  were  exposed  in  the 
early  history  of  this  division  of  the  county  is 
but  the  same  as  noticed  in  other  chapters  of 
this  volume.  One  of  the  most  trying  diffi- 
culties was  the  procuring  of  bread,  which 
sometimes  could  not  be  obtained  at  all.  The 
mortar  and  pestle  was  the  usual  resort  until 
horse  mills  made  their  appeai'ance.  One  of 
the  lirst  horse  mills  in  this  section  was 
Crane's,  which  was  liberally  patronized  by 
the  people.  But,  as  the  country  settled  up, 
other  and  better  mills  were  built,  and  this 
trouble  passed  away,  as  did  all  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  early  settlers.  . 

Who  taught  the  first  school  in  what  is  now 
Spring  Garden  Township  we  cannot  say,  nor 
can  we  give  the  exact  location  of  the  tirst 
schoolhouse  in  the  township.  The  early 
schools  and  schoolhouses  were  of  the  usual 
primitive  kind.  The  township  now  has  six 
comfortable  schoolhouses,  situated  in  Sec- 
tions 11,  16,  21,  29,  31,  and  at  Spring  Gar 
den  Village,  in  which  good  schools  are 
taught  each  year. 

The  chiu'ch  history  of  the  township  is 
somewhat  limited,  at  least  so  far  as  church 
edifices  go.  But  religious  meetings  were 
held  early,  and  a  number  of  the  early  settlers 
were  ministers  of  the  Old-School  Baptist 
Church.  Among  these  were  William  Davis, 
William  Braden,  Solomon  Goddard,  Isaac 
Smith  and  Noble  Anderson.  Of  these,  the 
latter,  perhajss,  was  the  leader.  He  preached 
the  Gospel  to  the  simple  pioneers  pure  and 
unadulterated  as  he  understood  it,  not  for 
pelf,  but  solely  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and 
because,  as  some  of  his  neighbors  used  to 
say,  he  was  too  lazy  to  do  anything  else. 
There  was  within  him  the  smoldering  tires 
of  a  rough  eloquence,  that,  when  once  in  his 
jiulpit  and  warmed  to  his  work,  were  soon 
fanned  into  fierce  llames,  as  he  drew  frio-ht- 
ful  pictures  of  an  angry  God  or  the  horrors 


370 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSOK  COUNTY. 


of  a  literal  hell  of  lire  and  brimstoue.  A 
favorite  expression  of  his  was,  "  my  brether- 
ing  and  sistering,  the  world  is  as  round  as  a 
horse' s  head  and  ten  times  rounder. "  What 
meaning  he  intended  to  convey  by  the 
phrase  no  one  seems  to  know — or  care.  Such 
was  Elder  Anderson,  and  such  as  he  was,  he 
never  seemed  to  tire  of  proclaiming  to  the 
world  that  he  was  not  "  ashamed  to  own  his 
Lord  and  Master."  Whether  this  compliment 
was  returned  or  not  is  wholly  immateiial  to 
this  narrative.  Elder  Anderson  was  no 
band-box  preacher.  He  was  not  a  Beecher, 
a  Talmage,  a  monkey,  nor  a  fool.  He  was  a 
humble,  sincere,  great  pioneer  preacher, 
with  lists  like  a  maul  and  a  voice  like  the 
roar  of  a  Numidian  lion,  and  thus  arrayed 
and  equipped  with  the  two-edged  sword  of 
faith,  he  went  forth  upon  his  mission  and 
waked  the  echoes  of  the  primeval  forests  as 
he  proclaimed  in  his  rude,  wild  eloquence 
the  promises  of  the  Gospel. 

Elder  Smith  organized  a  church  of  the 
Hardshell  Baptist  persuasion  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  among  its  early  members  were 
many  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Spring  Gar- 
den Township.  Church  buildings  are  scarce 
in  the  township,  but  religious  meetings  are 
held  in  many  of  the  schoolhouses  and  the 
morals  of  the  community  are  looked  after  by 
the  ministers  of  the  neighboring  churches. 

Spring  Garden  Township  is  untouched  by 
railroads,  but  its  citizens  live  in  hope  that 
some  of  the  projected  roads  will  strike  them. 
The  wagon  roads  of  the  township  are  equal 
in  quality  and  quantity  to  other  portioijs  of 
the  county,  and  bridges  span  the  streams 
where  many  of  the  more  important  roads 
cross  them. 

Originally  this  township  was  included  in 
Elk  Prairie  aad  Moore's  Prairie  Election 
Precincts,  but  when  the  county  adopted 
township    organization,    some    fifteeu    years 


ago,  this  became  Spring  Garden  Township. 
Since  then  the  following  is  a  complete  list 
of  township  officers: 

Supervisors. — W.  S.  Bunessus,  1870;  C. 
M.  Brown,  1871-72;  J.  F.  Carroll,  1873  to 
1875;  T.  Anglen,  1876  77;  Benjamin  Smith, 
1878;  J.  F.  Carroll,  1879-80;  C.  M.  Brown, 
1881;  J.  W.  Peavler,  1882;  C.  M.  Brown, 
1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Town  Clerks.— T.  S.  Vaughn.  1872;  T.  S. 
Vaughn,  1873;  G.  M.  Kirk,  1874;  G.  M. 
Kirk,  1875;  R.  J.  Prince,  1876;  R.  J. 
Prince,  1877;  R.  J.  Prince.  1878;  W.  P. 
Davis,  1879;  W.  P.  Davis,  1880;  W.  P. 
Davis,  1881;  E.  P.  Bevis,  1882;  E.  P. 
Bevis,  1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Assessors. — T.  Anglen,  1872  to  1875;  W. 
A.  Clark,  1876;  T.  W.  Davis,  1877;  A.  Pas- 
ley,  1878  to  1880;  T.  Anglen,  1881;  A.  Pas- 
ley,  1883;  W.  A.  Clark,  1883,  now  in  office. 

Collectors.— J.  W.  Peavler,  1872;  J.  W. 
Peavler,  1873;  F.  M.  Carroll,  1874;  J.  W. 
Marshall,  1875;  F.  M.  Carroll,  1876;  T.  J. 
Bevis,  1877;  F.  M.  Carroll,  1878;  J.  W. 
Peavler,  1879;  R.  N.  Prigmore,  1880;  J.  W. 
Peavler,  1881;  L.  E.  Lloyd,  1882;  F.  M. 
Carroll,  1883,  now  in  office. 

School  Treasurers. — Anderson  Clark,  1874; 
Anderson  Clark,  1875;  J.  W.  Marshall, 
1876;  J.  W.  Marshall,  1877;  T.  H.  Bernard, 
1878;  Joseph  Jones,  1879;  Joseph  Jones, 
1880  to  1882;  T.  H.  Bernard,  1883,  present 
incumbent. 

Highway  Commissioners.  — G.  Peavler,  J. 
M.  Duncan,  S.  L.  Dunbar,  Benjamin  Smith, 
T.  A.  Stringer.  C.  H.  Howard.  J.  E.  Hopper, 
T.  A.  Stringer,  C.  H.  Howard,  S.  L.  Dunbar, 
Benjamin  Smith,  G.  W.  Page,  etc. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — J.  W,  Marshall, 
R.  G.  Cook,  J.  M.  McKinney,  Charles  How- 
ard, J.  M.  McKinney,  J.  Johnson,  J.  M. 
McKinney,  J.  Johnson  and  A.  P.  Clark. 

Constables. — Silas  J.  Arlow,  W.  A.  Clark, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSON   COUNTY. 


371 


J.  W.  Clinton,  E.  N.  Prigmore,  C.  A.  Mc- 
Cullough,  L.  Harmon,  C.  A.  McCullougli 
and  L.  Harmon. 

■^  The  village  of  Spring  Garden  is  one  of 
the  old  towns  of  Jeflerson  County.  It  was 
surveyed  and  laid  out  by  L.  F.  Casey  for 
James  F.  Duncan  and  John  S.  Lucas,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1848,  and  is  situated  about  twelve 
miles  nearly  south  of  Mount  Vernon,  on  Sec- 
tion 22  of  this  township.  W.  W.  Creek  put 
up  a  house  on  the  site  of  the  town  and  com- 
menced business  the  year  before  the  place 
was  laid  out.  Creek  was  a  brother-in-law  to 
Michael  Fitzgerrell  and  bought  land  from 
him.  In  the  winter  of  1850-51,  James  E. 
Cox  put  up  a  house  ''n  vphieh  he  kept  grocer- 
ies and  furniture.  About  this  time  Duncan 
sold  out  and  left,  and  John  H.  Wyatt  went 
in  with  Lucas  in  the  mercantile  business. 
He  remained  with  him  a  while;  was  then 
with  Hawkins,  then  with  Prigmore,  and  then 
— died.  The  lu-st  hotel  was  built  by  James 
M.  Williams.  He  owned  a  farm  in  the 
neighborhood,  which  he  traded  to  Creek  for 
his  interest  in  the  village,  put  up  a  house 
and  succeeded  well.  He  built  the  brick 
hotel  in  1859-60.  Joseph  "Williams  built  a 
house  in  1853,  and  the  next  year  his  brother 
Henry  went  into  business  with  him. 

In  1854,  W.  B.  Anderson  laid  out  an  addi- 
tion to  the  town,  comprising  six  blocks  of 
two  lots  each,  and  two  of  four  lots  each. 
The  first  mill  in  the  place  was  built 
by  Driver  &  Pollock,  and  was  a  steam 
mill.  This  was  a  great  cuiiosity  here 
in  those  early  days  to  the  people,  who  had 
been  used  mostly  to  horse  mills.  Many  came 
miles  to  see  this  modern  wonder.  The  fol- 
lowing incident  is  related  of  this  mill:  One 
night  soon  after  its  completion,  when  quite 
a  number  of  people  had  come  in   to  see   it, 


the  proprietors,  somewhat  elated  at  their 
success  in  the  mill  business,  and  to  celebrate 
their  growing  propserity,  drank  deeply,  and 
the  miller,  who  was  a  green  hand,  crowded 
on  steam  until  the  speed  was  so  great  that 
the  mill  stones  burst  into  fragments,  scaring 
the  proprietors,  spectators  and  employes  half 
to  death  and  making  a  grand  "  scatterment" 
of  all  present.  James  R.  Combs  came  to  the 
town  in  1854.  and  finally  got  an  interest  in 
the  mill.  He  was  an  enterprising  man;  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Compton,  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing and  finally  died.  Wiley  Prigmore  moved 
into  the  t(jwn  in  1856.  One  Joshua  Kilabrew 
opened  a  store,  and  some  time  later  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Thomas  Williams,  and  he  by  John 
Clinton.  Driver  &  Pollock's  mill  finally  went' 
down  and  Harvey  Williams  built  one  some 
distance  from  town.  Among  the  physicians 
of  the  place  are  Drs.  Bernard,  Reed,  Cox 
and  Hughey.  The  two  latter  le  ft  in  a  few 
years.  Drs.  Bernard  and  Reed  W3re  both 
from  Tennessee.  An  excellent  schoolhouse 
was  built  in  1857,  which  is  still  doing  duty. 
Carroll  and  Scott  have  carried  on  blacksmith - 
ing  here  for  many  years,  sometimes  in  part- 
nership and  sometimes  each  for  himself. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  St.  Louis  k. 
Southeastern  Railroad  (now  the  Louisville  & 
Nashville  Railroad),  and  the  springing  up 
of  the  towns  of  Opdyke  and  Belle  Rive,  they 
have  drawn  heavily  on  Spring  Garden.  Sev- 
eral of  the  stanch  citizens  and  business 
men  of  Spring  Garden  moving  to  those 
places  on  account  of  the  railroad  facilities. 
Spring  Garden,  perhaps,  has  passed  the 
zenith  of  its  glory  and  prosperity,  and  is 
now  on  the  down  grade  to  desolation  and  ob- 
scurity, unless  some  of  the  railroads  now  in 
contemplation  pass  it.  Then  its  properous 
days  may  return. 


372 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


WEBBER    TOWNSHIP-INTRODUCTION    AND    DESCRIPTION  -  BOUNDARIES,    TOPOGRAPHY,    ETC- 
E\RLY  SETTLEMENT-PIONEER  LIFE  AND  TRIALS-PIGEON   POST  OFFICE-A  LAW  SUIT- 
TOWNSHIP  OFFICIALS-SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES-MARLOW,  BLUFORD,  ETC.,  ETC. 


"And  he  sliiikes  liis feeble  head, 
That  it  seems  as  if  he  said — 

'They  are  gone.'  "—Holmes. 

TH.A.T  impulse  which  forces  each   genera- 
tion to  do  something,   however  small,  to 
make  the    world    wiser,  batter    and    happier 
than  they  found  it,  the    struggles    and    sor- 
rows through  which  each   generation    passes 
in  the  accomplishment  of    the    self-imposed 
yet  imperative  task,  are  the   sublimest  trag- 
edies of  history.      Upon  this   theme  Carlyle 
has  said.  "Generation  after  generation  takes 
to  itself  the  form  of  a  body  and,  issuing  forth 
from  the  Cimmerian  night,  appears  Heaven's 
mission.     What  force  and  fire  is  in  each  he 
expends.     One    grinding  in    the  mill  of  in- 
dustry, one,  hunter-like,  climbing  the  Alpine 
heights    of    science,    one    madly    dashed    to 
pieces  on  the  rocks  of    strife,  warring  with 
his  fellow — and   then  the  heaven-sent    is  re- 
called; his    earthly    vesture   falls  away,  and 
soon,  even  to  sense,  becomes  a  shadow.     Thus, 
like  a  God-created,   fire-breathing   spirit,  we 
emerge  from  the  Inane.     Earth's  mountains 
are    leveled,  her  seas    are    filled    up  in    our 
passage.     Can  the  earth,  which  is    but   dead 
and  a  vision,  resist  spirits,  which  are  reality 
and  are  alive?    On  the  hardest  adamant  some 
footprint  of  us  is  stamped  in      The  last  rear 
of  the  host  will  read   traces    of    the    earliest 
van.     But    whence?     Oh  Heaven,    whither? 
Sense  knows  not;  faith  knows  not;  only  that 
it    is  through   mystery    into  mystery,    from 
God  to  God."     When  we  remember  how  un- 

*By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


certain  is  life  at  best,  and  that  its  average 
duration  is  not  more  than  forty  years,  nearly 
half  of  which  is  spent  in  preparing  to  live, 
the  wonder  is  that  man  is  not  content  to  stay 
where  he  finds  himself,  "  to  let  well  enough 
alone,"  and  do  as  little  for  posterity  as  pos- 
sible. But  spurred  up  and  on  by  the  divine 
impulse,  he  can  neither  explain  nor  resist,  he 
labors  as  if  life  were  to  last  a  thousand 
years;  as  if  his  eyes  were  to  see  the  harvest 
from  the  seed  he  plants,  his  soul  rejoices  at 
the  onward  and  upward  march  he  aids. 

We\>ber  comprises  one  of    the   east  tier  of 
township:^   of    the   county    and    lies  east   of 
Mount  Vernon.    It  is  bounded  north  by  Far- 
rington  Township,  east  by    W^ayne    County, 
south    by    Pendleton    Township,     west    by 
Mount  Vernon    Township,  and   according  to 
the   Congressional    survey    is    Township   2 
south.  Range  4  east,  of  the    Third  Principal 
Meridian.      The  surface   of    the  township  is 
somewhat  rough  and  broken,    and  is  mostly 
■  timbered  land,  but    takes    in  a  small  portion 
of  Long  Prairie.     The  timber  growth  is  sev- 
eral kinds  of  oak,  black    hickory,    wild  cher- 
ry,  sassafras,  hazel,   etc.       The  streams  are 
Puncheon  Camp  Creek,    which   received    its 
peculiar    name    from    the   puncheon    camps 
erected  along  its  banks  by  the  early  hunters; 
Bear  Creek,  Four  Mile  Creek  and  Two  Mile 
Creek.     Puncheon  Camp  Creek  rises  north- 
east  of    Mount    Vernon    and    empties    into 
Horse  Creek;  Bear  Creek  has  its  soui'ce  in  a 
sulphur  spring  on  Pope's  farm  and  runs  east 


HLSTOUY  OF  JEFFEH8UN    COUNTY. 


373 


and  north  into  the  Puncheon  Camp  Creek. 
Four  Mile  Creek  empties  into  the  Skillet 
Fork  of  the  Little  Wabash.  Black  Oak 
Ridge,  running  nearly  thi-ough  the  center  of 
the  township,  forms  a  water  shod,  the  waters 
on  the  east  side  flowing  into  the  Skillet 
Fork,  finally  reach  the  Ohio  River,  while 
those  on  the  west  side  flow  into  Big  iluddy, 
and  thence  thi-ough  it  to  the  Mississippi. 
The  products  of  the  township  are  grain,  stock 
and  fruit.  The  latter  of  late  years  is  receiving 
considerable  attention,  apples  being  mostly 
grown,  and  to  which  the  township  seems 
well  adapted. 

To  particularize  each  settlement  in  the 
county  and  tell  just  where  each  family  set- 
tled as  they  came  in  is  not  a  task  easily  ac- 
complished. A  list  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  county  has  been  given  in  different  chap- 
ters, but  it  has  been  impossible  to  locate 
them  all.  Among  the  pioneers  of  Webber 
Township  we  may  mention  the  following: 
Jacob  Norton,  Isaac  Casey,  Daniel  Scott, 
Word  Webber,  H.  Wade,  William  Dale, 
Peter  Bruce,  James  Archie,  xllesander  Moore, 
James  Bridges,  W.  Willett,  William  Green, 
David  and  Elijah  Davis,  Joseph  Childers, 
James  Hunt,  Joseph  Brown,  etc. ,  etc.  Jacob 
Norton  was  a  brother-in-law  to  Gov.  Casey, 
and  settled  here  about  1822.  He  remained 
but  a  few  years  and  then  went  back  to  Ten- 
nessee and  died  thei'e.  Isaac  Casey,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  and  who  first 
located  in  Mount  Vernon  Township,  came  in- 
to this  about  1S38,  and  lived  here  a  few 
years.  But  after  the  death  of  his  wife  in 
1846,  he  broke  up  housekeeping  and  went 
to  live  with  his  children.  Daniel  Scott  set- 
tled in  the  township  in  1838.  Webber  came 
in  IS-iO  and  settled  on  the  Fairfield  road, 
but  about  the  time  of  the  war  moved  into 
Pendleton  Toi*nship  and  located  near 
Lynchburg.       He    was    (juite    a    prominent 


man,  and  has  the  honor  of    giving  his  name 
to  the  township.      Wade  settled  in  the  south 
part  of  the  township,  and  was  a  plain,  hard 
working  farmer.      Dale  came    in    early    and 
carried  on  a  tan  yard — the  first  in  the  town- 
ship.     The  farm  on  which  he  settled  is  now 
owned  by    Levi    Harris.       Peter    Bruce  was 
originally    from    Virginia,    came  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in    this    township    in  1840.      He 
made  what  was  called  the  "  Ridge    road,"    a 
prominent  thoroughfare  in   early   times,  but 
of  which  there  is  now  no  trace.      It  extended 
from  the    old  Joseph    Brown    jilace  to  East 
Long  Prairie,  and  was  much  traveled  by  the 
pioneers.      James  Archie  was  a  "  squatter," 
and    "  squatted"    on    the    Ridgo    road.      He 
stayed    tptite    awhile,    but    left  a  short  time 
before  the  war.      Alexander   Moore    lived    m 
the  southeast    corner  of  the    township,    and 
was    a    large    stock-raiser     for     the    time. 
Bridges  settled  on  the  place  now    owned  by 
Leonard  W.  Bruce.      Willett    settled    wheie 
Mrs.  Carter  now   lives   and  opened    a   small 
farm.      Green  was  among  the  first  settlers  in 
the  township;  the  place  on  which  he  located 
is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Lancaster    Green.      It 
belonged  awhile  to  Dr.  Wood,    a   practicing 
physician  here.     He  took    the  flux  and  died, 
and  his    wife    wont  back    to  Indiana.      The 
Davisea  were  from  North  Carolina  and  came 
here  about  1839-40.     David  settled  where  he 
now  lives,  near  the  Black  Oak  Ridge  School- 
house;  Elijah  died    on    the    place    where  he 
settled.     Joseph  Childers  settled  in  the  same 
neighborhood.       He  kept    a    large    pack    of 
hounds  and  was  quite  a  hunter.       Hunt  set- 
tled  on    Two   Mile   Creek    near    its    som-ce. 
Joseph  Brown    was    a    very    early   settler  on 
what    is    known    as    Spring    Hill    farm,    so 
named   from  a  tine  spring  that    breaks  from 
the  side  of  a  hill    on    the    farm.      Doubtless 
there  were  others  entitled  to  mention  as  early 
settlers  of  the    township,    but    we   failed  to 
learn  their  names. 


374 


HISTOKY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


A  great  change  has  taken  place  in  this  sec- 
tion in  the  last  half  a  centui-y.  Where  the 
iii'st  pioneers  crossed  the  border  there  are 
now  no  deer  to  pay  the  sportsman,  for  tnidg- 
ing  through  the  forests  and  over  the  hills. 
Could  the  old  hunters  who  used  to  enjoy 
their  broiled  venison  and  roasted  coou 
around  the  evening  camp  fire  come  back  here 
and  see  the  wonderful  changes  that  have 
taken  place,  they  would  doubtless  turn  away 
in  supreme  disgust  at  the  signs  of  civiliza- 
tion that  would  everywhere  meet  their  gaze. 
Aye,  could  they  revisit  these  scenes  of  their 
youth,  and  behold  their  degenerate  success- 
ors with  DO  hunting  grounds,  no  moccasins, 
no  leather  breeche.s,  no  flint-lock  guns, 
broiled  venison  nor  roasted  coons,  they 
would  no  doubt  gather  their  mantles  about 
them  (their  buckskin  hunting-shirts)  and  lie 
down  and  die.  Would  not  their  big  hearts 
burst  asunder  upon  seeing  the  men  of  this 
day  in  plug  hats  and  store  clothes,  riding  in 
carriages  and  sleeping  cars  and  chasing  no 
other  game  than  the  metaphorical  tiger  up 
stairs  behind  closed  blinds  and  under  bright 
gas  lights!  Wonderful,  wonderful  the  change 
the  years  have  wrought! 

Among  the  pioneer  improvements  were 
mills,  roads,  bridges,  tan  yards,  etc. ,  etc. 
Willett  &  Fagan  built  a  mill  about  1848. 
It  was  of  very  j^oor  mechanical  construction, 
but  did  good  service  for  a  number  of  years. 
James  Hunt  erect-^d  a  mill  on  Two  Mile 
Creek,  which  received  its  power  fi'om  that 
stream.  It  was  short-lived,  however  (the 
mill,  not  the  stream,  for  it  is  there  yet),  and 
soon  passed  away.  W.  B.  and  Lewis  Logan 
built  a  saw  mill  about  the  year  1867,  the 
first  ever  in  the  township.  William  Dale  had 
a  tannery  as  early  as  1841-42.  All  the  shoes 
then  that  were  worn  at  all  were  made  at 
home,  and  not  bought  at  the  store  as  now, 
and  hence  a  tan  yard  was  an  important  pio- 


neer industry — next,  perhaps,  to  the  mill. 
A  free- stone  quarry  in  the  township  was 
operated  in  an  early  day,  from  which  mate- 
rial was  obtained  for  building  chimneys 
throughout  the  neighborhood. 

The  first  road  through  the  township  was 
the  road  leading  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Fair- 
field, and  was  known  as  the  "Fairfield  road." 
The  Black  Oak  Ridge  road  was  also  an  old 
road,  and  was  made  by  Peter  Bruce.  Mr. 
Marlow,  who  settled  here  just  after  the  Mex- 
ican war,  was  instrumental  in  getting  a  road 
entitled  the  "  East  Long  Prairie  road,"  di- 
verging from  the  Fairfield  road  at  the  seven 
mile  bridge  and  running  to  Long  Prairie, 
The  township  is  now  well  supplied  with 
roads,  and  where  the  more  important  roads 
cross  the  streams  they  are  spanned  by  sub- 
stantial bridges. 

Previous  to  the  township  system  coming 
into  vogue,  the  county  was  divided  into 
election  precincts,  but  in  1869  the  county 
adopted  township  organization,  when  the 
whole  system  of  government  was  changed 
and  each  township  became  a  separate  and 
distinct  municipality.  It  may  be  a  matter 
of  some  interest  to  some  of  our  readers  to 
give  the  township  officers,  the  first  of  whom 
were  elected  in  1870.     They  are  as  follows: 

Supervisors. — -S.  V.  Bruce,  1870-71;  J. 
Harlow,  1872-73;  A.  Marlow,  1874  to  1876; 
J.  H.  Newton,  1877-78;  John  Hopper,  1879; 
W.  B  Esman,  1880;  D.  S.  Etlington,  1881; 
B.  D.  Esman,  1882;  T.  F.  Moore,  1883. 

Township  Clerk.— G.  T.  Bruce,  1872; 
H.  M.  Maxey,  1873;  J.  H.  Dulaney,  1874;  J. 
H.  Newton,  1875-76;  B.  Bruce,  1877-78;  H. 
Benton,  1879;  H.  J.  Benton,  1880;  G.  M. 
Davis,  1881-82;  G.  M.  Davis,  1883. 

Assessor. — W.  H.  Morris,  Jr.,  1872-73; 
J.  H.  Newton,  1874;  J.  B.  Young.  1875;  G. 
L.  Bruce,  1876-77;  B.  D.  Esman,  1878;  W. 
E.    Dulaney,    1879;    W.    S.    Maxey,     1880; 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


375 


William  Dnianey,  1881;  R.  Young,  1882; 
R.  S.  Young,  1883. 

Collector. —T.  F.  Moore,  1872;  G.  M. 
Watts,  1873;  R.  J.  Scott.  1874;  J.  T.  How- 
ell, 1875;  B.  D.  Esman,  1876:  B.  (i.  Ward, 
1877;  J.  T.  Howell,  1878-79;  R.  C.  Wood, 
1880-81;  E.  W.  Wallace,  1882;  G.  W.  Ros- 
enberger,  1883. 

School  Treasurers. — J.  W.  Gregory,  1872- 
73;  Wiley  Green,  1874;  J.  H.  Dulaney,  1875 
to  1878;  J.  C.  Masey,  1879;  L.  Harris,  1880; 
B.  M.  Green,  1881;  T.  D.  Fry,  1882;  L.  R. 
Laird,  1883. 

Highway  Commissioners.  — W.  H.  Morris, 
Sr.,  H.  M.  Richards,  C.  Gowler,  E.  Gentle, 
J.  W.  Gregory,  E.  Gentle,  R.  A.  Allsbrook, 
L.  W.  Bruce,  C.  Gowler,  L.  W.  Bruce,  Will- 
iam Stone,  W.  ¥.  Adams,  A.  Cook,  T. 
Green,  and  W.  T.  Adams. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — W.  S.  Davis  and 
R.  S.  Young,  1870-73;  O.  J.  Byard  and  R. 
S.  Young.  1874  to  1876;  Wiley  Green  and 
A.  Marlow,  1877;  B.  G.  Wood  and  A.  Mar- 
low,  1878;  Wiley  Green  and  A.  Marlow, 
1879-80;  W.  S.  Dodds  and  B.  G.  Wood, 
1881;  W.  A.  Watson  and  B.  G,  Wood, 
1882-83. 

Constables.— J.  M.  Bruce,  1874  to  1876; 
O.  J.  Byard,  1877;  J.  T.  Feltz,  1878-79; 
O.  J.  Byard,  1880;  J.  T.  Feltz,  1881;  and 
G.  Keele,  1883. 

Some  years  ago,  during  Squire  Mario w's 
term  as  -Justice  of  the  Peace,  a  suit  was  being 
tried  before  him,  to  which  M.  Waters  and 
Fayette  Osborne  were  the  parties,  and  the 
nature  of  which  was  "  squatterism,"  or  the 
right  to  a  certain  improvement.  While  the 
trial  was  going  on  a  large  rat  caught  a 
chicken  in  the  midst  of  the  court  room,  when 
some  one  with  great  gravity  made  a  motion 
that  the  rat  be  lined  for  contempt  of  court. 
Fact! 

A  post  office   was  established   in   1875  in 


the  north  part  of  the  township  called  Pigeon 
Post  Office,  of  which  Mr.  Partridge  was 
Postmaster.  It  received  its  name  from  the 
great  Hocks  of  pigeons  that  used  to  roost  in 
the  low  trees  in  the  vicinity.  It  is  said  that 
millions  of  these  birds  might  be  seen  there 
at  one  time.  The  early  settlers  used  to  kill 
great  numbers  of  them. 

Schools  were  taught  in  the  township  as 
soon  as  there  were  children  to  support  them 
and  money  to  pay  teachers.  One  of  the  first 
schoolhouses  was  a  log  cabin  erected  on  Sec- 
tion 28,  on  Black  Oak  Ridge.  Among  the 
early  wielders  of  the  birch  within  this  primi- 
tive temple  of  learning,  were  Jehu  Hodges, 
Joel  Hawkins,  John  Vick,  Brown  and  Davis. 
Another  schoolhouse  was  built  in  the  north 
part  of  the  township,  which  was  known  as 
the  Young  Schoolhouse.  Before  this  house 
was  built,  a  school  was  taught  in  the  old 
Council  Blufi"  Church,  The  Barren  School- 
house  was,  perhaps,  the  next  one  built.  It 
received  the  name  on  account  of  the  barren 
country  around  it.  About  the  year  1850,  the 
precinct  was  divided  into  four  school  dis- 
tricts. The  township  now  contains  six  dis- 
tricts, in  all  of  which  are  good,  comfortable 
schoolhouses.  The  first  School  Trustees  in 
the  township  (prior  to  township  organiza- 
tion) were  D.  B.  Davis  and  C.  M.  Casey. 

The  pioneers  of  Webber  Township  looked 
early  to  their  spiritual  welfai-e  as  well  as  their 
temporal.  Meetings  were  held  at  private 
houses.  Congregations  assembled  regularly 
in  the  old  Ridge  Schoolhouse,  and  preaching 
was  held  whenever  a  preacher  came  along. 
The  first  religious  society  formed  in  the  town- 
ship, perhaps,  was  the  old  Council  Blufl' 
Church.  Among  the  early  members  were  the 
Caseys,  Maxeys  and  Johnsons,  and  Thomas 
Casey,  A.  Maxey  and  Simeon  Walker  were 
among  the  preachers. 

The  Black  Oak  Ridge   Methodist   Church 


376 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


was  organized  about  ]855.  Among  the  orig- 
inal members  were  Jolin  Faa;an  and  fam- 
ily, D.  B.  Davis  and  family,  and  Abraham 
Marlow  and  wife;  the  first  class-leader  was 
D.  B.  Davis.  A  flourishing  Sunday  school 
with  about  thirty  pupils  is  maintained. 

Hickory  Hill  United  Baptist  Church  was 
oro-anized  in  1868,  and  the  Dales  and  Davises 
were  among  the  first  members.  Elder  C. 
Richardson  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Universalists  and  Adventists  hold 
meetings  occasionally.  The  Adventists  have 
an  organization,  but  no  church  building. 
-^  The  Louisville,  Evansville  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  oommonly  called  the  "  Air  Line," 
passes  through  Webber  Township  from  east 
to  west.  There  are  two  stations  in  Webber, 
viz.,  Marlow  and  Bluford.  The  latter  was 
laid  out  aboi^t  the  time  the  road  was  opened 
for  travel,  and  consists  of  but  a  few  houses. 
It  is  located  on  the  land  of  Evans  and  Crews, 


citizens  of  Mount  Vernon.  The  place  con- 
tains two  stores — Thomas  Moore  &  Co.  and 
B.  D.  Esman — a  grocery  and  saloon,  a  saw 
mill,  a  shop  or  two  and    a  few  residences. 

Marlow  Station  is  situated  on  Section  30, 
on  John  Scott's  land.  Like  Bluford,  it  is  a 
small  place  and  has  sprung  up  since  the 
building  of  the  railroad.  W.  &  H.  Morris 
carry  on  a  general  store.  A  grain  house  was 
put  up  by  Mr.  Marlow,  with  wagon  scales 
attached;  he  also  owns  a  dwelling  house 
here.  A  saw  mill  was  started  here  and  run 
one  year  by  Dallas  &  Burk.  It  was  portable, 
and  hence  has  left  the  town.  A  post  office 
was  established  in  1882,  and  Mr.  Marlow 
appointed  Postmaster.  He  resigned  in  April, 
1883.  and  Mr.  Morris  was  appointed  in  his 
stead.  Drs.  Newton  and  Hillard  are  the 
practicing  physicians  of  the  township,  and 
care  for  the  physical  ailments  of  the 
people. 


CHAPTER    XIII.* 


ELK  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHY  AND  PHYSICAL  FEATURES— COMING  OF  THE  PALE  FACES 
—INCIDENTS  OF  THEIR   SETTLEMENT— HARD    TIMES|  ETC.— ROADS,    MILLS    AND    BRIDGES- 
SCHOOLS  AND  SCHOOLHOUSES— CHURCHES,  ETC.— TOWNSHIP  OFFICIALS— VILLAGES,  ETC. 


"  Should  you  ask  me  whence  these  stories, 
Whence  these  legends  and  traditions 
With  the  odors  of  the  forest— 
I  repeat  them  as  I  heard  them." 

— Song  of  Hiawatha. 

TO  illustrate  the  life  the  people  lived  in 
the  pioneer  days  of  Southern  Illinois, 
we  give  an  extract  from  the  diary  of  an  early 
citizen  of  this  portion  of  the  State,  and  which 
was  written  in  1824.  It  is  true  of  the  times 
in  which  it  occurred,  and  is  as  follows:  "  I 
well  recollect  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  tea- 
cup and  saucer,  and  tasted  coffee.   My  moth- 

»  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


er  died  when  I  was  six  years  old.  My  father 
then  sent  me  to  Maryland,  to  school.  At 
Bedford,  everything  was  changed.  The  tav- 
ern at  which  I  stopped  was  a  stone  house, 
and,  to  make  the  change  still  more  complete, 
it  was  plastered  on  the  inside,  both  as  to  the 
walls  and  ceiling.  On  going  into  the  dining- 
room,  I  was  struck  with  astonishment  at  the 
appearance  of  the  house.  I  had  no  idea  there 
was  a  house  in  the  world  not  built  of  logs; 
but  here  I  looked  around  the  house  and  could 
see  no  logs,  and  above  I  could  see  no  joists. 
Whether  such  a  thing  had  been  made  so   by 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


377 


the  hands  of  man,  or  had  grown  so  of  itself 
I  could  not  conjecture.  I  head  not  the  cour- 
age to  inquire  anything  about  it.  I  watched 
attentively  to  see  what  the  big  folks  would 
do  with  their  little  cups  and  spoons.  I  im- 
itated thein,  and  found  the  taste  of  the  coffee 
nauseous  beyond  anything  I  had  ever  tasted 
in  tuy  life.  I  continued  to  drink,  as  the  rest 
of  the  company  did,  with  tears  streaming 
from  my  eyes;  but  when  it  was  to  end, I  was 
at  a  loss  to  know,  as  the  little  (uips  were 
filled  immediately  after  being  emptied.  This 
circumstance  distressed  me  very  much,  and  I 
durst  not  say  I  had  enough.  Looking  atten- 
tively at  the  grand  persons  I  saw  one  person 
turn  his  cup  bottom  upward  and  put  his  lit 
tie  spoon  across  it.  I  (.)bserved  after  this  his 
cup  was  not  filled  again.  I  followed  his  ex- 
ample, and  to  my  great  satisfaction  the  re- 
sult, as  to  my  cup,  was  the  same."  This  is 
the  experience  of  a  rough,  backwoods  boy, 
who  bad  been  raised  in  Southern  Illinois 
when  the  country  was  but  a  wilderness. 
There  are,  however,  many  old  peojiJe  to  be 
found  who  can  give  episodes  in  their  own 
lives  of  equally  as  rude  a  character. 

Elk  Prairie  Township  lies  in  the  south  tier 
of  townships  in  Jefferson  County,  and  con- 
tains considerable  fine  fariuinjj  lands,  thouerh 
it  is  rather  rough  and  broken  aloncf  the 
streams.  The  township  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  McClellan  To\vnship,  on  the  east 
by  Spring  Garden,  on  the  south  by  Franklin 
County,  on  the  west  by  Bald  Hill  Township, 
and  by  Government  Survey  is  Township  No. 
4,  south  of  the  base  line,  and  is  in  Range  2 
east  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian.  Big 
M  uddy  Creek  Hows  south  nearly  through  the 
middle  of  the  township,  receiving  numerous 
small  streams  in  its  course.  Casey's  Fork 
touches  the  east  portion.  Mowing  in  a  south- 
erly direction  between  this  township  and 
Spring  Garden.      Along  these    streams   was 


originally  heavy  timber,  and  there  is  still 
considerable  of  it  left,  principally  oak,  hick- 
ory and  walnut.  The  land  is  rather  hilly 
and  rough  along  the  streams,  but  back  from 
them  some  distance  it  becomes  of  a  more  even 
surface,  and  has  some  small  prairies.  Elk 
Prairie,  from  which  the  township  derives  its 
name,  is  an  excellent  body  of  land,  though  of 
rather  small  extent.  It  takes  its  name  from 
the  number  of  bones  and  horns  of  elk  found 
here  by  the  early  settlers.  Some  very  excel- 
lent farms  may  be  seen  in  this  township. 

Of  the  early  experiences  of  Elk  Prairie, 
there  is  little  to  be  said.  There  was  nothing 
out  of  the  usual,  every- day  pioneer  life  to  in- 
dividualize the  community.  It  settled  up 
much  as  other  portions  of  the  county  did, 
and  as  other  settlements  were  made.  As  to 
the  name  of  the  first  settler  in  this  division 
of  the  county,  where  he  came  from  and  the 
spot  whereon  he  settled,  we  can  say  little, 
for  we  failed  to  learn  anything  definitely. 
Among  the  early  settlers  we  can  mention  the 
Stephensons,  William  King,  the  Whitmans, 
Ezra  Lanier,  James  and  Martin  Teeters, 
John  D.  M.  Cockram.  Willis  Holder,  the 
Picketts  and  some  ef  the  Wilbankses,  and 
others  whose  names  are  not  now  remembered. 
The  Stephensons — John,  Edward  and  Isham 
— came  from  Tennessee,  and  settled  here  in 
an  early  day.  William  King  first  settled  in 
Gun  Prairie,  but  afterward  came  here.  He 
was  not  very  strict  in  his  moral  characteris- 
tics, and  followed  Solomon's  lead  in  a  plu- 
rality of  wives.  He  finally  sold  out  to  Uriah 
Compton.took  his  brother-in-law's  wife,  leav- 
ing two  or  three  of  his  own  behind,  and  left 
the  country.  Cockram  first  settled  here,  but 
afterward  moved  into  Spring  Garden  and  set- 
tled near  the  village  of  that  name.  Teeters 
first  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie.  Martin 
Teeters  was  James'  father,  and  they  came 
form  Alabama  originally.     The  old  man  did 


378 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


not  come  here  until  some  fifteen  years  after 
James  Teeters  had  settled  here.  But  we  can 
not  follow  the  settlement  of  the  township 
further.  So  much  has  already  been  sai  i  in 
preceding  chapters  of  this  work,  of  the  com- 
ing, the  settlement  and  life  of  the  pioneers, 
that  anything  further  can  be  little  else  than 
repetition. 

The  experiences  of  the  people  here  were 
similar  to  other  pioneer  settlements,  as  we 
have  said.  They  lived  in  log  cabins,  wore 
home-made  clothing,  subsisted  upon  game 
and  the  products  of  the  soil,  and  indulged 
in  the  recreations  common  to  the  rest  of  the 
county.  With  all  the  growth  and  activity, 
which  assumes  larger  proportions  in  the  re- 
cital than  in  actual  experience,  the  commun- 
ity which  gathered  in  what  is  now  Elk  Prai- 
rie Township,  was  essentially  on  the  frontier 
at  that  time,  and  the  people  experienced  all 
the  hardships  and  discomforts  incident  to 
frontier  settlements.  For  the  first  few  years, 
supplies  were  brought  from  a  distance;  mills 
were  built  rather  early,  but  owing  to  a  lack 
of  power  or  adequate  machinery,  most  of  the 
meal  and  flour  were  obtained  only  by  going 
long  distances  and  enduring  tedious  delays. 
The  general  settlement  was  of  slow  growth, 
but  siu'e;  here  and  there  the  smoke  curled 
upward  in  the  air  from  the  scattered  log  cab- 
ins, as  the  busy  pioneer  protracted  the  clear- 
ing-up  of  his  farm  long  into  the  night. 

Deer  were  shot  in  large  numbers,  while 
wolves  and  panthers,  "Congress  hogs,"  a  few 
bears  and  the  whole  class  of  small  game  found 
in  this  section,  and  afforded  wholesome  meals 
or  rare  hunting  sport.  The  distance  from 
any  market  was  long  felt  among  the  farming 
community,  and  did  much  to  retard  growth 
and  prosperity.  But  these  inconveniences 
were  lived  over.and  as  civilization  increased, 
comforts  and  luxuries  increased  also. 

Elk  Prairie  Township    suffered    from    the 


same  inconveniences  i-n  the  lack  of  roads  and 
mill  facilities.  The  first  settlers  used  the 
mortar  and  pestle  to  pound  their  corn,  the 
finest  of  which  was  used  for  meal  and  the 
coarser  for  hominy.  A  few  years  later,  horse 
mills  were  buiU.  These  were  a  great  im- 
provement on  the  mortar  and  hand  mills,  but 
we  of  to-day  would  think  it  a  poor  way  to 
obtain  bread.  Some  of  the  pioneers,  doubt- 
less, still  remember  the  bustle  and  prejiara- 
tioD  for  "going  to  mill."  The  shelling  of 
the  corn  the  day  before,  the  rising  long  be- 
fore day  in  order  to  make  the  trip  in  one  day 
if  possible,  the  careful  wi-apping  up  in  cold 
weather,  rhe  cautions  about  the  creek  or 
branch  crossings,  and  the  anxiety  felt  at  home 
if  "  the  boys  "  were  gone  much  longer  than 
was  expected.  But  as  settlements  became 
more  niimerous,  mills  were  built  at  shorter 
intervals,  and  the  inconveniences  in  this  re- 
spect passed  away.  The  first  roads  were 
only  trails  through  the  township  from  one 
neighbor's  to  another's,  or  to  the  horse  mill. 
But  these  also  Were  improved  and  increased 
with  the  demand  for  them,  and  the  settle- 
ments were  soon  well  supplied  with  good 
roads.  Bridges  of  substantial  build  now 
span  the  streams  where  all  the  important 
highways  cross  them,  thus  rendering  travel 
comparatively  safe  and  pleasant. 

The  early  educational  history  of  Elk  Prai- 
rie Township  is  involved  in  considerable  ob- 
scurity, and  it  is  not  definitely  known  now 
when  or  by  whom  the  first  school  was  taught, 
nor  where  the  first  pioneer  schoolhouse  was 
erected.  At  the  present  day  the  township  de- 
votes as  much  attention  to  e  lucational  inter- 
ests as  any  portion  of  Jefferson  County. 
There  are  eight  good,  comfortable  school- 
houses,  all  well  and  commodiously  furnished 
in  the  most  approved  style.  These  school- 
houses  are  located  respectively  on  Sections  6, 
10,  11,  13,  15,  20,  27  and  32,  and   in   them 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON"  COUNTY. 


379 


good  schools  are  annueilly  taught  for  the  us- 
ual terms  by  competent  teachers. 

Christianity  in  the  township  dates  back  to 
its  first  settlement  by  white  people.  Many 
of  the  pioneers  had  been  active  members  of 
different  churches  in  the  States  from  whence 
they  came,  and  this  soon  led  to  the  organi- 
zation of  religious  societies  here.  Meetings 
were  held  in  private  houses,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer time  in  the  groves  until  the  building  of 
schoolhouses,  when  they  were  utilized  for 
religious  worship  as  well  as  for  school  pur- 
poses. Thus  churches  were  organized  by 
these  sitnple  pioneers  in  an  early  day.  There 
are  now  two  church  buildings  in  the  town- 
ship. A  Methodist  Church  near  Mr.  Dare's, 
which  is  a  neat  and  substantial  frame  edifice. 
East  of  it  is  a  Campbellite  or  Chi'istian 
Chm-ch.  The  building  was  originally  put  up 
for  a  schoolhouse,  but  a  few  years  ago  the 
township  built  a  new  schoolhouse  in  the 
district,  and  sold  the  old  one  to  the  Chris- 
tians. They  repaired  it,  and  have  made  quite 
as  neat  and  tasty  church  building  of  it.  It 
has  a  good  membership  for  a  country 
church. 

This  township  was  originally  Elk  Prairie 
Election  Precinct.  In  1869,  the  county 
adopted  township  organization,  when  this 
became  what  it  is  now — Elk  Prairie  Town- 
ship. Since  then,  the  following  is  a  com- 
plete list  of  township  officials: 

Supervisors.  -G.  W.  Evans,  1870-72;  J. 
Pv.  Knowles,  1873-74;  G.  W.  Evans,  1875; 
J.  H.  Crosno,  1870;  G.  W.  Evans,  1877;  J. 
R.  Knowles,  1878-80,  L.  ftl.  Cole,  1881-82; 
S.  H.  Dolby,  1883,  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

Township  Clerks— J.  G.  Gee,  1872-74; 
William  P.  Hamilton,  1875;  B.  S.  Bowen- 
master,  1876-77;  J.  H.  Wheeler,  1878;  L. 
B.  Kelso,  1879;  T.  R.  Fox,  1880;  J.  B.  Bos- 
well,  1881-83,  now  holding  the  position. 


Assessors — Lewis  M.  Cole,  1872;  G.  G. 
Dolby,  1873;  L.  M.  Cole,  1874-75;  H.  H. 
Hartiy,  1876;  William  Dodds,  1877-78;  L. 
M.  Cole,  1879;  William  Dodds,  1880;  H.  H. 
Hartiy,  1881;  J.  D.  Dodd.s,  1882;  S.  Kirk, 
1883,  now  in  office. 

Collectcfts— J.  R.  Knowles,  1870-72;  A. 
J.  Sweaton.  1878;  C.  C.  Brown,  1874;  Will- 
iam Graham,  1875;  J.  R.  Knowles,  1876-77; 
G.  G.  Dolby,  1878-79;  J.  Stansberry,  1880; 
J.  D.  Dodds,  1881;  S.  P.  Sheaton,  1882;  J. 
B.  Dougherty,  1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

School  Treasurers— Eli  Gilbert,  1874;  S. 
A.  Block,  1875-77;  Isaas  Ward,  1878;  J. 
W.  Wells,  1879;  S.  A.  Block,  1880-81;  H. 
Wells,  1882;  J.  Loman,  1883,  now  in  office. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — A.  J.  Sweaton,  Eli 
Gilbert,  VV.  Hampton,  A.  J.  Sweaton,  Eli 
Gilbert,  H.  R.  Dare,  A.  J.  Kelly,  L.  T.  Coff- 
man,  H.  R.  Dare. 

Constables— W.  T.  Dare,  L.  T.  Coffman, 
S.  P.  Shelton,  J.  Sulcer,  J.  H.  Hestley,  D. 
G.  Peterson. 

Highway  Commissioners — J.  J.  Fitzger- 
rell,  John  Dodds,  J.  Wilbanks,  J.  G.  Gee, 
John  Doyle,  J.  Wilbanks,  J.  G.  Gee,  S.  P. 
Shelton,  S.  H.  Dolby,  S.  Hirous,  J.  Rowe, 
W.  T.  Peterson. 

The  village  of  Winfieldwas  laid  out  by  A. 
M.  Grant  for  J.  J.  Fitzgerrell,  the  owner  of 
the  land.  It  is  situated  in  Horse  Prairie,  in 
the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  Section  32  of  Elk  Prairie  Township, 
and  the  plat  is  dated  March  26,  1860.  The 
original  survey  (which  is  all  there  is  of  the 
town)  consisted  of  four  blocks  of  fom-  lots 
each.  The  first  store  in  the  village  was 
opened  by  Isaac  Boswell.  Some  years  later 
the  Wards  opened  a  store.  A  Mr.  Graham 
also  opened  a  store.  A  mill  was  built  by 
Isaac  Clampet.  It  afterward  passed  into  the 
possession  of  John  Knowles,  who  operated  it 
several  years,  and  finally  it  became  the  prop- 


380 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


erty  of  the  Wards.  They  greatly  improved 
it,  and  xnade  it  an  excellent  mill,  Dr.  Gee 
came  to  the  place  in  1867,  and  afterward 
married  Mr.  Fitzgerrell'd  daughter.  Dr. 
White  was  also  a  citizen  for  some  years,  and 
then  moved  to  his  farm.  A  good  school- 
house  with  a  hall  above  was  built  some  years 
ago.  Also  a  church  building  has  been  erect- 
ed. The  town  is  not  as  large  as  Chicago — 
perhaps  it  never  will  be — perhaps  it  has    al- 


ready attained  its  full  growth.  It  is  in  the 
midst  of  a  good  farming  region,  however, 
and  ought  to  be  quite  a  prosperous  place. 

This  comprises  a  brief  history  of  Elk 
Prairie  Township,  from  its  settlement  by  the 
pale-faced  pioneers  to  the  present  time.  It 
is  one  of  the  line  agricultural  townships  of 
the  county,  and  its  citizens  are  an  intelli- 
gent, industrious  and  prosperous  class  of 
farmers.     No  more  need  be  said  of  them. 


CHAPTER   XIV.* 


FABRINGTON   TOWNSHIP— GENERAL    TOPOGRAPHY,  BOUNDARIES,  ETC.— SETTLEMENT   OF  WHITE 

PEOPLE— EARLY  INDUSTRIES— SCHOOLS    AND  CHURCHES— TOWNSHIP 

OFFICERS— VILLAGES— STOCK-RAISING,  ETC. 


"  He  bent  his  way  where  twilight  reigns  sublime, 
O'er  forests  silent  since  the  birth  of  time." 

IN  the  early  history  of  Jefferson  County, 
people  were  not  farmers,  but  htinters. 
They  would  "  squat "  on  a  piece  of  land, 
put  up  a  rough  cabin,  and  some  of  them 
cleared  a  little  "  truck  patch,"  which  was 
mostly  cultivated  by  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren. Bttt  in  a  few  yeai's  the  reu!  farmers 
began  to  come  in,  and  then  hunters  began  to 
get  ready  to  pull  up  stakes  and  "move  on" — 
go  West,  where  the  crowding  civilization  and 
settlements  would  not  trouble  them  or  disttu'b 
the  game  they  were  wont  to  chase.  Of  the 
hunter  class  were  those  whose  necessity,  in 
the  chase  and  in  protecting  their  pigs  and 
chickens  from  the  hungry  wolves  and  other 
wild  beasts,  required  the  services  of  the  dog, 
and  hence  always  a  goodly  portion  of  many 
families  were  made  up  of  "  mongrel,  puppy, 
whelp  and  hound,  and  cm-  of  low  degree. " 
But  most  unfortunately,  with  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  simple  trappers  and 'htinters,  the 
dogs  "did  not  go,"  but  remained  in  unlim- 

•  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


ited  numbers  for  many  years  after  their  use- 
fulness had  ceased,  and  even  now  they  may 
be  seen  plentifully  in  some  places.  They 
are  one  of  the  relics  of  barbarism  that  linger 
"  alone,  all  alone."  And  just  here  we  may 
add — for  it  is  a  fact  be_yond  dispute — that 
one  of  the  greatest  misfortunes  to  Southern 
Illinois  has  been  its  large  number  of  worth- 
less, sheep-killing  dogs.  These  perpetual 
pests  have  cost  every  cotinty  thousands  of 
dollars  for  every  5  cent  piece  they  have  saved 
them.  If  there  never  had  been  a  dog  here 
there  would  now  be  large  flocks  of  sheep 
raised  where  there  is  not  one  to  be  seen. 
And  yet  the  farmers  will  persist  in  keeping 
a  lot  of  mangy  dogs,  and  for  what  purpose? 
None  aoder    heaven,  but    because    it    is    the 

custom    to    have   dogs    to,  to to  prey  on 

their  neighbors'  sheep.  Verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  one  sheep  is  of  more  value  than  ninety 
and  nine  worthless  dogs.      Selah! 

Farrington  Township,  to  which  this  chap- 
ter is  devoted,  comprises  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  township.  Marion  Cotinty  lies  on 
the  north,  Wayne  County  on  the    east,  Web- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEUSON  COUNTY. 


381 


ber  Township  on  the  sonth  and  Field  Town- 
ship on  the  west.  Farrington,  according  to 
the  Government  survey,  is  Township  1  south 
of  the  base  line,  and  in  Range  4  east,  of  the 
Third  Principal  Meridian.  It  is  divided  be- 
tween prairie  and  woodland,  and  is  of  very 
good  surface,  unless  it  be  along  the  little 
streams,  when  it  becomes  somewhat  hilly  iu 
places.  The  principal  water-course  is  Adams 
Fork,  which  flows  in  a  soiathenst  direction, 
then  leaving  the  township  through  Section  36. 
Adam's  Fork,  with  a  few  nameless  branches, 
comprises  the  natural  drainage  system  of  Far- 
rington.  The  timber  is  that  mentioned  as 
growing  in  other  portions  of  the  county. 
The  inhabitants  are  an  industrious  and  intel- 
ligent class  of  people,  and  are  devoted  most- 
ly to  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Following  close  in  the  wak"  of  the  hunters 
and  trappers  came  the  regular  settlers.  Their 
privations,  though  settlements  here  were  not 
made  as  early  as  in  other  sections  of  the 
county,  were  such  as  only  brave  hearts  could 
endure.  Nothing  but  the  hopeful  inspiration 
of  manifest  destiny  urged  them  to  persevere 
in  bringing  under  the  dominion  of  civilized 
man  what  was  before  them — a  wild  and  tan- 
gled wilderness.  Just  who  was  the  first  set- 
tler in  what  is  now  Farrington  Township  we 
cannot  say,  as  settlements  were  made  in  many 
adjoining  neighborhoods  before  this,  and  it 
is  not  easy  to  say  just  when  the  first  man 
stepped  over  into  Farrington  and  pitched  his 
tent.  But  among  the  first  settlers  were  the 
Wellses,  the  Gregorys,  Haynies,  Abraham 
Buffington,  William  B.  Johnson,  Joseph 
Norman  and  others.  Berryman  and  Barney 
Wells  were,  perhaps,  the  first  of  these;  at 
least,  they  were  here  when  the  Gregorys 
came.  They  were  from  Tennessee,  and  Ber- 
ryman Wells  settled  on  Section  14,  Barney 
on  Section  8;  they  have  long  been  dead,  but 
have  descendants  living  in  the    county.      Of 


the  Gregorys,  there  were  Jonathan  and  Ben- 
jamin, who  came  here  about  1828-30,  and 
Absalom  Gregory,  a  brother,  came  some  two 
years  later.  They  were  all  Kentuckians,  and 
settled,  Jonathan  on  Section  23,  Benjamin 
on  Section  24  and  Absalom  on  Section  26. 
They  are  dead,  but  still  have  descendants 
living,  among  whom  is  Dr.  L.  B.  Gregory, 
the  Postmaster  General  of  Logansville,  and 
the  model  farmer  of  the  township,  whose 
barn  is  a  pattern  for  all  to  follow  after.  The 
Doctor  is  quite  a  stock-raiser,  aiid  the  ex- 
treme docility  of  his  stock,  particularly  his 
domestic  animals,  show  the  great  care  and 
attention  they  receive  from  their  owner. 
We  have  been  there,  and  witnessed  that 
whereof  we  speak.  Dr.  Gregory  owns  some 
1,400  or  1,500  acres  of  as  good  land  as  may 
be  found  in  Farrington  Township.  He  is 
one  of  the  self-made  men  of  the  country,  and 
deserves  great  credit  for  what  he  is.  He 
began  life,  as  he  informed  us,  without  a 
dime,  and  what  he  is  he  is  indebted  to  no 
one  for  but  himself.  His  own  energy  and 
indomitable  will  has  wrought  for  him  a  fort- 
une, which  speaks  well  for  the  Doctor,  and 
we  may  add,  for  no  one  else.  His  mind  is 
well  stored  with  incidents  of  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  county,  many  of  which  he  regaled 
us  with.  He  came  here  but  a  lad,  and  his 
busy  life  has  extended  through  all  the  hard 
times,  the  trials  and  hardships  to  which  the 
early  settlers  were  subjected.  He  delights 
to  tell  of  the  time  when  he  collected  nearly 
the  entire  revenue  of  the  county  in  coon 
skins  and  deer  skins,  which  were  a  legal  ten- 
der. John  Allen  was  then  Sheriff;  the  sea- 
son had  been  a  hard  one;  people  had  but 
small  crops;  but  few  had  made  enough  to 
live  on,  and  as  to  money,  that  was  an  un- 
known quantity.  In  this  state  of  affairs. 
Sheriff  Allen  employed  Dr.  Gregory  to  collect 
the  county  taxes.      Gregory  says  every  farm- 


382 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


er  in  those  days,  who  could  raise  18  or 
would  buy  a  barrel  of  whisky  to  sell  again 
(license  to  sell  whisky  did  not  then  cost  as 
much  as  now),  and  as  there  was  no  money 
they  would  take  coon  skins  for  whisky. 
Hence,  nearly  every  man  had  a  large  num- 
ber of  coon  skins  on  hand  and  these  were 
nearly  all  these  whisky  sellers  who  were  able 
to  pay  their  taxes.  So  he  collected  the  big- 
gest part  of  the  taxes  in  coon  skins  and  deer 
skins. 

Francis,  William  and  James  Haynie  came 
about  the  same  time  the  Gregorys  came. 
Francis  Haynie  settled  on  Section  26,  James 
on  Section  24,  and  William  on  Section  23. 
They,  too,  came  from  Tennessee,  and  are 
dead.  Francis  was  an  old  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier. Mr.  Johnson  says:  "Mr.  Haynie  never 
had  any  permanent  home  after  the  death  of 
his  wife.  He  came  to  his  relatives  here; 
staid  sometimes  for  months;  but  it  was  said 
that  he  came  and  went  with  the  wild  geese. 
Many  of  our  people  remember  him  as  he 
passed  among  us  many  years  ago,  with  the 
same  old  hat,  the  same  long  hunting  shirt 
closely  belted  around  him,  and  the  same 
walking  stick,  at  least  five  feet  long,  grasped 
a  foot  or  so  from  the  end.  The  old  man's 
last  visit  here  was  in  1838.  He  spent  most 
of  the  last  years  of  his  life  at  his  son's, 
north  of  here."  William  Haynie  moved 
West  and  died  somewhere  out  there.  Joseph 
Norman  came  here  from  Tennessee,  and  set- 
tled in  the  same  neighborhood  as  the  Hay- 
nies.  Abram  Bufifington  settled  near  Far- 
rington.  He  was  a  noted  hunter,  and  used 
to  kill  a  great  deal  of  game.  William  B. 
Johnson  was  also  an  early  settler  in  this  part 
of  the  township.  He  has  a  son,  Joha  W. 
Johnson,  living  just  west  of  Farrington, 
one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the  county, 
and  withal  an  enterprising  citizen.  William 
Casey  also  lived  in  this    township    for    some 


years  in  the  early  times,  and  may  be  reckoned 
among  the  pioneers. 

Such  were  some  of  the  leading  men  who 
gathered  here.  It  is  difficult  in  most  cases 
to  distinguish  marks  of  individuality  in  the 
I  smaller  settlements  of  a  county,  especially 
where  all  are  derived  from  the  same  general 
section.  But  in  the  early  community  of  Far- 
rington, there  was  less  of  this  diflSculty  in 
the  way.  A  majority,  in  fact  nearly  all  of 
the  early  settlers  here  were  from  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky,  and  came  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  permanent  homes.  They 
were  men  possessing  little  literaiy  taste.  The 
rugged  experience  of  frontier  life  and  the 
!  isolation  fi'om  the  closer  restraints  of  older 
civilization  has  a  tendency  to  unduly  elevate 
the  importance  of  brawn  and  muscle  in  the 
general  consideration,  and  brawling  and  ca- 
rousing are  tolerated  to  a  much  greater  ex- 
tent than  where  there  are  gentler  influences 
to  counteract  such  tendencies.  This  rough 
element  jiredominated  in  many  portions  of 
the  county  among  the  early  settlers.  It  was 
no  worse  in  Farrington  tlan  elsewhere — per- 
haps it  was  no  better.  The  prevailing  cus- 
tom of  the  nation  had  educated  the  church 
'of  the  early  day  to  see  no  harm  in  the  gen- 
eral use  of  whisky,  and  it  may  not  be  said 
that  the  members  were  fi'ee  from  intoxica- 
tion. As  year  by  year  the  inevitable  result 
of  the  practice  was  foreshadowed,  they  had 
inot  the  moral  courage  to  reject  it.  Brawl- 
ing disputes  were  common,  and  the  general 
sentiment  was  not  very  favorable  to  intellect- 
ual progress.  But  all  this  has  changed  now, 
and  Farrington  Township  is  noted  throughout 
the  county  at  the  pre.sent  day  for  its  intelli- 
gence, civilization  and  refinement.  The  usu- 
al pioneer  improvements  of  Farrington  con- 
sisted of  the  riide  mills  of  the  early  settlers, 
and  the  making  of  roads.  The  first  road 
through  the  township  was  the  Mount  Vernon 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


383 


&  Maysville  road,  and  the  next  the  road  lead- 
ing from  Mount  Vernon  to  Xenia.  The 
township  now  is  blest  with  as  good  roads 
as  any  other  portion  of  the  county,  and 
good,  substantial  bridges  span  the  streams 
where  the  principal  roads  cross  them. 

As  to  the  educational  and  religious  facili- 
ties, not  as  much  can  be  said  as  in  some  other 
localities.  Church  edifices  are  not  plentiful, 
and  most  of  the  schoolhouses  are  a  little  di- 
lapidated, though  there  are  some  new  ones 
and  some  that  are  used  for  church  as  well  as 
school  purposes. 

Dr.  Gregory  says  the  first  teacher  he  went 
to  school  to  was  a  Mr.  Joseph  Price,  and  he 
thinks  it  was  the  firet  school  in  the  town- 
ship. The  Doctor's  description  of  that 
school  and  schoolhouse  and  his  attendance  at 
it  is  quite  humorous.  The  house,  he  says, 
was  a  pole  cabin  about  sixteen  feet  .square, 
slab  seats  and  without  any  floor  except  the 
ground.  The  fire  was  built  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  and  around  this  "  council  fire"  the 
pioneer  boys  and  girls  attained  the  wisdom 
and  inspiration  to  fit  them  for  afterlife.  Dr. 
Gregory  says  he  wore  buckskin  breeches  and 
buckskin  hunting-shirt,  and  on  his  way  to 
school  of  a  morning  through  the  rain  and 
snow,  his  breeches,  which  were  not  very  well 
tanned,  would  get  wet  and  stretch  out  until 
they  would  be  down  under  his  feet.  But, sit- 
ting around  that  log-heap  tire  in  that  old 
schoolhouse,  they  would  get  dry  and  draw  up 
until  they  wore  nearly  to  his  knees,  thus  dis- 
playing his  "  shapely  shins,"  which  had  stood 
exposure  to  the  elements  until  they  were 
about    like    young   scaley-barked    hickories. 

The  next  school  teacher  after  Price  was 
probably  Absalom  Gregory,  an  uncle  of  the 
present  Dr.  Gregory,  alluded  to  above.  He 
was  followed  by  Elder  R.  T.  Camp,  a  Bap- 
tist preacher,  who,  notwithstanding  his  holy 
calling,  was  as  illiterate    and    unlearned    as 


the  fishermen  of  Gallilee.  William  Johnson 
was  also  au  early  teacher.  Another  of  the 
early  schoolhouses  was  built  on  Horse  Creek. 
It  was  also  a  rude  log  cabin.  The  next 
schoolhouse  in  this  portion  of  the  township 
was  built  at  Farrington.  There  are  now  six 
schoolhouses  in  the  township;  some  of  them 
good,  substantial  buildings  and  some  of  them 
badly  needed  to  be  replaced  with  new  and 
better  ones.  Farrington  Township  is  Dem- 
ocratic in  politics.  It  is  not  as  great  a  Dem- 
ocratic stronghold  as  it  used  to  be,  mainly 
through  the  i  nfluence  of  that  old  Republican 
wheel-horse,  Dr.  Gregory,  who  says  he  in- 
tends to  make  it  Republican  yet.  if  he  lives 
long  enough.  According  to  the  late  Ohio 
election,  he  has  an  army  contract  on  hand. 
In  1869,  Farrington  was  made  a  township. 
Since  then,  the  following  is  a  list  of  the 
township  officials: 

Supervisors — M.  A.  Morrison,  1870-72;  L. 
B.  Gregory,  1873;  L.  B.  Donohoo,  1874;  L. 
B.  Gregory,  1875;  \V.  L.  Young,  1876-78; 
L.  B.  Gregory,  1879;  J.  W.  Johnson,  1880; 
L.  B.  Gregory,  1881;  J.  W.  Johnson,  1882; 
L.  B.  Gregory,  1883. 

Township  Clerks — J  .W.  Johnson,  1872; 
John  Pierce,  1873;  M.  A.  Morrison,  1874; 
John  Pierce,  1875-80;  J.  Burke,  1881;  J. 
Young,  1882;  Charles  Burke,  1883. 

Assessors — W.  L.  Young,  1872-74;  F.  M. 
Harvey,  1875;  M.  A.  Morrison,  1876-77; 
William  Summers,  1878;  ^\'.  L.  Y'oung, 
1879;  S.C.Clark,  1880;  W.  L.Young,  1881; 
W.  L.  Young,  1882;  J.  B.  Young,   1883. 

Collectors— L.  B.  Gregory,  1872;  J.  P. 
Clark,  1873-74;  W.  L.  Young,  1875;  J.  D. 
Alton,  1876;  G.  W.  French,  1877;  Charles 
Burke,  1878;  C.  S.  Burke,  1879-80;  J.  Will- 
iams, 1881-83. 

School  Treasurers — M.  A.  Morrison,  1874 
W.  L.  Young,  1875;  S.  Brookman.  1870-77 
W.  L.  Young,  1878;    W.  E.   Wilson,    1879 


384 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


W.  L.  Young,  1880;  W.  D.  Morrison,  1881; 
E.    French,  1882;    J.  McCormaughty,  1883. 

Highway  Commissioners — L.  Buffington, 
J.  Bradly,  Pinckney  Green,  J.  Bradly,  S. 
Greenwalt,  B.  M.  Burns,  James  Norman,  B. 
Sledge,  J.  Cooper,  J.  Sumner,  William  T. 
Fry  and  "W.  Wilson. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — J.  W.  Johnson, 
Isaac  Dodds,  Piuckney  Green  and  J.  Bradly. 

Constables — Robert  French,  t.  M.  Hay- 
nie,  W.  R.  Donohoo,  John  R.  Webb,  M.  Red- 
burn,  J.  R.  Cameron,  J.  Norman  and  C. 
Donohoo. 
^  The  village  of  Farrington  was  laid  out 
June  2,  1856,  and  was  surveyed  by  A.  M. 
Grant  for  Jehu  J.  Maxey.  It  comprised  six 
acres  of  ground  adjoining  Mr.  Johnson's 
place,  and  there  wers  two  blocks  of  five  lots 
each  and  two  of  eight  lots  each.  Maxey 
&  Johnson  built  a  store-house,  the  first 
house  erected  after  the  town  was  laid 
out.  George  Lear  came  next  and  then 
Abram  Casey,  and  after  him  Kirk  &  Under- 
wood. The  next  comer  to  the  new  town 
was,  perhaps,  Dr.  Bradford;  Dr.  John 
son  also  built  a  house  in  the  town.  When 
the  latter  left  the  place,  Munsell  came;  then 
Bradford  and  Ingalls.  John  Bagwell  had  a 
shop  some  distance  from  Farrington,  but 
afterward  put  up  one  in  town,  and  he  and 
Perry  Maxey  worked  in  it.  About  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war,  King  Maxey  put  up  a 
mill  just  south  of  town.  He  sold  it  to  a  Mr. 
Powers  in  1862,  and  after  the  close  of  the 
war  William  Summers  came  home  from  the 
army  and  bought  an  interest  in  it;  some 
foiu-  years  later  it  was  sold  to  a  man  named 
Snow,  and  moved  to  Walnut  Hill.  W.  A. 
Dale  came  soon  after  the  town  was  laid  out, 
and  started  a  tanyard,  which  was  carried  on 
a  number  of  years.  April  15,  1857,  an  addi- 
tion to  Farrington  was  laid  off  by  Johnson  & 
Collins,    which    was    surveyed    by    Ambrose 


Meador.  A  schoolhouse  was  built  and  a 
few  years  later  an  excellent  church  was  put 
up,  which  was  blown  down  in  a  storm  a  few 
years  afterward.  Farrington  is  in  a  beauti- 
ful place  for  a  town,  but  it  seems  to  have 
reached  the  zenith  of  its  glory,  and  now  to 
be  on  the  downward  road  to  the  "  vale  of  ob- 
scurity." A  town  of  2,000  or  3,000  inhabi- 
tants could  be  built  here  upon  as  pretty  a 
location  as  ever  a  town  stood  on. 

Logansville,  a  little  northeast  of  Far- 
rington, consists  of  the  post  office  of  that 
name  and  a  small  store  kept  by  Dr.  Greg- 
ory. He  commenced  selling  goods  here  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  and  about  the 
same  ,time,  through  the  influence  of  Gen. 
John  A.  Logan,  then  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  he  got  a  post  office,  and  honored  the 
"swarthy  Senator"  by  giving  it  his  name. 
Although  rejoicing  under  the  high  sounding 
name  of  Logansville,  there  is  no  town,  nor 
has  there  been  a  town  laid  out  here. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  no  church 
building  standing  in  the  township;  Mount 
Zion  Baptist  Church  was  burned  a  few  years 
ago  and  has  never  been  rebuilt.  A  church 
was  erected  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town- 
ship, but  was  never  finished,  and,  as  al- 
ready stated,  the  church  in  Farrington  was 
blown  down  in  a  storm  a  few  years  ago. 
So  now  the  township  is  dependent  upon  the 
schoolhouses  in  order  to  hold  religious  service. 

Farrington  Township  is  an  excellent  farm- 
ing region.  Corn,  oats,  rye  and  wheat  are 
produced  in  large  quantities,  and  also  fruits 
and  vegetables.  Many  farmers,  too,  have 
gone  into  stock-raising.  Dr.  Gregory  and 
Mr  Bradford  are,  jjerhaps,  the  most  exten- 
sive raisers  and  dealers  in  the  township. 
But  others  are  beginning  to  pay  more  or  less 
attention  to  the  business,  and  doubtless  in  a 
few  years  Farrington  will  become  quite  a 
stock-producing  community. 


HISTORY   OF   JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


387 


CHAPTER    XV; 


GRAND  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP— BOUNDARIES  AND  TOPOGRAPHY— EARLY  SETTLEMENT— HARDSHIPS 

OF  THE  PEOPLE,  ETC.— FIRST  MILLS  AND  ROADS— BIRTH,  DEATH  AND  MARRIAGE— AN 

INCIDENT- FIRST  VOTING  PLACE— TOWNSHIP   OFFICIALS,    ETC.— SCHOOLS 

AND  SCHOOLHOUSES— CHURCHES,  ETC.,  ETC. 


" ramble  for  our  delight,  •         ^ 

For  the  world's  all  free,  and  we  may  choose,"  etc. 

— Hood. 

FOR  some  years  after  the  trappers,  fish- 
ers and  pioneers  began  to  skirt  with 
sparse  cabins  the  Ohio  River,  Fort  Massac 
was  the  only  point  within  reach  where  these 
people  could  resort  for  the  little  trading  iu 
those  essential  supplies  of  ammunition,  etc., 
that  they  were  compelled  to  have.  For  a 
long  time,  too,  this  place  was  a  landing 
point  for  all  those  pioneers  from  the  Southern 
States  that  came  down  or  crossed  the  Ohio 
River  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois  settle- 
ments. At  first  this  was  a  route  for  nearly 
all  the  immigration  into  Southern  Illinois, 
much  of  which  came  down  the  Ohio  River  on 
batteaus,  pirogues,  canoes  and  skiffs,  while 
some  crossed  the  river  at  Shawneetown,  but 
the  larger  number  (in  the  earlier  years  of 
immigration)  at  Fort  Massac.  But  by  the 
time  settlements  had  begun  in  Jefferson 
County  and  the  country  immediately  coutig 
uous  thereto,  Shawneetown  was  the  gateway 
into  the  territory.  Nearly  seventy  years 
have  passed  since  the  first  settlement  by 
white  people  in  what  is  now  Jeflferson  Coun- 
ty. There  is  a  tradition,  however,  not  well 
authenticated,  that  several  years  prior  to  this 
a  man  had  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie,  the 
facts  of  which  have  been  given  in  preceding 
chapters  of  this  work. 

*By  W.  H.  Perrln. 


Few  people  of  Southern  Illinois  know  the 
history  of  its  possession   by   their  own  race. 
In  the  early  part  of   the   eighteenth  century 
there  were  white  men    passing   up  and  down 
the  Ohio  River,  and  the  governments  that  at 
different  times  had  possessions,   had  erected 
Forts  Massac,  Wilkinson   and  Jefferson,  and 
at  these  forts  were  stationed  soldiers.   These, 
however,  were  merely  guard-posts    of  armed 
men  for  the  purpose  of  keeping   the  posses- 
sion   and   retaining    the    ownership    of    the 
country.      Often    the    Indians    would  gather 
in  great    force    and    besiege    the  place,  and 
bloody  battles    would    ensue,    and    then    for 
years  the  place  would  be   untenanted.      The 
tenure  of  these  places  was  frail  and  uncer- 
tain, as  they  were    often    the    j^rizes    of  un- 
principled white  men  as  well  as  of  the  native 
savages.     But  much  of  this  preliminary  his- 
tory is  given  iu  other  chapters  of  this    work. 
In  this  chapter  our  attention  and  that  of  the 
reader    is    directed    to  a  single  division   of 
the  county. 

Grand  Prairie  Township  is  situated  in  the 
extreme  northwest  corner  of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty. It  has  Washington  County  on  the  west, 
Marion  County  on  the  north,  Rome  Town- 
ship on  the  east,  Casner  Township  on  the 
south  and  in  the  Government  survey  it  is 
known  as  Township  1  soutli,  and  Range  1 
east  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian.  Per- 
haps as  much  of  this  township  is  prairie  as 
any  one  township    in  the    county.      It  fakes 


388 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFEUSON  COUNTY. 


its  name  from  the  preponderance  of  prairie 
land  in  it.  The  surface  is  generally  level 
or  slightly  rolling  and  undulating,  and  drains 
well  without  artificial  means.  The  timber  is 
the  same  as  in  other  portions  of  the  county. 
The  principal  streams  are  a  branch  of  the 
Big  Muddy  and  Rayse  Creek,  with  a  few 
smaller  brooks  and  branches,  which  drain 
the  land  well  and  aiford  an  abundance  of 
stock  water.  Grand  Prairie  is  a  fine  farming 
and  stock-raising  region,  and  can  boast  of 
some  of  the  best  farms  and  some  of  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  in  the  county. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  what  is  now 
Grand  Prairie  Township  were  Abtam  Casey, 
James  Ray,  the  Baldridges,  William  Fulton, 
the  Breezes,  Stephen  Cameron,  James  French, 
John  Roberts,  J.  A.  Taylor,  Green  Depriest, 
Peter  Bingaman,  Alfred  Woods,  Isaac  Reilley, 
John  C.  Boston,  Clark  Casey  and  others. 
Abram  Casey  is  considered  the  lirst  white  set- 
tler in  this  township,  which,  however,  was  not 
settled  up  as  early  as  some  other  portions  of 
the  county.  Casey  settled,  previous  to  com- 
ing here,  near  ]N[ount  Vernon.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Gov.  Casey,  and  moved  about  a 
great  deal,  finally  moving  to  Missouri,  where 
he  died  in  1841-42.  James  Ray  bought 
him  out  in  the  township.  On  Christmas 
mornmg,  1828,  Mr.  Ray  accidental  Uy  shot 
and  killed  his  uncle,  Elijah  Joliflf,  near 
Mount  Vernon.  The  circumstance  is  related 
in  another  chapter  of  this  work,  and  need  not 
bo  repeated  here.  The  Baldridges  were  from 
North  Carolina  and  came  previous  to  1827. 
Daniel  and  William  came  with  their  fami- 
lies and  still  have  descendants  living  here. 
Fulton  came  from  the  East  somewhere  about 
1826,  and  settled  in  the  north  part  of  the 
township.  The  Breezes  came  from  Orange 
County,  Ind.,  l)ut  the  family  was  originally 
from  Pennsylvania.  Robert  Breeze  used  to 
boat  down  the  river.     He    once    went  down 


the  Lower  Mississippi  with  a  boat,  and  when 
he  sold  out  he  came  back  to  St.  Louis  and 
walked  from  Kaskaskia  across  the  State  to 
Vincennes,  where  there  was  not  a  house  on 
the  trail  lying  between  the  two  places.  He 
and  John  Breeze  came  here  about  1826  or 
1827,  and  their  descendants  are  still  numer- 
ous in  the  county.  Cameron  was  also  from 
Orange  County,  Ind.,  and  has  descendants 
still  living.  French  and  Roberts  came  from 
the  same  neighborhood.  Roberts  was 
French's  son-in-law,  and  they  both  had  large 
families  when  they  came  to  the  country. 
Taylor  settled  in  the  southeast  portion  of 
the  township. 

Green  Depriest,  who  settled  originally  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mount  Vernon,  came  here 
about  1832.  He  finally  went  to  Missouri. 
In  1828,  Peter  Bingaman  settled  where 
Richard  Breeze  now  lives.  Alfred  Woods 
settled  here  in  1829  on  Section  22.  He  en- 
gaged in  making  sugar,  and  also  devoted 
much  time  to  hunting  bee  trees.  He  once 
cut  down  a  bee  tree,  and  in  its  fall  a  limb 
struck  him,  killing  him  instantly.  Isaac 
Reilly  settled  afterward  on  the  place  occu- 
pied by  Woods.  Boston  came  about  1831. 
and  had  an  early  mill.  Clark  Casey  also 
settled  in  the  township  about  1830,  on  Sec- 
tion 28.  The  people  were  now  coming  in 
rapidly,  and  the  fine  country  of  Grand  Prai  • 
rie  was  soon  all  occupied. 

The  pole  cabins,  the  homely  fare  of  wild 
game  and  hominy  and  ash  cake  of  grated  or 
pounded  meal,  the  old  wooden  mold  board 
plows,  and  other  rude  pioneer  tools,  imple- 
ments and  hardships  were  common  here,  as 
in  other  newly  settled  portions  of  the  State. 
The  people  lived  hard;  their  comforts  were 
few  and  their  luxuries  fewer  still.  They 
had  to  struggle  hard  to  keep  the  wolf  from 
the  door,  both  figuratively  and  litei-ally.  The 
wolves  were  plenty  in  the   forests  and  prai- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


38» 


ries,  and  the  wolf  hunger,  often  stalked 
abroad  by  day  as  well  as  by  night.  But  we 
are  told  that  "  time,  patience  and  persever- 
ance will  accomplish  all  things;"  so  they  did 
in  this,  and  with  the  passing  years  came 
peace  and  plenty. 

The  mortar  and  pestle  as  a  means  of  pro- 
curing meal  finally  gave  way  to  an  os  ti'ead- 
mill,  put  up  by  D.  Baldridge,  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  his  son,  James  Baldridge. 
Joseph  Baldridge  afterward  bought  it  and 
moved  it  to  another  locality,  but  continued 
the  OS  ^tread-wheel  power  as  the  means  of 
running  it.  John  C.  Poston  put  up  a  horse 
mill  soon  after  he  came  in  1S31,  near  where 
Richard  Breeze  lives.  Jacob  and  Owen 
Breeze  operated  a  circular  saw  mill  near  Big 
Muddy,  which  was  run  by  horse-power,  but 
it  proved  a  poor  investment,  and  they  retired 
from  the  business  some  time  before  the 
war. 

The  first  road  that  ever  passed  through 
Grand  Prairie  Township  was  the  old  Vin- 
cennes  and  Kaskaskia  trace,  which  touched 
the  north  part  of  the  township.  It  was  im- 
proved, as  the  country  settled  up,  and  made  a 
road.  In  1827,  this  was  the  only  road  ex- 
cept the  Mount  Vernon  road.  The  township 
has  as  good  roads  now  and  as  many  of  them 
as  any  portion  of  the  county.  The  fii-st 
death  which  occurred  in  this  section,  or  the 
first  one  recalled,  was  Joseph  Baldridge,  Sr., 
but  the  date  is  not  now  remembered.  One 
of  the  first  marriages  was  Clark  Casey  to 
Polly  Bingaman,  and  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  Gov.  Casey.  The  first  birth  is 
lost  among  the  multitude  of  events  that  have 
transpired. 

For  the  fii-st  few  years  after  settlements 
were  made  here,  the  people  voted  in  Mount 
Vernon,  but  afterward  a  precinct  was 
formed  including  Grand  Prairie,  and  the 
voting  place  was    at  Poston' s    mill.       Since 


the  adoption  of  township  organization,  the 
following  is  a  complete  list  of  township  offi- 
cers : 

Supervisors. — Jacob  Breeze,  1870;  Henry 
Breeze,  1871;  Henry  Breeze,  1872;  Jacob 
Breeze,  1873;  John  W.  Hails,  1874;  John 
W.  Hails,  1875;  Henry  Breeze,  1876;  T.  L. 
Ratts,  1877;  Henry  Breeze,  1878;  W.  L. 
Fisher,  1879;  Henry  Breeze;  1880;  I.  G. 
Carpenter,  1881;  I.  G.  Carpenter,  1882; 
Henry  Breeze,  1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Town  Clerks.— Samuel  Copple,  1872; 
Samuel  Copple,  1873;  J.  M.  Grasamore, 
1874;  A.  J.  Hartly,  1875;  W.  A.  Hartly, 
who  took  a  mortgage  on  the  place,  and  has 
held  fast  to  it  from  1876  to  the  present 
(1883)  wi'iting. 

Assessors.— H.  M.  Bogan,  1872;  W.  Gas- 
ton, 1873;  A.  J.  Hartly,  1874;  E.  S.  Nole- 
man,  1875-76;  L.  H.  Breeze,  1877;  E.  S. 
Noleinan,  1878;  J.  H.  Fisher,  1879;  E.  S. 
Nolemau,  1880;  A.  J.,  Hartly,  1881;  J.  W. 
Fisher,  1882;  and  T.  L.  Ratts,  1883.  now  in 
office. 

Collectors.— J.  W.  Fisher,  1872;  E.  S. 
Nolemau,  1873;  W.  T.  Fisher,  1874;  Sam- 
uel Copple,  1875;  T.  Beadles,  1876;  W.  D. 
Baldridge,  1877;  A.  J.  Hartly,  1878;  G.  P. 
Baldridge,  1879;  R.  W.  Gaston,  1880;  W. 
E.  Beadles,  1881;  W.  E.  Beadles,  1882;  E. 
S.  Noleman,  1888,  at  present  in  the  office. 

School  Treasurers. — Jacob  Breeze,  E. 
Copple,  J.  Baldridge,  Charles  Mills,  T.  B. 
Mooie,  Sr.,  H.  W.  Beal,  J.  W.  Hails,  T. 
B.  Moore,  Sr.,  T.  L.  Ratts  and  J.  W.  Hails, 
the  present  incumbent. 

Highway  Commissioners. —W.  M.  Gal- 
braith,  Essex  Payne,  T.  L.  Ratts,  I.  G.  Car- 
penter, W.  C.  Pitchford,  Thomas  Bald- 
ridge, Ira  G.  Carpenter,  W.  C.  Pitchford, 
Thomas  Baldridge,  William  Galbraith,  J. 
W.  Hails  and  Thomas  Baldridge. 

Justices  of  the  Peace.  —Franklin   Cruzen, 


390 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Henry  Breeze,  T.  B.  Moore,   Sr. ,   H.    Breeze 
and  T.  B.  Moore,  Sr. 

Constables. — N.  Rogers,  J.  W.  Due,  W. 
C.  Pitchford,  O.  P.  Moore,  S.  J.  Shaw,  J. 
H.  Dickinson,  W.  C.  Pitchford  and  J. 
Sprouse. 

Grand  Prairie  Township,  as  we  have  said, 
is  a  fine  section  of  country,  and  has  many 
fine  farms.  In  addition  to  raising  large 
quantities  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  grass,  etc., 
etc.,  much  attention  is  paid  to  stock-raising. 
Here  we  may  see  in  all  their  glory  and  beau- 
ty some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  Nor- 
man horse.  Jacob  Breeze  and  Eli  (Jopple 
imported  three  of  these  animals,  the  first 
ever  brought  to  this  township.  Atuch  atten- 
tion is  now  given  to  the  breeding  of  these 
magnificent  draft  horses.  Considerable  fruit 
is  also  raised  in  the  township.  In  the  north 
part,  Mr.  Galbraith  and  Ira  G.  Carpenter 
make  a  specialty  of  strawberries,  and  raise 
and  ship  large  quantities  aunually.  Rich- 
ard and  Jacob  Breeze  have  a  very  fine  sugar 
camp,  which  is  worked  every  year.  There 
are  several  other  "  camps"  in  the  township, 
and  hence  a  good  deal  of  maple  sugar  and 
molasses  are  made;  sugar  cane  is  also  raised 
to  some  extent,  This  diversity  of  crops  and 
farming  is  seen  in  the  thrift  and  prosperity 
of  the  farmers  over  those  in  sections  where- 
an  entire  neighborhood  is  devoted  to  a  single 
crop,  as  wheat,  for  instance,  which  every 
year  is  becoming  more  and  more  uncertain 
in  this  latitiide. 

The  following  incident  was  related  to  us, 
which  we  give  as  we  heard  it,  and  without 
any  comment.  Somewhere  about  1840,  one 
John  Switzer  came  here  and  settled  the  farm 
now  owned  by  R.  Breeze,  Here  he  lived 
until  some  time  during  the  war,  perhaps  about 
1863.  One  night  three  masked  men  came 
to  his  house  and  claimed,  to  be  looking  for 
refugees.     There  was    a    man    named    Tim- 


mons  at  his  house  who  was'a  deserter,  or  sup- 
posed to  be,  from  the  Confederate  army. 
This  man  the  maskers  took  away  with  them, 
but  soon  two  of  them  came  back  and  robbed 
Switzer  of  all  the  money  he  had  about  the 
house  or  all  that  the  rogues  could  find.  So 
far  as  we  could  learn,  no  clew  to  the  perpe- 
trators was  ever  unearthed.  Switzer  soon 
after  sold  out  and  left  the  neighborhood. 

The  first  school,  or  one  of  the  first,  was 
taught  by  a  man  owning  the  uncoumion 
name  of  Smith.  He  boarded  with  B.  Breeze, 
but  ran  away  before  his  school  was  finished 
without  even  remunerating  Mr.  Breeze  for 
his  board.  The  first  schoolhouse  built  was 
on  the  Boston  farm,  and  was  a  log  cabin 
sixteen  feet  square,  with  slab  seats,  a  punch- 
eon floor  and  stick  chimney.  The  township 
now  has  six  good,  comfortable  schoolhouses, 
located  in  Sections  2,7,  9,  13,  26  and  29,  in 
which  first-class  schools  ai'e  taught  each  year. 

The  first  religious  meetings  were  held  at 
the  people's  houses,  and  were  attended  by 
everybody  in  reach.  The  organization  of  the 
first  church  society  was  at  the  Widow  Gas- 
ton's. Rev.  Samuel  Walker,  a  pioneer  Meth- 
odist minister,  was  the  organizer  of  it,  and 
among  the  first  members  were  the  Gaston 
family,  Clark  Casey  and  family,  and  others 
of  the  early  settlers  of  the  neighborhood. 
The  first  church  was  built  as  a  schoolhouse 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Mr.  Hails,  and 
was  a  log  cabin.  It  was  used  both  for 
school  and  church  jiurposes.  Mrs.  Gaston's 
house  was  finally  burned,  and  as  the  church  had 
been  organized  at  her  house,  this  old  church 
and  schoolhouse  was  now  given  her  as  a  res- 
idence. The  first  building  put  up  for  a 
church  exclusively  was  a  Methodist  Church 
called  Pisgah.  It  was  a  frame  edifice,  and 
was  built  about  1852.  It  is  still  standing, 
but  has  been  purchased  by  the  township  and 
converted  into  a  schoolhouse. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


391 


Gilead  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  on 
Section  5,  in  the  north  part  of  the  township, 
is  the  only  church  building,  but  several  of 
the  Bchoolhoiises  are  used  more  or  less  as 
places  of  worship.  A  good  Sunday  school 
is  kept  up  in  the  township,  at  the  voting 
place  near  the  center,  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Mr.  E.  S.  Noloman. 

There  is  not  a  railroad  nor  a  town  or  vil- 
lage in  Grand  Prairie  Township.  It  is  de- 
cidedly an  agricultural  region.      The  people, 


^however,  do  not  need  towns,  as  they  have  a 
number  in  close  proximity  on  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  which  passes  near  them. 
Eichview  and  Ii'viugton  are  near  by,  and 
even  Centralia  is  but  a  few  miles  distant, 
and  thus  they  have  town  facilities  without 
the  exjiense  of  them  in  their  own  midst.  At 
these  neighboring  towns  they  do  their  trad- 
ing, shipping,  and  even  get  their  mail  at 
them,  as  there  is  not  even  a  post  olfice 
within  the  limits  of  the  township. 


CHAPTER    XVI.* 


McCLELLAN  TOWNSHIP— INTRODUCTION    AND  DESCRIPTION— TOPOGRAPHY— EARLY  SETTLEMENT 

—TRIALS,  HARDSHIPS  AND  GOOD  TIMES— PIONEER  IMPROVEMENTS— ROADS,  BRIDGES 

AND    MILLS  —  EDUCATION,    SCHOOLHOUSES    AND    TEACHERS  —  EARLY 

CHURCHES— TOWNSHIP   OFFICIALS,   ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Everything  has  changed  so  much 
Since  sixty  years  ago." 

—  The  Pioneer. 

IN  our  systems  of  agriculture,  we  are  ex- 
hausting our  soils,  regardless  of  the  les- 
sons which  the  history  of  by-gone  peoples 
teach  us,  and  with  no  thought  of  the  perils 
which  the  present  system  of  robbing  the  soil 
will  inflict  upon  future  generations,  when 
barren  fields  shall  fail  to  yield  the  necessary 
food  for  the  teeming  population  which  our 
vast  resources  of  fertile  land  is  so  raj)idly 
calling  into  existence.  The  exhaustion  of 
soil  in  this  country  is  being  accomplished 
much  more  rapidly  than  was  the  case  with 
older  nations  centuries  ago.  We  are  living 
in  a  faster  age,  in  a  time  when  the  means  of 
transportation  are  so  much  superior  to  those 
of  former  times,  as  not  to  admit  of  compari- 
son.     The  markets  of  the  whole  world    are 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


open  to  the  products  of  our  fields,  and  we 
are  taxing  ovx  soil  to  its  utmost  capacity  in 
order  to  meet  the  demand,  without  making 
judicious  use  of  the  means  at  hand  to  re- 
place what  this  continual  drain  is  taking 
from  the  land.  The  almost  inexhaustible 
fertility  of  the  soil,  especially  the  soil  of  Illi- 
nois, which  has  been  spoken  of  much  and 
praised  so  highly,  is  already  being  shown  to 
be  something  of  an  idle  boast.  The  prairie 
land  as  a  general  thing  looks  much  richer 
than  it  really  is,  and  most  of  the  cultivated 
fields  at  the  present  time  would  respond 
gratefully  to  a  liberal  application  of  barn 
yard  litter.  This  is  an  agricultural  section; 
this  township  is  devoted  wholly  to  farming, 
and  the  above  remarks  are  applicable  and 
should  be  heeded  by  the  farmers.  All  the 
manure  and  refuse  matter  about  the  barns 
should  be  carefully  preserved  and  spread 
upon  the  fields.     Because  land  is  still  fresh 


393 


HISTOKY  OF  JEFFERSOX  COUNTY. 


and  productive  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  J 
be  manured  and  improved.  There  is  nothing 
like  beginning  in  time  to  improve  the  quality 
of  the  Land  and  of  restoring  its  exhausted 
strength.  McClellan  Township  lies  south- 
west of  Mount  Vernon,  and  is  bounded  north 
by  Shilob  Township;  east  by  Dodds;  south 
by  Elk  Prairie;  west  by  Blissville;  and  is 
designated  as  Township  3  south,  Range  2 
east.  It  is  diversified  between  woodland  and 
prairie,  and  somewhat  rough  and  broken 
along  the  streams.  The  prairies  are  all 
small,  and  are  Town  Prairie,  named  for  the 
county  seat;  Wolf  Prairie  in  the  southwest 
part,  together  with  a  jjortion  of  Elk  Prairie 
which  extends  into  it.  The  timber  is 
mostly  hickory,  oak,  ash,  wild  cherry,  wal- 
nut, etc.  Along  the  streams  the  timber  orig- 
inally was  rather  heavy,  but  much  of  it  has 
disappeared  before  the  woodman's  ax.  The 
principal  water-course  is  Big  Muddy  Creek, 
which  flows  in  a  southward  direction  almost 
through  the  center  of  the  township,  and 
Rayse  Creek,  passing  through  the  southwest 
corner,  and  emptying  into  Big  Muddy  a  half 
mile  north  of  the  township  line.  A  few  small 
and  nameless  branches  feed  this  stream  and 
contribute  their  share  to  the  drainage  of 
the  township. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  township  was 
among  the  first  in  the  county.  Isaac  and 
William  Hicks  settled  in  the  northeast  part 
in  the  fall  of  1817.  The  Hickses  were  na- 
tives of  South  Carolina,  but  had  been  living 
down  on  the  Ohio  River  for  some  time  before 
coming  here.  Isaac  Hicks  had  a  son — 
Thomas — born  soon  after  he  moved  here,  and 
supposed  to  have  been  the  first  child  born  in 
the  county.  He  (Isaac  Hicks)  was  an  exem- 
plary man  and  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  John  Lee  came  in  1819,  and  was 
from  Tennessee,  but  was  a  native  of  South 
■  Carolina.     He  settled   where    his    son,  John 


Lee,  now  lives,  and  had  a  large  family  of 
children.  Israel  Lanier  was,  perhaps,  the 
next  settler  in  the  township  to  the  Hickses, 
but  of  him  we  learned  little  beyond  his  set- 
tlement. A  man  named  John  Still  well  came 
about  1821  and  settled  in  what  is  now 
McClellan  Township.  He  is  described  as  quite 
a  sociable  sort  of  a  man,  one  who  cared  little 
for  the  world's  wealth  and  took  but  little 
pains  to  accumulate  property.  He  was  fond  of 
hunting,  and  to  range  the  woods  with  his  gun 
upon  his  shoulder  was  the  sum  total  of  his 
earthly  happiness.  But  once  upon  a  time  he 
took  his  last  hunt.  He  and  the  Abbotts  went 
into  the  woods  one  day  in  pursuit  of  game  in 
the  vicinity  of  John  Lee's,  and  during  the 
day  he  became  separated  from  them.  This 
caused  no  uneasiness,  as  he  was  an  experi- 
enced woodsman,  and  they  expected  him  to 
make  his  appeai'ance  at  any  time.  But  a 
heavy  snow  storm  came  on,  and  when  his 
prolonged  absence  had  excite'l  strong  ap- 
prehensions of  his  safety,  search  was  made. 
He  was  never  found,  however,  and  the  sup- 
position was  that  he  became  confused  in  the 
snow  storm,  lost  his  course  and  wandered 
about  until  he  perished  with  the  cold,  or  else 
fell  a  prey  to  wolves.  Several  years  after,  a 
gun  barrel  was  found  in  Elk  Prairie  together 
with  a  few  bones.  These  were  always  believed 
to  be  poor  Stillwell's.  After  search  for  him 
was  given  up,  a  little  fund  was  raised  by  the 
neighbors  for  his  wife,  and  she  returned  to 
Indiana,  whence  they  had  come. 

James  Dickens  settled  here  about  1821-22, 
in  Section  12,  and  was  a  cooper  by  trade. 
He  started  a  cooper  shop  in  1825-26,  and 
did  a  considerable  business  in  that  line.  He, 
too,  was  quite  a  hunter,  and  spent  much  time 
in  the  woods.  He  afterward  moved  up  and  for 
some  time  had  charge  of  Tunstall's  mill.  His 
death  is  described  as  novel  and  peculiar.  He 
was  at  the  house  of  one  Harlow,  at  some  kind 


HISTORY  OF   JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


393 


of  a  public  gathering,  and  while  at  dinner 
choked  to  death  with  a  piece  of  pie.  It 
seems  he  was  a  rather  rapid  and  hearty 
eater,  and  having  his  mouth  well  filled  with 
pie,  something  amusing  oceuiTed,  when 
throwing  back  his  head  to  laugh,  the  pie 
went  the  wrong  way,  choking  him,  and  he 
died  at  the  table  in  a  very  few  minutes. 

William  and  Jonathan  Wells  came  into 
the  township  in  1828  and  settled  in  Wolf 
Prairie.  Jonathan  was  a  blacksmith  and 
had  the  first  shop  in  the  township.  He  did 
the  work  for  the  entire  community  for  sev- 
eral miles  around.  W^illiam  Wells,  Jr.,  still 
lives  in  the  township  and  is  in  good  circum- 
stances. Simon  McClellan  settled  here  in 
1823,  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Samuel 
Jones,  and  it  is  said  the  township  was  named 
for  him  He  has  a  son  now  living  in  Texas. 
Other  additions  to  the  settlement  of  the 
township  were  James  Quinn,  James  Bodine, 
Philip  Osborne,  Joseph  Hays,  Solomon 
Ford,  Thomas  Porter,  and  perhaps  others, 
whose  names  we  have  failed  to  obtain. 
Quinn  came  in  1826  and  settled  in  the  north 
part  of  Elk  Prairie,  where  his  son  Washing- 
ton now  lives.  Bodine  settled  near  Quinn 
and  is  still  living. 

Osborne  first  settled  in  Dodds  Township, 
but  moved  into  this  about  1830  and  settled 
in  the  north  part  of  Elk  Prairie.  Hays  set- 
tled on  the  place  where  Dickens  had  lived. 
His  death  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first 
to  occur  in  the  township.  He  was  among 
the  early  pioneers  laid  away  to  their  last 
sleep  in  Old  Union  Cemetery.  Ford  settled 
in  the  western  part  of  the  township  and  is 
still  alive,  and  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of 
the  county.  Proctor  came  in  1830;  he  was 
a  plain  farmer  and  lived  well. 

The  pioneers  lived  what  we  would  term, 
in  this  fast  age,  a  hard  life,  but  most  of  the 
few  still  left  will  tell  you  that  times   gener 


ally  were  better  than  they  are  now;  that  peo 
pie  were  more  social,  more  disposed  to  help 
one  another,  far  more  honest  and  confiding 
than  in  the  present  degenerate  times.  A 
neighborhood  was  a  kind  of  brotherhood — a 
mystic  band  of  Freemasons,  ever  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  needy.  They 
were  brave,  generous  and  strictly  honest,  and 
despised  meanness  in  any  shape  it  might 
present  itself.  It  was  true  there  were  neigh- 
borhoods with  a  rough  element  in  them  al- 
ways ready  for  a  disturbance.  These,  upon 
the  slightest  provocation,  would  get  up  a 
fight,  and  in  the  old  rough-and-tumble- 
knock-down-and-drag-out  style.  Yet,  the 
fight  once  over,  they  were  read}"  to  drink 
friends,  get  roaring  drunk  and  savagely 
friendly.  The  bill  of  fare  was  often  meager, 
and  consisted  of  coarse  and  homely  food. 
The  pioneer's  ritle  supplied  the  meat;  bread 
was  provided  often  from  meal  pounded  in  a 
mortar.  In  summer,  there  were  plenty  of 
berries  on  the  prairies  and  in  the  woods,  and 
crab  apples  and  wild  plums  were  abundant. 
Crab  apples  were  gathered  and  buried  in 
the  ground  for  winter  use.  These,  cooked 
in  honey,  made  delicious  preserves,  and 
wild  honey  was  plenty  and  to  be  had  for  the 
finding.  Thus  the  life  of  the  pioneers 
passed,  if  not  always  in  peace  and  plenty, 
at  least  enjoyable  to  a  certain  degree. 

Among  the  pioneer  improvements  of  Mc- 
Clellan Township  were  roads  and  mills.  The 
first  roads  were  merely  by-paths  through  the 
forests  and  over  the  prairies.  As  the  people 
increased  in  wealth  and  provided  themselves 
with  wagons  and  teams,  roads  became  neces- 
sarv,  and  were  made  by  cutting  out  the  tim- 
ber along  these  trails  where  they  passed 
through  the  forests.  At  first  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  there  were  no  bridges  over  the 
streams,  but  as  _the  people  could  afford  it, 
bridges  were  built  and  travel   thus  rendered 


394 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFEKSON  COUNTY. 


more  safe.  There  are  now  some  three  or 
four  substantial  bridges  spanning  the  streams 
in  the  township. 

One  of  the  tirst  mills  was  a  little  horse- 
mill  built  by  Jonathan  Wells,  which  had  a 
capacity  of  only  a  few  bushels  of  corn  per 
day.  Prior  to  this,  some  of  the  early  settlers 
used  to  go  to  the  Ohio  Eiver  near  Barker's 
Ferry  to  mill.  A  number  of  neighbors  would 
join  together,  and  with  teams  and  pack 
horses  take  the  corn  of  the  neighborhood  and 
get  meal  in  return.  It  took  about  three 
weeks  to  make  a  trip,  and  while  they  were 
gone  the  men  who  were  left  in  the  settle- 
ments would  visit  every  family  daily  to  see 
that  they  were  not  molested  by  Indians  or 
wild  beasts.  This  means  of  procuring  the 
"staff  of  life"  was  resorted  to  until  mills  at 
home  rendered  it  no  longer  necessary.  A  saw 
mill  was  started  in  the  township  a  few  yeai-s 
ago,  and  sawed  up  considerable  of  the  timber, 
which  was  used  mostly  by  the  people  on  their 
farms. 

John  Lee  put  up  a  distillery  in  1866, 
which  he  used  exclusively  in  distilling  fruit. 
It  closed  business  in  1878,  and,  to  the  credit 
of  the  township  be  it  said,  it  is  the  only  en- 
terprise of  the  kind  ever  within  its  limits. 
To  educate  the  masses  is  the  grand  aim  of 
this  great  country  of  oiu-s.  That  every  child 
shall  have  a  chauce  to  obtain  an  education  is 
the  great  objeiit  of  our  excellent  common 
school  system,  and  the  times  are  near  at  hand 
when  every  child  will  not  only  have  a  chance, 
but  will  be  compelled  to  attend  school.  Many 
of  the  States  are  passing  compulsory  educa- 
tional laws,  and  soon  these  laws  will  bH  en- 
forced. This  is  as  it  should  be,  for,  while 
education  leads  to  enlightenment  and  pr(js- 
perity,  ignorance  is  a  direct  road  to  crime 
and  all  sorts  of  lawlessness. 

The  people  of  McClellan  Township  took 
an  early  interest  in  educating  their  children. 


When  the  settlements  were  still  very  sparse, 
schools  were  established.  These  were  rude, 
when  compared  to  our  present  system,  but 
they  were  better  than  no  schools  at  all.  The 
first  teacher,  or  one  of  the  tirst  to  wield  the 
birch  in  this  section  was  Judge  Baugh  He 
taught  in  a  small  log  cabin  on  J.  W.  Lea's  farm. 
It  was  of  small  round  logs,  about  18x20  feet 
in  dimensions,  and  had  been  built  by  the 
Christian  Church  for  a  temple  of  worship  in 
1837.  A  second  schoolhouse  was  built  on 
Silas  Rogers'  place  very  early.  At  present 
there  are  six  schoolhouses  in  the  township, 
conveniently  located,  comfortable  in  arrange- 
ment and  well  fui'nished.  They  are  located 
respectively  on  Sections  1,  8,  14,  17,  24  and 
26.  In  these,  schools  are  maintained  each 
year  for  the  usual  terms. 

There  are  not  many  church  buildings  in 
the  township,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
people  are  not  religiously  inclined.  Several 
of  the  schoolhouses  are  used  for  church  and 
Sunday  school  purposes  The  first  chiu-ch 
edifice  erected  was  the  one  already  referred 
to  as  having  been  used  for  school  purposes. 
It  was,  as  already  stated,  erected  by  the , 
Christian  denomination,  and  among  the  early 
members  were  John  Lee  and  wife,  Rev. 
William  Chaffin  and  family — they  were  from 
an  adjoining  township — and  John  Scott  and 
family,  from  what  is  now  Dodds  Township. 
The  Chi-istians  now  have  a  church  in  Wolf 
Prairie — a  frame  building  about  40x60  feet. 
Services  are  held  in  it  every  Sunday,  either 
by  the  Christians,  Baptists,  Methodists  or 
Universalists.  A  Sunday  school  is  carried 
on,  which  is  attended  and  supported  by  all 
denominations. 

John  A  Merrill  was  a  clerical  fraud  in 
the  early  days  of  the  township.  He  came 
into  the  community  early  and  represented 
himself  as  a  Baptist  preacher.  He  stopped 
at  Isaac    Hicks',    and   held    meetings  in  the 


HISTORY  or  JEFPERSOJf  COUNTY. 


395 


neighborhood  for  several  days.  While  this 
was  going  on,  he  stole  Hicks'  books,  passed 
several  dollars  of  counterfeit  money,  and, 
instead  of  making  himself  the  exemplary 
shepherd  of  a  flock,  he  turned  out  to  be  one 
of  the  very  blackest  sheep. 

McClellan  Township  is  thoroughly  an  ag- 
ricultm-al  region.  The  people  are  beginning 
to  pay  some  attention  to  stock  and  to  fruit. 
It  was  for  many  years  that  sheep  could  not 
be  raised  on  account  of  the  wolves,  and 
even  now  the  worthless  dogs  of  the  county 
prey  on  them  nearly  as  fatally  as  the 
wolves  used  to  do.  The  early  settlers  in- 
vented many  devices  for  ridding  themselves 
of  the  wolves  that  infested  the  country  in 
the  early  days,  and  trapping  wolves  and 
wolf  hunts  were  among  the  most  exciting 
sports  of  the  pioneer.  After  a  premium  was 
offered  for  wolf  scalps,  the  animals  began  to 
disappear  rapidly.  As  the  dangers  from 
them  were  lessened,  farmers  paid  more  atten- 
tion to  shee^J  raising.  Were  they  to  carry 
it  still  further,  it  would  be  so  much  the  bet- 
ter for  them.  There  is  but  little  question 
that  Southern  Illinois  is  bettor  adapted  to 
sheep  than  wheat  raising.  The  sooner  the 
farmers  here  turn  their  attention  to  stock  and 
fruit,  the  more  remunerative  they  will  find 
their  farms. 

As  a  matter  of  some  interest  to  our  read- 
ers, we  append  a  list  of  township  officers 
since  township  organization,  which  took 
place  in  186U.  The  first  officers,  however, 
were  elected  the  next  year.  The  list  is  as 
follows: 

Supervisors. — W.  A.  Davis,  1870;  D.  C. 
Jones,  1871  to  1873;  L.  Allen,  1874;  S. 
Ford,  1875;  S.  Allen,  1876  to  1878;  W.  A. 
Davis,  1879-80;  D.  C.  Jones,  1881;  W.  A. 
Davis,  1882;  and  E.  Collins,   1883. 

Town  Clerk.— W.  A.  Davis,  1872-73;  J. 
M.  Hays,  1874-75;  D.  Millner,  1876;  R.  A. 


Dale,  1877;  T.  B.  Ford,  1878-79;  R.  A. 
Dale,  1880-81;  J.  M.  Hays,  1882;  and  R. 
A.  Dale,  1883. 

Assessors.— J.  W.  Bradly,  1872;  J.  P. 
Downer,  1873;  W.  A.  Davis,  1874;  J.  W. 
Robinson,  1875;  J.  M.  Hays,  1876;  V.  G. 
Rosenberger,  1877;  G.  W.  Bodine,  1878;  J. 
M.  Hays,  1879-80;  J.  W.  Davis,  1881;  G. 
W.  Bndine,  1882;  J.  M.  Hays,  1883. 

Collectors.— J.  E.  Farthing,  1872;  J.  C. 
Quinn,  1873;  V.  G.  Rosenberger,  1874  to 
1876;  G.  W.  Bodine,  1877;  G.  W.  Dicker - 
son,  1878;  G.  W.  Bodine,  1879;  A.  Barrister, 
1880;  G.  W.  Bodine.  1881;  J.  E.  Gilbert, 
1882;  J.  W.  Davis,  1883. 

School  Treasurers.— J.  W.  Mayfield,  1872 
to  1878;  Thomas  Gray,  1879;  J.  W.  May- 
field.  1880  to  1883. 

Highway  Commissioners.  — Benjamin  Pars- 
ley, 1872;  Samuel  Lacy,  1873;  S.  E.  Gil- 
bert, 1874;  J.  E.  Farthing,  1875;  Samuel 
Lacy,  1876;  H.  McLaughlin,  1877;  J.  D. 
Quinn,  1878;  J.  M.  Rutherford,  1879;  S. 
Ford,  1880;  J.  M.  Hicks,  1881;  E.  Collins, 
1882;  and  G.  A.  Lambert,  1883. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — John  W.  Hagle 
and  S.  Reeves,  1870;  Peter  A.  Bean  and  S. 
Reeves,  1872;  E.  W.  Gilbert  and  D.  S.  Gray, 
1874  to  1876:  W.  A.  Davis  and  D.  S.  Gray, 
1877  to  1880;  J.  M.  Rutherford  and  W.  A. 
Davis,  1881  to  1883. 

McClellan  Township  is  without  villages, 
towns,  manufactories  or  railroads.  Its  ship- 
]>ing  point  is  Mount  Vernon,  which  is  but  a 
mile  or  two  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
township,  and  by  hauling  to  that  city  rail- 
road facilities  can  be  obtained  for  all  the 
best  markets  of  the  country.  To  sum  it  up, 
the  farmers  of  McClellan  Township  have  a 
prosperous  future  before  them,  and  they  only 
need  to  be  true  to  themselves  and  to  guard 
their  interests  faithfully  to  reap  a  golden 
harvest    at    no   distant    period.      They  have 


396 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


good  lands  and  valuable  farms,  and  must 
sooner  or  later  attain  all  else  that  is  desira- 
ble, if  they  only  work  to  their   own     advan- 


tage. To  this  end,  then,  they  should  look  more 
to  stock-raising  and  fruitgrowing  and  less 
to  grain. 


CHAPTER    XVII.* 


FIKLD  TOWNSHIP-TOPOGRAPHICAL,  GEOGRAPHICAL,    PHYSICAL,  ETC.— SETTLEMENT   BY    WHITE 

PEOPLE— LIFE   ON    THE    BORDER— EDUCATIONAL    FACILITIES— CHURCHES   AND   CHURCH 

BUILDINGS— AN   INCIDENT— TOWNSHIP   OFFICERS— SUMMARY,   ETC.,  ETC. 

A.nd    so  in  their  turn,  perchance,  our 


"  And  the  names  he  loved  to  hear 
Have  been  carved  for  many  a  year 
On  the  tomb." 

— Holmes. 

IN  the  rush  of  invention  and  discovery, 
men  give  but  little  time  or  care  to  the 
preservation  of  facts  and  incidents  that  ren- 
der history  valuable  and  instructive.  As  the 
period  of  mortality  shortens,  activity  in- 
creases and  selfishness  becomes  a  predominat- 
ing motive.  The  dead  and  the  past  are  too 
quickly  forgotten  in  the  hurry  of  the  present 
and  the  anxiety  for  the  future.  But  the  re- 
flecting mind  always  derives  satisfaction  in 
reviving  the  events  of  preceding  years  and 
forming  a  mental  contrast  between  the  then 
and  now.  Could  we  but  again  go  back  to 
our  boyhood  days,  and  handle  the  old  wood- 
en plow,  the  sickle  and  cradle,  and  once  more 
listen  to  the  hum  of  the  spinning-wheel  in  the 
old  log  cabin,  after  so  long  enjoying  the  ben- 
efits of  modern  implements  and  machinery,  it 
would  seem  to  us  impossible  that  the  people 
of  the  olden  time  could  live  as  contentedly 
as  they  did.  But  the  old  settlers  have,  many 
of  them,  passed  away.  The  slow  plodding 
ox  team  has  given  place  to  the  more  rapid 
Norman  sjjan.  The  reaping-hook  of  our 
fathers  has  become  a   curiosity  to   our   chil- 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


di-en. 

grandchildren  may  laugh  and  wonder  at  the 
implements  and  machinery  which  we  now  use 
and  consider  so  perfect.  The  methods  of 
harvesting  and  machinery  in  use  by  the  com- 
ing generation  may  put  our  boasted  self- 
binders  and  steam  threshers  to  shame.  These 
changes  are  inseparably  blended  with  the 
changes  in  population  and  with  the  progress 
in  civilization  and  social  life.  It  is  the  duty 
and  task  of  the  historian  to  make  note  of  all 
these  transitions,  and  the  history  of  Field 
Township  would  be  imperfect  without  this 
reference  to  the  old-time  ways  and  customs, 
which  are  yet  dear  to  the  memory  of  many 
stilJ  living. 

Field  Township  is  situated  in  the  north 
tier  of  townships,  and  is  boituded  on  the 
north  by  Marion  County,  on  the  east  by  Far- 
rington  Township,  on  the  south  by  Mount 
Vernon  To\vnship,  on  the  west  by  Rome 
Township,  and  is  Congressionally  known  as 
Township  1  sottth  of  the  base  line,  and 
Range  3  east,  of  the  Third  Principal  Meridian. 
It  is  divided  between  woodland  and  prairie, 
the  former  predominating.  The  timber  is 
mostly  oak  and  hickory,  with  a  few  other 
kinds  common  to  this  section  of  the  country. 
Casey's  Fork  of  the  Big  Muddy  is  the  princi- 
pal stream,  and  flows  south  thi-ough  the  west 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


397 


siae  of  the  township.  Adam's  Ftirk  has  its 
sonrce  in  the  northeast  part  and  flows  west- 
wardly.  These,  with  a  few  other  small 
brooks,     constitute    the    natural     drainage. 

Field  Township  has  no  railroads  or  manu- 
factories, but  is  thoroughly  an  agricultural 
region,  and  many  prosperous  farmers,  who.se 
well-kept  farms  are  proof  of  their  enterprise, 
are  found  here. 

The  settlement  of  Field  Township  is  of 
much  more  modern  date  than  some  other 
portions  of  the  county.  Among  the  early  set- 
tlers were  the  Fields,  for  whom  the  township 
was  named.  Jeremiah  Field,  the  patriarch 
of  the  family,  came  to  Marion  County  in 
1826,  but  never  lived  in  this  township.  Sev- 
flral  of  his  sons,  however,  came  here,  among 
them  Nathan,  James  and  Henry  Field. 
Thomas  MeCrary  settled  the  farm  now 
owned  by  John  Osborne,  in  Section  17,  and 
was  from  Alabama.  He  died  about  1877-78, 
and  left  several  children. 

Thomas  Jordan  settled  here  very  early, 
and  lived  near  the  line,  in  the  prairie  which 
bears  his  name,  and  which  lies  in  this  and 
Rome  Township.  He  kept  a  tavern  on  the  old  j 
Goshen  road,  and  had  a  large  family  of 
children.  The  Jordans  were  among  the  ear-  j 
liest  settlers  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  but  [ 
they  first  located  in  Franklin  County,  where 
they  lived  for  some  years  and  built  a  block- 
house. They  afterward  scattered  out,  and 
several  of  the  name  Ijecame  settlers  in  differ- 
ent portions  of  Jefiferson  County,  Thomas  lo- 
cating in  this  township,  as  above.  James 
Foster  was  an  early  settler,  and  improved  the 
place  where  John  MeConnell  now  lives. 
Ml-.  Maxwell  and  David  Garrison  settled  ear- 
ly, W.  J.  Gam  son,  a  descendant,  has  always 
lived  here.  D.  Easley  settled  the  place  now 
occupied  by  Alfred  Finn.  John  and  Benja- 
min Hawkins  came  in  about  lS40,and  settled 
in  Section  8.      They  were  good  farmers,  and 


came  originally  from  Indiana.  Thomas  Mi- 
nor settled  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  town- 
ship prior  to  1840,  and  still  lives  there.  W. 
D.  Claybourn  came  about  1840,  from  Tennes- 
see, and  is  still  here.  Thus  the  township 
settled  up,  and  the  land  was  all  entered  and 
improved  within  a  comparatively  short  time 
from  the  first  settlements. 

Field  Township,  as  we  have  said,  was  of 
more  modern  occupatioQ  than  some  of  the 
contiguous  portions  of  the  county,  and  hence 
the  first  settlers  did  not  experience  as  great 
trials  as  some  of  the  first  pioneers  did.  Mills 
had  already  sprung  up  in  many  localities, 
and  life  was  becoming  quite  easy  to  what  it 
was  when  the  first  whites  settled  in  the  coun- 
ty. It  was  not  all  flowers  and  su^nshine  here, 
however,  for  a  number  of  years.  The  people 
had  their  hardships  and  dangers,  and  enough 
of  them,  too,  but  they  managed  to  outlive 
them  and  to  see  peace  and  plenty  around 
them. 

The  old  Goshen  road  was  one  of  the  first 
highways  through  Field  Township,  but  so 
much  has  already  been  said  of  it  that  we  will 
but  make  this  reference  to  it  here.  As  the 
township  settled  up,  other  roads  were  opened 
to  accommodate  the  increasing  population, 
and  substantial  bridges  were  built  where 
they  were  needed.  There  are  now  some  three 
or  four  good  bridges  in  the  township. 

An  amusing  incident  is  related  of  the  ear- 
ly history  of  Field  Township,  which  is 
somewhat  as  follows:  Thomas  McCrary,  who 
is  mentioned  as  an  early  settler,  was  what 
was  termed  in  those  days  an  Abolitionist.  He 
used  to  burn  charcoal  for  a  blacksmith  named 
Storman,  and  the  i)it  where  he  burned  it  was 
on  big  Muddy  Creek.  He  burnt  all  the  coal 
Storman  used  for  several  years.  Blacksmiths 
then  used  charcoal  entirely  in  their  shops. 
Being  an  Abolitionist,  McCrary,  of  oom-se, 
kept  a  station  on  the  underground    railroad, 


398 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


a  line  that  trafiScked  between  the  Slave 
States  and  Canada,  and  was  more  or  less  ob- 
noxious to  his  neighbors,  according  to  their 
political  sentiments.  A  man  named  Harmon 
living  just  over  in  Rome  Township,  had 
boasted  that  if  any  negroes  came  about  him 
they  would  be  roughly  treated,  etc.  One  day 
Andrew  and  William  McCray,  two  of  Tom 
McCrai"j''s  boys,  blacked  their  faces  at  the 
charcoal  pit  and  went  to  Harmon's.  The 
women  were  washing  at  the  spring,  and  when 
they  saw  the  "  niggers, "  they  ran  to  the 
house'for  protection,  very  much  frightened. 
The  boys  disappeared  into  the  woods,  and  at 
the  first  branch  washed  the  black  from  their 
faces  and  then  joined  the  immense  crowd 
that  had  turned  out  to  hunt  the  "  niggers," 
whom,  we  may  add,  they  did  not  succeed  in 
finding.  The  joke  was  too  good  to  keep,  and 
the  McCrary  boys  finally  told  it.  This  led 
to  a  regular  "  Donnybrook  fight"  on  the  next 
election  day,  between  the  friends  of  Harmon 
and  the  McCrarys. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  Field  Township 
was  built  on  Big  Muddy  on  the  MeCrary 
farm.  It  was  a  log  cabin  about  sixteen  feet 
square,  and  of  the  usual  pioneer  pattern, 
with  its  slab  seats,  puncheon  floor  and  old- 
time  fire-place.  .'„  There  are  now  in  the  town- 
ship six  good,  commodious  schoolhouses,  well 
furnished  and  well  patronized  during  the 
school  terms. 

Field  Township  is  well  supplied  with 
chui'ches,  and  if  its  citizens  are  not  religious 
it  is  for  no  lack  of  church  facilities.  Oak 
Grove  Baptist  Church,  on  Section  28,  is  a 
neat  and  tasty  frame  building.  New  Mount 
Zion  Methodist  Episcopal  Chui-ch,  on  or  near 
the  line  of  Section  25,  is  a  handsome  frame 
edifice.  Panther  Fork  Baptist  Church,  on 
Section  11,  is  an  excellent  frame  building. 
The  Campbellites,  or  Christians,  have  a  new 
frame  church  on  Section  18,  near  the  line  of 


Rome  Township.  Thus,  as  we  have  said,  the 
people  do  not  lack  for  church  facilities. 

As  a  matter  of  some  interest  to  our  read- 
ers, we  append  the  following  list  of  township 
ofiicials  since  the  adoption  of  township  or- 
ganization in  1869: 

Supervisors — John  McConnell,  1870;  John 
McConnell,1871;  JohnSprowle,  1873;  W.  J 
Garrison,  1874;    W.  J.  Garrison,  1875;    W. 

F.  McConnell,  1876;  W.  F.  McConnell, 
1877;  John  Hawkins,  1878;  W.  F.  McCon- 
nell, 1879.  "W.  J.  Garrison,  1880;  W.  J. 
Garrison,  1881;  W.  J.  Garrison,  1882;  W. 
J.  Garrison,  1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Township  Clerks — Thomas  Rollinson, 
1872;  Thomas  Rollinson,  1873;  B.  R.  Car- 
penter, 1874:  Thomas  Rollinson,  1875 
Thomas  Rollinson,  1876;  L.  Frazier,  1877 
H.  Hawkins,  1878;  Thomas  Rollinson,  1879 
E.  McMeens,  1880;  W.  F.  Simmons,  1881 
W.  F.  Simmons.  1882;  W.  D.  Deane,  1883, 
now  holding  the  office. 

Assessors — J.  V.  Garrison,  1872;  James 
Brown,  1873;  T.  B.  Cady,  1874;  J.  M.  Ben- 
nett, 1875;  B.J.  Hawkins,  1876;  B.  J.  Haw- 
kins, 1877;  E.  H.  Howard,  1878;  E.  H. 
Howard,  1879;  R.  Raynor,  1880;  R.  Raynor, 
1881;  C.  F.  Hawkins,  1882;  R.  Raynor, 
1883.  now  in  office. 

Collectors— B.  F.  AVimberly,  1872;  B.  R. 
Carpenter,  187B;  T.  Rollinson,  1874;  J.  F. 
Satterfield,  1875;  J.  F.  Satterfield,  1876;  J. 

G.  Howard,  1877;  J.  G.  Howard.  1878:  D. 
Thompson,  1879;  James  Brown,  1880;  T.  H. 
Wimberly,  1881;  James  Brown,  1882;  J.  D. 
Simmons,  1883,  now  holding  the  position. 

School  Treasurers. — Elias  Howard,  James 
Brown,  T.  H.  Wimberly,  J.  A.  Donahoo,  M. 
M.  Howard,  D.  Price,  W.  F.  McConnell,  J. 
Sechrest,  D.  Price. 

Highway  Commissioners — John  Hawkins, 
C.  D.  Frost,  S.  W.  Maxey,  John  Hawkins, 
W.  J.  Gamson,  R.  Smith,    J.    J.    Williams, 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


399 


W.  J.  Hawkins,  R.  Padget,  J.  J.  ^Yilliam8, 
J.  J.  Connoway,  R.  Pagdet,  etc. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — John  Sprowle,  Jos- 
eph Hawkins,  J.  T.  Hutchinson,  Joseph 
Hawkins,  J.  G.  Darnell,  Joseph  Hawkins,  C. 
M.  Whitsen,  J.  G.  Darnell,  C.  M.  Whitsen, 
etc. 

Constables — William  Myers,  F.  C.  Quick, 
T.  H.  Wimberley,  J.  J.  Hawkins,  H.  P.  Field, 
M.  Bradford,  J.  E.  Gibson. 

Field  Township  contains  little  to  write 
about,  except  the  mere  fact  of  its  settlement, 


as  it  is  without  towns,  without  railroads  and 
without  manufactories.  Its  population  is  de- 
voted chiefly  to  farming  and  stock-raising, 
and  are  an  industrious  and  prosperous  peo- 
ple. One  of  the  largest  stock-raisers  in  the 
township  is  John  McConnell,  who  devotes 
his  attention  to  horses,  cattle  and  Cotswold 
sheep,  of  which  he  has  some  line  animals. 
Others,  also,  devote  more  or  less  time  and 
attention  to  stock,  and  every  year  stock-rais- 
ing, as  a  business,  is  increasing  in  inter- 
est. 


CHAPTEE    XVIII. 


CASNER    TOWNSHIP— TOPOGRAPHY     AND     PHYSICAL    FEATURES— EARLY     SETTLEMENT— ROUGH 
FARE  OF  THE  PIONEERS— SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES— LIST  OF  TOWNSHIP  OFFICERS— POLI- 
TICS, ETC.— RO.ACHVILLE  VILLAGE,  THE  CHICAGO  OF  THE  COUNTY,    ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Ha!  how  the  woods  give  way  before  the  step 
Of  these  new  comers!     What  a  sickening  smell 
Clings  round  my  cabin,  wafted  from  their  town 
Ten  miles  away." 

— Boone. 

THERE  are  few  now  living  who  were 
here  when  Jefferson  Coimty  was  formed. 
Could  you,  who  have  only  seen  the  country 
as  it  now  is,  borrow  their  eyes,  and  through 
them  look  back  over  the  long  past,  what  an 
amazing  sight  it  would  be  to  you!  The  won- 
der of  Kip  Van  Winkle  was  not  greater  when 
he  woke  from  his  long  nap  in  the  Catskill 
Moitntains,  and  discovered  himself  no  longer 
the  loyal  subject  of  George  III,  but  the  free 
and  sovereign  citizen  of  the  greatest  country 
upon  which  the  sun  shines,  than  would  be 
yours  could  you  look  back  and  take  in  at  a 
glance  the  then  state  of  the  country  in  all  its 
primitive  glory.  What  illusions  it  would 
dispel,  what  a  change  it  would  produce  in 
your  conclusions  regarding  your  county,  and 

*  By  W.  H.  Pernn. 


the  pioneers  who  settled  it  and  wrought  the 
wonderful  changes  that  have  taken  place. 
Men  are  great  and  good  in  this  world  accord- 
ing to  the  lives  they  have  lived,  and  the  work 
they  have  performed.  The  trtie  story  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Southern  Illinois  has  never 
been  told.  It  should  be;  and  when  it  is,  they 
will  receive  their  just  meed  of  praise.  Then 
it  will  be  seen  that  they  are  true  heroes  and 
heroines.  They  were  not  seeking  fortunes, 
nor  fame;  they  were  intent  only  upon  making 
a  home  for  their  children,  and  they  loved 
freedom  to  that  extent  that  they  took  their 
lives  in  their  hands  and  faced  death  in  all 
its  forms,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  all 
this  splendid  structure  of  civilization  we  see 
around  us,  that  brings  us  all  our  pleasures, 
our  wealth  and  our  joys.  Compared  to  the 
battles  and  victories  of  the  celebrated  war- 
riors of  the  world,  the  work  of  these  unpre- 
tentious, unassuming,  unambitious  men 
should  tower  above  the  warriors   and    states- 


400 


HISTORY   OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


men  in  the  annals  of  the  great,  as  does  the 
mountain  above  the  mole -hi  11.  Bettor  men 
and  women  never  lived  than  these  noble- 
hearted  pioneers,  and  it  is  simply  shocking — 
almost  criminal — that  their  desoendants  are 
so  utterly  ignorant  of  the  true  story  of  their 
great  lives.  They  had  no  churches,  no 
schools,  no  courts,  no  officers  of  the  law. 
Their  law  was  the  imperial  court  of  an  hon- 
est, healthy  public  sentiment,  and  if  in  the 
course  of  their  lives  they  found  a  dishouest 
man,  they  punished  him  to  that  extent,  and 
so  swift  and  unerring  were  their  judgments 
and  convictions  that  they  either  drove  the 
wrongdoer  from  the  settlement  or  cured  him 
completely  and  made  an  honest  man  of  him. 
This  was  the  way  they  lived  out  their  great 
lives,  doing  good  and  building  wise  in  their 
day  and  generation.  They  are  gone  now,  and 
we  shall  nevermore  behold  the  like  of  them; 
we  can  only  put  upon  record  their  lives  and 
their  acts,  and  thus  preserve  them  from  be- 
ing utterly  lost  to  their  descendants. 

Casner  Township,  to  which  this  chapter  is 
devoted,  is  situated  west  of  Mount  Vernon, 
and  contains  soroe  as  fine  farming  land  as 
there  is  in  the  county.  The  surface  is  gen- 
erally level,  with  gentle,  undulating  swells, 
resembling  the  ocean  after  a  storm.  The 
western  part  of  it,  along  the  Washington 
County  line,  is  fine  prairie  land,  while  the 
remainder  was  originally  covered  with  tim- 
ber, among  which  were  to  be  seen  the  varie- 
ties of  oak,  walnut,  wild  cherry,  hickory, 
ash,  locust,  a  good  deal  of  hazel,  sumac,  etc. 
The  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Grand  Prairie  Township,  east  by  Shiloh. 
south  by  Blissville,  west  by  Washington 
County,  and  forms  Congressional  Township 
No.  2  south,  and  Kange  1  east.  The  princi- 
pal stream  is  Rayse  Creek,  a  branch  of  Big 
Maddy,  and  which  flows  nearly  through  the 
center  of   the    township;  a  few  unimportant 


branches  flow  into  this  stream,  but  l^they    are 
without  names  on  the  maps. 

The  historj'  of  the  settlement  of  this  town- 
ship by  white  people  is  but  that  of   the    set- 
tlement of  the  entire  county.      The    name  of 
the  very  first  settler  of  Casner    Township    is 
somewhat  indefinite;  but  among  the  first  set- 
tlers was  George  Casner,  for  whom  the  town- 
ship was  named.      He  settled  on   Section   19 
or  20  about  the  year  1824,  and 'was  from  Vir- 
ginia.     He  had  quite  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, and  was  twice  married.      He  died  only 
a  few  years  ago,  and  his  widow  is  still  living 
on  the  old    homestead.     Mr  .  Casner    is    de- 
scribed as  a  most   estimable    man,  somewhat 
quick  and  loud  spoken,  but  kind    and    afiec- 
tionate  in  his  family.    He  accumulated  quite 
a  little  fortune,  but   through    misfortune  lost 
much   of    it,  and    died    comparatively    poor. 
About  the  time  Casner  came  to  the  township, 
there  came  a  man  named  Howell,  and  shortly 
after  him   Alva    Clark.      The   latter   settled 
near    Casner    and    died  in     1847.      William 
Bm-ris  also  settled  near  by.     He    died,  leav- 
ing a  large  family  of  children — among  them 
a  son  who  died  in    the    late    war.      Solomon 
Patterson  came  here  from    Monroe    County, 
and  settled  in   Section    31,    about    the    year 
1837.    He  lived  here  awhile,  and  then  moved 
into  Moore's   Prairie,  where   he,  later,  died. 
Harvey  Creel  also  settled  here  in  1837.     He 
came  from    Clinton  County,  had  a  large  fam- 
ily, but  all    or   most   of    them   have    moved 
away.      A.  M.  Daniels  settled  on    Section  6, 
and  died  in  1845.     T.  B.    Lacy  came    from 
St.  Clair  County  with  his  father,  in  1834,  to 
"move"   a  man   named    John    Holt,    whose 
father,  Robert  Holt,  lived  in    Shiloh    Town- 
ship.   A  man  named  Johnson  was  then  living 
on  the    place    where    Mr.    Lacy    now   lives. 
Johnson  tias  moved  away  from  the  township. 
The  place  was  originally  settled    by    Walter 
Bean,  who  was  a  regular  Daniel   Boone    for 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 


401 


hunting.  He  was  also  very  fonrl  of  bees, 
and  spent  much  time  in  hunting  "bee-trees" 
and  gathering  wild  lioney.  Mr.  Lacy  first 
settled  in  Blissville  Township,  but  afterward 
in  this.  William  Champ  was  among  the  ear- 
ly settlers  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town- 
shiji.  Other  families  came  in,  and  the  land 
was  rapidly  settled. 

In  illustration  of  pioneer  life,  we  make  the 
following  extract  from  a  sketch  by  Mr.  John- 
son. "  Ooifee  was  not  much  used,  as  it  cost 
50  cents  a  pound,  and  had  to  be  brought 
from  Shawneetown  or  Kaskaskia  at  that. 
Meat  was  plenty,  but  bread  was  scarce.  Meal 
had,  at  first,  to  be  brought  from  the  Wabash 
River.  William  and  Isaac  Casey  constructed 
a  little  hand  mill  that  would  grind  a  bushel 
or  two  in  the  course  of  a  day,  and  they  did 
well.  But  many  of  the  first  settlers  had  to 
beat  their  meal  in  a  mortar.  One  family  had 
a  big  kettle,  which  they  used  for  a  mortar; 
but  generally  the  mortar  was  a  stump  with 
a  basin  burnt  in  the  top  of  it.  Over  this 
was  suspended,  by  a  sweep,  a  huge  billot  of 
wood.  This  billet  of  wood  was  brought 
down  upon  the  grain  in  the  mortar,  the  sweep 
raised  it.  and  so  thump,  thump,  the  pounding 
went  on  till  the  grain  was  broken  small 
enough  to  make  bread.  Another  style  of 
mortar  was  a  huge  block,  and  the  pestle  was 
a  maul  with  an  iron  wedge  in  the  end  of  it. 
Tliis  was  used  in  bad  weather,  as  it  could  be 
brought  within  doors.  The  meal  was  sifted 
and  bread  made  of  the  finest,  while  the 
coarser  was  made  into  hominy.  In  early  au- 
tumn, meal  was  grated  and  bread  made  of 
this  meal  was  baked  on  a  board  or  in  the 
ashes,  and  was  very  delicious."  What  would 
the  young  people  of  the  present  day  think  of 
such  fare"?  But  even  this  was  relished  and 
enjoyed  by  the  people  then.  However,  we 
would  think  ourselves  on  the  eve  of  starva- 
tion wore  we  forced  to  live  on  it  now,  in  this 
fast  age  of  the  country. 


As  population  increased,  mills  were  built, 
and  the  mortar  and  pestle  were  "  laid  on  the 
shelf."  Severs  had  a  mill  near  Muddy  Creek, 
and  a  Mr.  Carroll  started  a  tannery  about 
1849-50,  in  the  western  part  of  the  township. 
He  was  finally  killed  in  a  saw  mill.  One  of 
the  first  roads  through  the  township  was  the 
road  from  Shawneetown  to  St.  Louis,  pass- 
ing through  Mount  Vernon  and  this  town- 
ship. Several  good,  substantial  bridges  span 
the  streams,  thus  rendering  local  travel  safe 
and  pleasant.  George  Casner  was  a  black- 
smith, and  started  the  first  shop  of  the  kind 
in  the  township. 

Since  the  adoption  of  township  organiza- 
tion in  18()',),  the  following  is  the  complete 
list  of  township  officers: 

Supervisors— E.  B.  Harvey,  1870;  W.  H. 
Brooks,  1871;  E.  B,  Harvey,  1872;' William 
R.  Champ,  1873;  William  Goaker,'l874;  T. 
B.  Lacy,  1875-76;  J.  P.  Morgan,  1877;  T. 
W.  Harvey,  1878;  J.  H.  Watkins,  1879,  W. 
B.  Pickett,  1880;  W.  P.  Champ,  1881-82; 
W.  J.  Bledsoe,  1883,  the  present  incum- 
bent. 

Township  Clerks— W.  R.  Champ,  1872; 
Thomas  Kelly,  1873;  J.  H  Spiller.s,  1874; 
W.  J.  Bledsoe,  1875-76;  J.  Fairchild,  1877; 
William  J.  Bledsoe,  1878;  C.  P.  Schmidt, 
1879;  C.  P.  Schmidt,  1880;  AVilliam  J. 
Bledsoe,  1881;  C.  P.  Schmidt,  1882;  J.  W. 
Fuller,  1883,  now  in  office. 

Assessors— James  Wood,  1872;  J.  H.  Wat- 
kins,  1873-74;  F.  M.  Wright,  1875-76;  M. 
A.  Bond,  1877-78;  T.  P.  Champ,  1879;  F. 
M.  Wright,  1880;  T.  W.  Harvey,  1881;  M. 
A.  Bond,  1882-83,  now  holding  the  posi- 
tion. 

Collectors— Hiram  Casey,  1872;  A.  J.  Bal- 
dridge,  1873;  W.  R.  Champ,  1874;  W.  R. 
Champ,  1875;  F.  Champ,  1876;  R.  J.  Burch, 
1877;  R.  J.  Burch,  1878;  M.  M.  Clark, 
1879;  M.  M.  Clark,  1880;  R.  J.  Burch,  1881; 


402 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


William  Cobb,  18S2;  W.   R.   Champ,    1883, 
the  present  incumbent. 

School  Treasurers— William  Gray,  Hugh 
Flanagan,  A.  Carroll,  Thompson  Lacy.  J.  M. 
Severs,  Thompson  Lacy,  A.  Hogshead,  W.  R. 
Champ,  now  in  office. 

Highway  Commissioners— Henry  Williams, 
A.  W.  Downs,  T.  J.  Gaskins,  S.  P.  Creel, 
M.  C.  Knowlton,  S.  White,  W.  H.  Edwards, 
H.  M.  Smith,  H.  H.  Matthis,  J.  Watkins,  J. 
C.  Carson,  H.  "Williams. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — W.  B.  Pickett,  Jos- 
eph Tiirney,  W.  B.  Pickett,  H.  Wood,  W.  J. 
Bledsoe,  T.  Kelly,  present  incumbent. 

Constables — Joseph  Harvey,  J.  B.  Moore, 
W.  H.  Gardner,  John  Severs,  James  P.  Car- 
roll, J.  P.  Morgan,  William  Rogers,  J.  H. 
Hicks,  J.  M.  Severs,  Byron  Moore. 

The  voting  place  of  the  township  is  at 
Roachville,  and  the  sturdy  yeomanry  poll  a 
large  majority  at  all  important  elections  for 
the  Democratic  party.  Indeed,  it  is  said 
that  many  still  vote  for  Thomas  Jefferson  and 
Gen.  Jackson,  and  as  for  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, he  could  be  elected  to  any  office  in  Cas- 
ner,  from  Constable  to  President  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

The  schools  of  the  township  are  scarcely  up 
to  the  standard.  The  log  scboolhouse  may 
still  be  seen  here,  though  there  are  several 
neat  frame  schoolhouses.  There  are  in  the 
township  six,  all  told,  and  in  these  schools 
are  maintained  for  the  usual  terms  each  year. 

The  first  religious  meetin;rs  were  held  in  a 
grove  near  Casner's.  Preaching  used  to  be 
had  at  Mr.  Patterson's  before  there  were  any 
churches  built.  Reynolds  Chapel,  a  Meth- 
odist Church,  was  organized    in  1876.      It  is 


a  frame  building,  and  has  but  a  small  mem- 
bership. Samuel  Reynolds  made  a  profes- 
sion of  religion  on  his  death-bed,  and  in 
honor  of  him  the  church  was  organized  and 
given  his  name.  Elijah  Lacy  was  among  the 
early  ministers.  Religious  meetings  were 
also  held  by  the  Methodists  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Bean,  on  the  farm  where  T.  B.  Lacy  now 
lives.  Rev.  Mr.  Striblin  was  also  an  early 
preacher  in  this  section.  A  flourishing  Sun- 
day school  is  held  in  the  schoolhouse  at 
Roachville. 

. — Roachville,  on  the  Louisville  &  Nashville 
Railroad,  about  ten  miles  west  of  Mount 
Vernon,  is  somewhat  larger— smaller,  we 
mean— than  Chicago.  It  was  laid  out  'April 
6,  1870,  by  John  D.  Williams,  for  David 
Koach,  the  owner  of  the  land  upon  which  it 
is  located.  The  place  comprised  four  blocks 
and  forty  lots.  A  storehouse  was  built  by 
Roach,  in  which  Frank  Pease,  from  Ashley, 
opened  a  store.  He  was  followed  by  Mr. 
Woods.  Benjamin  Cole  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop.  A  Ml-.  Quackenbush  built  a  mill  and 
sold  it  to  Abram  Severs;  the  latter  afterward 
sold  it  to  Mr.  Fairchild.  This,  with  a  few 
dwelling-houses,  comprises  all  that  has  ever 
been  of  Roachville.  It  probably  never  will 
be  much  greater,  though  it  is  surrounded  by 
an  excellent  coiiutry.  particularly  on  the 
west. 

Casner  Township  ought  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  farming  regions  in  the  county.  It  has 
considerable  good  land,  that  is  well  adapted 
to  grain  and  fruit.  Stock-raising,  too,  might 
be  made  profitable.  Energy  and  enterprise 
alone  is  needed  to  make  Casner  one  of  the 
leading  towBships  of  the  county. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


405 


CHAPTER    XIX.* 


DODDS   TOWNSHIP— DESCRIPTION   AND    TOPOGRAPHY— COMING  OF   THE    WHITES— EARLY  FACTS 

AND    INCIDENTS— THE    iMAIN    SETTLEMENT— ROADS,    FIRST    MILLS,     ETC.— EARLY 

SCHOOLS— MODE  OF  PAYING  THE   TEACHERS— FIRST    PREACHERS 

AND  CHURCHES— TOWNSHIP  OFFICERS,   ETC.,   ETC. 


"  Go,  till  the  soil,"  said  God  to  man, 
Subdue  the  earth,  it  shall  be  thine; 
How  grand,  how  glorious  was  the  plan ! 

How  wise  the  law  divine; 
And  none  of  Adam's  race  can  draw 
A  title,  save  beneath  this  law, 
To  hold  the  world  in  trust; 
Earth  is  the  Lord's  and  He  hath  sworn 
That  ere  Old  Time  has  reached  his  bourn. 
It  shall  reward  the  just." — Mrs.  Hale. 

EECORDS  of  the  olden  time  are  inter- 
esting, and  they  are  not  without  lessons 
of  instruction.  We  follow  in  the  footprints 
of  the  adventurous  and  enterprising  pioneer, 
and  see  him,  as  it  were,  and  his  labors  and 
struggles  in  tlie  wilderness  as  he  converts  it 
into  a  fruitful  field.  We  sit  by  his  cabin 
fire  and  listen  to  the  aceotints  which  he 
gives  of  frontier  life,  and  the  hardships, 
trials,  dangers  and  sufferings  of  himself  and 
family  in  their  efforts  to  make  for  themselves 
a  home  in  regions  remote  from  civilization, 
and  unexplored  hitherto  by  the  Anglo  Saxon. 
Through  these  pioneer  recitals  we  make  our 
way  to  the  present,  and  from  small  begin- 
nings we  come  to  the  mighty  achievements 
of  industry.  Following  on  in  the  path  of 
improvement,  we  see  the  once  waste  places 
rejoicing  under  the  care  of  the  husband- 
man; arable  farms  are  spread  out  before  us; 
schools  have  been  established,  churches 
built  and  a  Chrsitian  ministry  sustained. 
-ill  this  and  more,  Imt  space  will  not  allow 
elaborate  reflections. 

»ByJ.  M   Bunk. 


The  division  of   the   county    to  which  the 
reader's  attention  is  now  directed  is  the  out 
growth  of  later  development.      As  the  inhab- 
itants of  other  States  flock  in  and  make  set- 
tlements,   precincts    are    formed,    which  are 
afterward    divided    and    subdivided,    and  in 
1869  the  present  township  of  Dodds  was  or- 
ganized.     Jefterson  Cotinty,  for   many   years 
prior    to  its  division    into    town.ships.    com- 
prised a  number  of  precincts,  and  the   terri- 
tory  that  now  constitutes    Dodds    Township 
was    known    as    Jackson's    Precinct.        The 
township  thus  designated  includes  thirty-six 
sections,  and  is  known  as  Township  'A  south 
and   Range  3  east.      It  is    bounded    on    the 
north  by  Mount  Vernon,  on  the  east  by  Pen- 
dleton, on  the  south  by    Spring   Garden  and 
on  the  west  by    McCIellen    Township.     The 
original    character  of    the  country  included 
within  these  limits  was  part   "  barrens  "  and 
part  true  prairie.       Moore's  Prairie  includes 
a  portion  of    thn    southeast    sections   of    the 
township.      Another,  named  "  Gub  "  Prairie, 
from  the  amount  of    cubs    seen    and    caught 
there  by  the  early  inhabitants,   is  of  consid- 
erable importance.   The  soil  of  the  woodland 
is  a  light  yellow  clay,  which    is   particularly 
adapted  to  wheat-growing.      The  prairie  soil 
is  rich  and  prodtietive  of   wheat,   corn,  rve, 
oats,  and  almost  all  kinds  of  vegetables.    The 
natural  drainage    is    toward    the  southwest. 
The  Casey  Fork,  one  of  the  prominent  aftlu- 
ents  of  "  Big  Muddy  Creek,"  enters  near  the 
center  of  the  northern   boundary  and  takes  a 


4()6 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


diagonal  and  zizgag  course  to  the  southwest 
corner.  Seven-mile  Creek  is  a  stream  of 
some  importance  and  empties  into  Casey's 
Fork.  On  the  high  grounds  and  along  the 
streams  are  to  be  found  considerable  timber, 
such  as  white,  jack  and  black  oak,  hickory, 
sycamore  and  various  kinds  of  shrubs.  But 
little  attention  has  ever  been  paid  to  stock- 
raising,  but  the  farmers  have  engaged  in  a 
kind  of  mixed  husbandry.  Within  the  last 
few  years,  they  have  conceived  the  idea  that 
stock-raising  could  'be  made  remunerative, 
and  they  are  adding  to  and  improving  their 
flocks  and  herds  as  fast  as  their  means  will 
allow.  Samuel  Gibson  is  the  principal 
dealer  in  cattle  in  the  township.  He  has 
latel_y  purchased  a  few  short-horn  and  Dur- 
ham cattle  and  some  line  Cotswold  sheep.  In 
the  early  days,  there  was  an  abundance  of 
game,  as  was  found  everywhere  in  the  coun- 
ty. Deer  and  small  game  abounded  and  con- 
tributed to  the  early  settlers'  larder  as  well 
as  to  their  sport.  Wolves  infested  these 
wooded  slopes  and  made  havoc  with  the 
young  stock;  bat  the  bustle  and  hostility  of 
the  new-comers  soon  drove  them  out  of  the 
country. 

A  generally  accepted  tradition  is  that  the 
first  settlement  made  and  the  first  cabin 
raised  in  what  is  now  Dodds  Township  was 
by  James  Dodds,  whose  advent  into  this  new 
territory  was  prior  to  the  year  1818.  After 
him  the  township  was  named,  and  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  his  namesake  has  done 
him  justice.  It  to-day  ranks  among  the 
most  valuable  districts  of  the  county.  Dodds' 
first  important  business  was  the  same  as  that 
of  all  other  adventurers  upon  their  arrival 
in  a  new  territory — that  of  building  a  house. 
Until  tiis  was  done,  himself  and  family  had 
to  camp  on  the  ground  or  live  in  their  wag- 
ons—perhaps the  only  shelter  they  had  known 
for    weeks.      So    the    object    of    building    a 


house,  which  was  also  to  be  a  home,  was  one 
that  gave  zest  to  the  rough  toil  and  to  the 
heavy  labors.  The  style  of  the  house  was 
not  considered.  It  was  shelter  they  required 
and  protection  from  the  weather  and  wild 
animals.  The  settlers  had  neither  the  money 
nor  the  mechanical  appliances  for  building 
themselves  a  house.  They  were  content  in 
most  instances  to  have  a  mere  cabin  or  hut. 
Their  cabins  were  usually  made  to  resemble  . 
a  human  habitation,  and  were  of  round  logs, 
light  enough  for  two  or  three  men  to  lay  up, 
about  foiu-teen  feet  square,  roofed  with 
bark  or  clapboards  and  sometimes  with  the 
sod  of  the  prairie.  For  a  fire-place,  they 
made  a  wall  of  earth  or  stone,  in  an  opening 
in  one  end  of  the  building,  extending  out- 
ward and  planked  on  the  outside  by  bolts  of 
wood  notched  together  to  stay  it.  Such 
were  the  hardships  to  which  most  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Dodds  Township  were  ex- 
posed. Some  of  these  we  shall  briefly  notice 
in  the  following  pages,  which  are  framed 
not  from  records  but  from  vague  tradition, 
with  here  and  there  a  fragment  of  personal 
reminiscence,  which  serves  us  as  a  guide 
through  the  obscurity  which  the  shadows  of 
sixty -five  years  have  thrown  around  the  early 
times.  To  say  that  in  this  chapter  it  is  pro- 
posed to  write  the  history  of  every  family 
in  the  order  in  which  they  came  into  the 
township  would  be  promising  more  than  lies 
in  the  power  of  any  man  to  accomplish.  But 
to  give  a  sketch  of  some  of  the  pioneers  and 
representative  "men  of  the  times  is  our  dim, 
and  to  transmit  them  in  a  durable  form  to 
future  generations. 

Joseph  Jordan  settled  in  1818  on  the  land 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Isaac  Garrison. 
Jordan  was  a  man  of  considerable  enterprisf 
and  tact,  and  had  an  eye  to  business.  Al- 
though his  settlement  in  the  county  was 
made  one  year  before  Jefferson  County   was 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


407 


organized,  yet  he  had  almost  formed  in  his 
mind  the  extent  of  the  prospective  county 
and  calculated  the  distance,  and  probably 
being  enthused  by  a  delightful  view  from  a 
high  part  of  that  then  uncultivated  land- 
scape, he  treasured  the  thought  that  the 
county  seat  migth  be  located  there.  He 
raised  his  tirst  cabin,  dispensed  his  hospital- 
ity to  those  who  came  that  way,  and  with 
heroic  patience  and  fortitude  ondm-ed  the 
bard  life  of  the  pioneer.  Only  a  short  time 
elapsed  before  he  was  forced  to  see  his  plans 
and  prospects  vanish  like  a  morning  dew  be- 
fore the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  county  seat 
was  fixed  at  anothei'  place.  Burdened  with 
disappointment,  he  let  his  roving  disposi- 
tion get  the  better  of  him,  and  he  sold  his 
claim  at  a  small  compensation  to  William 
Frizell  and  moved  to  Texas. 

The  Frizell  family  was  a  valuable  acqui- 
sition to  the  territory,  and  the  impress  of 
their  energy  is  yet  visible.  Their  sad  death 
by  the  cholera  in  1847  is  still  remembered. 
William  Frizell,  wife  and  children,  Joseph 
and  Martha,  were  the  victims  of  this  terrible 
disease. 

The  old  Jordan  farm  went  into  the  hands 
of  Isaac  Garrison  in  1853,  and  by  his  in- 
dustry it  has  been  improved  until  it  now 
ranks  among  the  first  of  the  county.  Some 
time  after  Jordan's  advent  came  Dr.  Wil- 
loughby  Adams,  who  was  an  excellent  physi- 
cian. He  located  first  in  the  then  small  vil- 
lage of  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  followed  his 
profession,  and  subsequently  on  Section  23 
in  Dodds  Township.  His  services  wore  val- 
uable, as  the  ague  was  a  frequent  visitor  in 
every  household.  His  popularity  grew  in 
the  estimation  of  the  people,  and  as  early  as 
1841  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  the  County 
Commissioners,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
with  honor,  and  was  frequently  re  elected. 
In  1849,  he  was  chosen   Associate  Justice  of 


the  County  Court.  This  position  he  filled 
for  many  years.  He  was  the  first  practicing 
physician  in  Dodds  Township,  and  was  also 
the  tirst  County  Surveyor.  At  his  own  re- 
quest, he  was  buried  a  short  distance  from 
his  residence,  where  more  of  his  family  are 
sleeping  the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking. 

Frank  Hicks  settled  at  a  later  date  on  Sec- 
tion 27.  He  was  a  rough-spoken  man,  fond 
of  drink,  and  participated  in  shooting 
matches  and  hunting  sprees,  which  were  very 
frequent  in  those  days.  He  was,  however, 
true  to  a  ])romise,  and  always  fulfilled  his 
contracts.  He  reared  a  large  family.  One 
son-  John  R.  P.  Hicks — lost  the  use  of  his 
lower  limbs  over  forty  years  ago  and  is  a  res- 
ident of  Mount  Vernon.  He  employs  his 
time  in  knitting  upon  some  kind  of  a  ma- 
chine. Another  sou  —  William — was  a 
bright,  industrious  ■boy.  and  among  the 
strongest  lads  in  the  neighborhood,  but  was 
running  one  day,  when  he  was  suddenly 
taken  with  a  pain  in  his  feet,  which  resulted 
in  his  being  a  complete  reel  foot.  He  is  also 
living. 

Stephen  Arnold  came  from  Tennessee 
among  the  first,  and  settled  on  Section  14. 
Here  ho  experienced  all  the  hardships  inci- 
dent to  the  life  of  the  then  few  inhabit- 
ants. Seth,  tbe  only  living  member  of  his 
family,  resides  on  the  old  homestead.  John 
Smith  was  an  early  settler  on  Section  15. 
He  was  a  man  of  careless  habits,  and  never 
accumulated  much  property.  A  few  of  his 
posterity  survive.  Absalom  Estes  settled  on 
Section  10  some  time  between  the  years  1820 
and  1822.  He  remained  there  but  a  short 
time,  and  sold  his  improvment  to  his  brother 
Joseph.  The  latter  was  the  father  of  sixteen 
children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and 
reared  large  families.  Some  of  the  Esteses 
accumulated  large  fortunes.  It  is  said  of 
the  Estes  family  that  they  were  sociable,  in- 


408 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


dustrious  and  energetic.  Joseph  Pace  set- 
tled on  Section  8.  He  was  among  the  first 
surveyors  in  Jefferson  County  and  surveyed 
some  of  the  early  roads,  among  which  was 
the  old  Goshen  road,  and  together  with  the 
Benton  road,  branching  from  the  former  on 
the  farm  of  Isaac  Garrison,  leading  thence  to 
Vienna,  Cairo  and  other  old  Southern  cities 
m  this  State,  were  the  only  early  roads  in 
Jackson  Precinct.  Joseph  Pace  was  the 
twin  brother  of  Joel  Pace,  who  was  the  first 
County  and  Circuit  Clerk,  and  among  the 
early  teachers  of  this  county.  It  was  exten- 
sively discussed  a  few  years  since  by  the 
leading  newspapers  of  America,  and  a  con- 
clusion finally  arrived  at  to  the  extent  that 
they  lived  longer  than  any  twins  ever  known, 
Joel  having  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years  and  Joseph  four  years  later.  Joseph 
Rogers  settled  pretty  early  on  Section  7  and 
became  the  possessor  of  considerable  property. 
William  Davis  settled  what  is  known  as  the 
Harper  place.  He  was  a  minister  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  was  among  the  first 
preachers  in  the  precinct.  He  died  in  the 
county,  leaving  his  family  in  affluent  circum- 
stances. John  Stewart  came  to  Jackson 
Precinct  at  an  early  period.  Stewart  had  the 
"  big  head  "  in  reality.  It  was  so  large  that 
he  could  not  purchase  a  hat  to  tit  it,  and  was 
compelled  to  have  a  hat  block  and  employ  a 
hatter  to  make  his  hats,  which  was  done  at 
his  residence.  David  Shaffer  located  very 
early  in  the  township  and  was  content  to 
live  for  awhile  in  a  tent.  On  one  occasion  a 
fire  swept  over  the  prairie  like  a  whirlwicd, 
respecting  nothing  in  its  course,  and  it  was 
only  by  the  strongest  efforts  that  Mr.  Shaf- 
fer's tent  was  saved  from  the  conflagration. 
He  erected  his  first  horse  grist-mill  in  the 
township  about  1S38,  near  where  is  now  the 
residence  of  W.  T.  Sanders.  It  was  here 
that  the  inhabitants  came  early  and  staved 


late  to  get  crushed  their  little  bag  of  corn, 
while  the  wife  and  little  ones  awaited  with 
anxiety  and  eagerness  their  return.  Frank 
Hicks  also  put  into  operation  a  horse  mill  on 
Section  27,  and  did  considerable  grinding  for 
several  years.  Isaac  Watson  was  a  real  pio 
neer  of  what  is  now  Dodds  Township. 

From  the  earliest  period  of  the  world' s 
history,  the  people  of  every  civilized  nation 
have  realized  the  importance  of  learning. 
Education  in  its  fullest  sense  comprehends 
the  development  and  cultivation  of  the  var- 
ious physical,  moral  and  mental  faculties  of 
man.  Hence  it  is  that  the  standard  of  a 
people's  morals,  civilization   and   progress  is 

j  indicated  by  the  degree  of  interest  mani- 
fested in  developing  and  cultivating  the 
moral,  social  and  intellectual  faculties  of  its 
masses.  Society  in  every  age  and  every 
nation  upon  which  the  refining  hand  of  civ- 
ilization has  been  laid,  has  been  ever  ready 
to  realize  and  accept  the  truth  of  this. 

Thus  from  remote  antiquity  to  the  present 
time,  we  find  associated    with    other  beneti- 

i  cent  institutions  for  the  elevation  and  ad- 
vancement of  mankind,  institutions  embracing 
every  grade  of  instruction,  from  the  elemen- 
tary school,  where  the  first  rudiments  of  an 
education  are  taught,  to  the  university  and 
college,  where  art.  science  and  literature  are 
disseminated.  The  history  of  education  in 
Jefferson  County  finds  its  duplicate  in  the 
school  history  of  other  counties  in  South- 
ern Illinois.  The  pioneers,  as  soon  as  they 
had  each  prepared  a  habitation  and  inclosed 
a  "  patch  "  of  land  on  which  to  raise  the  nec- 

!  essaries  of  life,  turned  their  attention  to  the 
erection  of  a  school  house.  In  183S,  the 
pioneers  of  Jackson  Precinct,  now  Dodds 
Township,  erected  a  log  cabin  on  Govern- 
ment land,  which  is  now  the  property  of  W. 
T.  Sanders.  Some  one  took  the  initiatory 
step  by  notifying  the  settlers  within  a  radius 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


409 


of  three  or  four  miles  that,  on  a  certain  time 
at  a  designated  place,  they  would  meet  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  a  schoolhonse. 
Punctual  at  the  time  and  place,  armed  with 
their  "  working  tools, "  they  assembled,  and 
in  a  short  time,  considering  the  disadvan- 
tages under  which  they  labored,  their  work 
was  consummated.  The  structure  would  not 
compare  with  the  excellent  [temples  of  learn- 
ing of  the  present  day,  but  it  aiforded  them 
an  accommodation  for  their  early  schools. 
This  building  was  about  fourteen  feet 
square.  The  walls  were  made  of  rough 
round  logs  from  the  forests;  the  chimney 
was  of  earth  and  sticks,  and  the  roof  of 
clapboards.  Slabs  split  from  trees,  the 
rough  edges  smoothed  with  an  as,  consti- 
tuted the  floor.  The  windows  were  made  by 
cutting  out  a  log  and  pasting  a  greased 
paper  over  the  aperture,  which  admitted  all 
the  light  that  was  afi'orded  the  pupils.  The 
furniture  consisted  of  "  benches  "  made  from 
large  "  puncheons;"  "  desks  "  or  writing 
tables  were  formed  by  placing  against  the 
wall  at  an  angle  boards  or  "  puncheons." 
Could  the  pupil  of  this  early  school  have 
entered  the  spacious  and  elegantly  furnished 
school  rooms  of  today;  could  he  have  sat  in 
the  easy  patent  seat;  could  he  have  gazed 
upon  the  modern  school  apparatus  and  have 
listened  to  the  sound  of  the  "  school  going 
bell,"  he  would,  doubtless,  have  imagined 
that  ho  had  been  magically  transported  to 
another  sphere.  After  this  cabin  was  finished 
and  furnished,  a  school  was  the  next  thing 
in  order.  Some  one  of  the  settlers  canvassed 
the  neighborhood  and  determined  how  many 
pupils  would  attend  the  school  at  a  stated 
sum  per  capita. 

It  is  thought  that  W.  T.  Sanders  taught 
the  first  school  in  this  cabin,  and  it  is  not 
remembered  that  he  went  through  any  ex- 
amination.     The  qualifications  required  in 


those  days  were  that  the  teacher  possessed 
the  physical  ability  to  govern  the  school  and 
be  sufficient  scholar  to  teach  reading,  writing 
and  ciphering,  especially  the  latter,  as  far  as 
the  "  double  rule  of  three. "  Mr.  Sanders 
was  very  successful.  From  the  beginning  of 
this  school,  a  new  impetus  was  given  to  edu- 
cation, and  each  succeeding  yeaf"  the  advan- 
tages have  improved  in  this  direction.  About 
the  year  1850,  A.  G.  Johnson  taught  a  school 
at  a  private  residence,  and  not  far  from  the 
same  time  a  log  cabin,  similar  in  construc- 
tion to  the  one  mentioned  above,  was  built 
on  the  line  between  Sections  10  and  11.  In 
this  schoolhonse  Moses  Smith  and  A.  C. 
Johnson  taught.  As  we  have  already  stated, 
the  interest  in  education  began  to  grow.  It 
is  true  there  were  some  who  thought  educa- 
tion was  not  essential  to  farm  life,  but  they 
were  few,  and  the  masses  were  warmly  in 
favor  of  schools.  There  are  now  six  good 
frame  school  buildings  in  the  township,  and 
the  best  teachers  are  employed  to  instruct 
the  young. 

In  the  pioneer  cabins  of  the  township, 
Revs.  Rhodam  and  George  Allen,  two  early 
ministers,  held  meetings  and  added  cheering 
words  to  thcise  gathered  from  near  and  far. 
Services  are  now  held  in  almost  every  school- 
house  in  the  township,  besides  in  two  fine 
frame  church  buildings.  The  Lebanon  Mis- 
sionary Baptist  Church  is  located  at  the  in- 
tersection of  Sections  2,  8,  10  and  11.  E. 
M.  Knapp  and  Isaac  Garrison  are  the  present 
Deacons,  and  Rev.  C.  Richardson  is  pastor. 
The  organization  has  an  enrollment  of  about 
140  members.  A  good  Sunday  school  is  kept 
up,  with  an  attendance  of  more  than  fifty. 
Samuel  Meadows  is  Superintendent,  and 
through  his  efforts  the  interest  is  gradually 
growing. 

A  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  the    township    at    an   early  date,  but 


410 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


the  precise  spot  and  time  we  have  been  un 
able  to  learn.  That  kind-hearted  and  good 
old  pioneer,  Joseph  Pace,  was  an  early  mem- 
ber of  this  church,  and  during  his  life  its 
financial  interests  were  not  allowed  to  suffer 
through  his  influence.  John  Eogers,  Will- 
iam Edgington  and  James  Bradford  and 
their  respective  families  were  members  of 
the  iirst  organization.  Some  time  subse- 
quently, a  large  frame  building  was  erected 
at  considerable  cost  on  Section  7,  and  is 
known  as  "  Bethel  OhurcH."  The  member- 
ship of  the  same  is  very  large,  and  regular 
services  are  kept  up  during  the  year.  Like 
the  most  of  the  Methodist  Churches,  it  keeps 
up  a  lirst-class  Sunday  school. 

The  Iirst  voting  place  in  the  precinct  was 
the  old  James  Dodds  house.  The  ballot  bos 
used  then  is  the  same  one  that  now  on  elec- 
tion days  holds  the  vote  of  the  determined 
Democrat,  the  ardent  Republican  and  ag- 
gressive Greenbaoker.  The  present  voting- 
place  is  the  "Hebron  Schoolhouse,"  situated 
on  the  line  between  Sections  10  and  11.  The 
township  polls  about  250  votes,  of  which 
nearly  103  are  Republicans,  110  Democrats 
and  the  remainder  the  Greenback  and  Inde- 
pendent votes. 

John  Baugh  and  Henry  Gorham  were  the 
two  Iirst  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  the  pre- 
cinct. George  W.  Bliss  succeeded  one  of 
them,  and  no  other  change  was  made  until 
the  township  was  organized.  The  following 
is  a  list  of  ofiBcers  since  township  organiza- 
tion: 

Supervisors.— R.  D.  Roane,  1870;  W.  H. 
Smith,  1872-73;  M.  C.  Garrison,  1874;  S. 
Gibson,  1875;  R.  D.  Roane,    1876   to   1879; 


A.  Newby,  1880;  S.  Bumpus,  1881  to 
1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. — G.  AV.  Bliss  and 
W.  Adams,  1870;  S.  Gibson  and  W.  Adams, 
1873;  J.  B.  Bradford  and  W.Adams,  1874-76; 
J.  W.  Bradford  and  S.  Gibson,  1877  to  1883 
the  present  incumbent. 

Township  Clerks. — None  1870;  Ambrose 
Adams,  1872;  J.  M.  Frizell,  1873;  A.  Adams 
1874-75;  J.  Mills,  1876;"  J.  W.  Estes,  1877 
to  1883,  and  now  in  office. 

Assessors.— W.  M.  Hicks,  1872-73;  J.  G. 
Daniels,  1874;  A.  Newby,  1875;  J.  G.  Dan- 
iels, 1876-77;  A.  Gibson,  1878  to  1880;  T. 
J.  Mills,  1881;  J.  W.  Estes,  1882;  A.  C. 
CuUie,  1883,  present  incumbent. 

Collectors.— F.  E.  Patton,  1872;  N.  F. 
Meredith,  1873;  F.  E.  Patton,  1864;  J.  D. 
Downer,  1875  to  1877;  W.  S.  Bumpus,  1878 
to  1880;  A.  Gibson,  1881;  S.  T.  Pace,  1882; 
E.  Roane,  1883,    now  in  office. 

Highway  Commissioners. — -Isaac  Garrison, 
1872;  S.  Duncan,  1873;  J.  M.  Frizell, 
1874;  A.  D.  Harper,  1875;  N.  F.  Meredith, 
1876;  J.  M.  Frizell,  1877;  Isaac  Garrison, 
1878;  S.  Duncan,  1879;  William  Hicks, 
1880-81;  C.  Jenkins,  188^-83,  at  present  in 
!  office. 

School  Treasurers.— S.  T.  Pace,  1872-73; 
J.  A.  Johnson,  1874-75;  G.  M.  Bliss,  1876; 
S.  T.  Pace,  1877;  S.  Duncan,  1878;  R.  D. 
Roane,  1879;  S.  Duncan,  1880;  R.  D.  Roane, 
1881;  J.  L.  Hinkle,  1882;  S.  T.  Pace,  1883, 
!  now  holding  the  office. 

Constables.— T.  J.  Mills  and  W.  T.  Hicks, 

j  1874  to    1876;    W.   Blythe,   1877;    Thomas 

Mills,    1878  to  1881;    M.   Bradford  and    J. 

E.  Gibson,  1882-83,the  present  incumbents. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY 


411 


CHAPTER    XX.' 


BLISSVILLE  TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTION    AND   TOPOGRAPHY— KNOB    PRAIRIE-SETTLEMENT— HOW 

THE  PEOPLE  LIVED— NAME  OF  TOWNSHIP   AND   ITS    LIST  OF    OFFICIALS— ROADS,    BRIDGES, 

ETC.— THE  VILLAGE  OF  WILLIAMSBURG— CHURCHES  AND  SCHOOLS— RETROSPECTION,  ETC. 

"A  song  for  the  early  times  out  West, 
And  our  green  old  forest  home. 
Whose  pleasant  memories  freshU'  yet 
Across  the  ocean  come." 

Blissville  Township,  which  forms  the  sub- 
ject matter  of  this  chapter,  is  one  of  the  west 
tier  of  townships,  and  is  situated  southwest 
of  Mount  Vernon.  It  lies  south  of  Casuer 
Towsnhip,  west  of  McClellan,  north  of'  Bald 
Hill,  east  of  Washington  County,  and  is  des- 
ignated as  Township  3  south,  and  Range  1 
east.     The    surface    is    rather    broken,   and 


"  Nothing  so  dear  as  a  tale  of  the  olden  time." 

TRANSCRIBING  recollections  of  the 
aged,  wavering  memory,  we  do  not  seek 
to  reconcile  discrepancies,  but  to  embody 
here  the  names  and  deeds  of  those  whose  like 
can  nevermore  be  seen.  We  dimly  outline, 
from  our  signal-point,  the  history  which 
meets  our  eye,  and  steer  our  course  between 
extremes  of  dates  and  happenings,  but  more 
often  than  otherwise  the  greatest  incomplete- 
ness marks  the  narrative. 

The  most  of  those  pioneers  who  came  here 
half  a  centuty  or  more  ago  have  passed  to  their 
reward,  while  upon  the  few  still  left  the  roll- 
ing years  have  written  their  record  and  left 
them  trembling  on  the  brink  of  tlie  tomb. 
They  left  friends  and  civilization  behind 
them  and  came  here  to  build  for  themselves 
a  home.  Ah,  a  home!  Home, celestial  home 
of  the  world-weary,  laboring  heart,  the  sa- 
cred asylum  of  the  wandering  soul!  It  is  the 
only  type  and  symbol  left  on  earth  since  the 
portals  of  paradise  closed  on  our  riiined  race. 
And  to  make  them  a  home  in  this  wild  waste, 
these  people  exposed  themselves  to  the  dan- 
gers of  "flood  and  held,"  of  savages  and  wild 
beasts  and  perils  before  which  we,  their 
successors,  would  quail.  The  history  of 
their  lives  is  one  of  noble  heroism,  by  the 
side  of  which  that  of  the  warrior  and  the 
statesman  pale  with  insignificance. 

*  By  W.  H.  Perrin. 


diversified  between  prairie  and  woodland. 
An  arm  of  Grand  Prairie  extends  into  the 
township.  There  are  also  several  other  small 
prairies — notably  Knob  Prairie,  in  the  south- 
east part,  which  receives  its  name  from  the 
elevation  of  the  ground,  it  being  about  as 
high  as  the  site  of  Mouut  Vernon.  In  the 
timbered  section  are  found  black,  white  and 
post  oak,  wild  cherry,  black  walnut,  hickory, 
sassafras,  together  with  hazel  and  other 
shrubs.  The  principal  stream  is  Rayse 
Creek,  or  the  west  fork  of  Big  Muddy.  This 
passes  through  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
township  and  is  fed  by  a  few  small  brooks 
and  branches  which  form  the  natural  drain- 
age of  the  township. 

The  settlement  of  Blissville  Township 
dates  back  to  1822-23.  About  that  time 
Sherman  Ross  and  Jesse  Green,  Sr. ,  came 
and  settled  in  the  northeast  corner.  Jesse 
Green  died  in  the  township  and  left  a  large 
I  family.     Ross  moved  to  Shelby  County,  tak- 


412 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


ing  his  family  with  him.  He  was  a  thriftless 
sort  of  a  fellow,  with  but  little  energy,  but 
not  of  real  bad  habits.  Green  was  fond  of 
hunting,  and  participated  freely  in  all  kinds 
of  baciiwoods  sports  and  pastimes.  John 
Hailes  settled  in  the  timber  along  Big  Mud- 
dy, and  was  among  the  first  comers  in  that 
section.  He  was  a  good,  easy,  harmless  man, 
who  never  did  much  for  himself  or  for  any 
one  else.  He  cleared  a  small  "  patch  "  of 
'  ground,  and  put  up  a  cabin  of  poles.  About 
two  years  afterward,  he  sold  his  improvement 
to  Jesse  P.  Dees,  an  uncle  of  Judge  Jesse  A. 
Dees,  of  this  township,  and  moved  up  to  Gun 
Prairie.  Jesse  P.  Dees,  however,  soon  settled 
in  another  part  of  the  township,  where  he 
died.  He  made  an  extensive  improvement, 
and  opened  quite  a  large  farm  for  that  early 
day,  and  was  in  good  circumstances  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  John  Finch  bought  the 
first  improvement  of  Jesse  P.  Dees,  and  set- 
tled here  about  1S26.  but  afterwai-d  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Missouri.  He  was  a  fanner  and 
gunsmith;  a  rude,  rough  fellow,  of  the  true 
frontier  type,  but  finally  professed  religion 
at  a  camp  meeting  in  Washington  County, 
and  was  afterward  licensed  as  a  preacher  by 
the  Methodist  Church.  William  Linsey  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jesse 
P.  Dees.  He  was  a  good,  honest  man,  and 
sold  his  improvement  to  Reuben  Green  and 
moved  back  into  Washington  County.  Reu- 
ben Green,  who  bought  his  improvement, 
raised  a  large  family,  who  settled  around 
him. 

An  early  settler  was  Mr.  Herron,  on  Grand 
Prairie.  He  afterward  moved  into  Washing- 
ton County.  Peter  Sibert  afterward  settled 
on  the  place  where  Herron  first  located. 
Erastus  Fairchild  settled  in  Grand  Prairie, 
near  the  north  line  of  the  township.  He  was 
a  common  farmer,  and  sold  out  to  Thomas 
Bagb}'.    The  latter  occupied  it  several  years, 


and  then  sold  out  and  moved  into  Washing- 
ton County,  and  afterward  to  Texas.  Samuel 
Hunter  also  settled  in  Grand  Prairie  about 
184:0,  and  is  living  there  yet.  James  Welch 
settled  in  the  same  neighborhood  about  the 
same  time.  He  was  from  Ohio,  and  was  a 
large  land  owner.  He  lost  part  of  his  fami- 
ly here  in  1844  and  returned  to  Ohio,  but 
afterward  made  several  trips  between  Ohio 
and  Illinois,  and  was  finally  lost  on  the  Ohio 
River  in  a  steamboat  disaster.  A  son  of  his 
had  come  here  in  1839,  and  is  still  living  in 
the  township. 

JessG  A.  Dees,  one  of  the  prominent  and 
wealthy  farmers  of  the  township,  came  to  Jef- 
ferson County  in  1824,  with  his  mother  and 
step- father,  Lewis  Green.  They  settled  in 
what  is  now  Casner  Township,  where  James 
Wood  lives.  Mr.  Dees  is  one  of  the  oldest 
living  settlers  of  the  county,  having  been 
here  almost  sixty  years.  Joseph  Laird  came 
in  about  1840,  and  settled  in  Grand  Prairie. 
Knob  Prairie  was  settled  by  David  Fairchild, 
who  sold  to  B.  L.  Herrous,  who  came  here 
about  1822.  He  was  from  Ohio,  and  was  a 
brother  of  Erastus  Fairchild,  already  no- 
ticed. H.  Hackett  was  here^some  time,  but 
was  a  kind  of  a  transient  character.  Eli  Gil- 
bert settled  in  Knob  Prairie  about  1840,  and 
was  from  Ohio.  He  opened  a  store  soon  af- 
ter settling  here,  and  sold  goods  for  several 
years;  he  died  here  and  left  a  large  family. 
Another  Ohio  family  was  the  Places — Isaac 
and  Sidney  —who  settled  in  Knob  Prairie  in 
1840-42.  The  latter  is  still  living  here. 
Henry  Bushou  came  in  about  1845,  and  set- 
tled between  Knob  and  Grand  Prairies. 
Such  wore  some  of  the  settlements  and  the 
people  who  made  them  in  this  particular  di- 
vision of  the  county.  When  we  ponder  on 
those  olden  times,  rude  and  rough  as  they 
were,  we  almost  wish  for  their  return.  Those 
good  old  days  when    the   girls    rode    behind 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


418 


their  sweethearts  to  church  or  dance,  and 
when  the  horses  always  "  kicked  up, "  and 
the  girls  held  tightly  on  (then  the  girls 
hagged  the  boys — now  the  case  is  reversed); 
when  husband  and  wife  visited  on  the  same 
nag,  and  the  wife  carried  her  babe  snugly 
cuddled  up  in  her  lap.  Those  good  old  days 
when  the  hypocrisy,  shams  and  selfishness 
of  modern  society  were  unknown;  when  the 
respectability  of  men  and  women  was  not 
measured  by  their  bank  accounts,  nor  by  dis- 
play of  shoddy  finery,  but  by  the  simple 
standard  of  worth  and  merit,  by  their  useful- 
ness in  the  community,  by  their  readiness  to 
aid  the  suffering  and  to  relieve  the  distressed; 
when  there  were  no  social  castes  or  distinc- 
tions, and  when  honesty  and  uprightness 
were  the  livery  of  aristocracy.  Ah!  those 
were  the  times  of  free-heartedness  and  gen- 
uine honesty. 

The  pioneer's  first  thought  is  something 
for  his  family  to  eat,  and  hence  a  mill  in  a 
new  country  is  an  object  of  supreme  interest. 
One  of  the  first  institutions  of  this  kind  was 
a  tread  mill  owned  by  Maj.  Herron  on  land 
now  the  property  of  Samuel  Johnson.  It 
was  a  rude  affair,  but  was  much  better  than  no 
mill  at  all,  and  the  settlers  used  to  come  fi-om  a 
considerable  distance  to  it  to  get  their  corn 
ground.  Eli  Gilbert  had  a  mill  very  early. 
He  built  a  water  mill  on  Big  Muddy,  but  it 
was  never  much  of  a  success  and  soon  disap- 
peared altogether.  He  found  it  impossible 
to  dam  the  stream,  and  so  he  damned  the 
whole  thing  and  gave  up  the  enterprise.  A 
grist  and  saw  mill,  operated  by  steam,  was 
put  up  near  Williamsburg.  It  passed 
through  different  hands,  and  was  finally 
moved  to  Saline  County. 

Blissville  Township  was  named  in  honor 
of  Augustus  Bliss,  who  settled  in  Casner 
Township  and  made  an  attempt  to  lay  off  a 
village,  which  never  improved.      He    started 


to  California  during  the  gold  fever  excite- 
ment, and  died  of  cholera  on  the  way,  leav- 
ing a  wife  and  five  children.  The  first  vot- 
ing place  was  an  old  house  on  the  place 
where  Samuel  Johnson  now  lives;  the  regu- 
lar voting  place  at  present  is  at  Locust 
Grove.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  town- 
ship officers  since  the  county  adopted  town- 
ship organization: 

Supervisors— S.  R.  Johnson,  ISTO-VS;  J. 
A.  Dees,  1874;  Samuel  Johnson,  1875-6;  T. 
H.  Mannen,  1877;  S.  Johnson,  1878-79;  O. 
P.  Norris,  1880;  A.  Welch,  1881-82;  J.  D. 
Norris,  1883. 

Town  Clerks— J.  R.  Dunbar,  1871-73;  J. 
Lemmon,  1874-75;  L.  E.  Denslow,  1876; 
E.  Bagsby,  1877;  J  .  D.  Norris,  1878-80; 
W.  D.  Hicks,  1881;  J.  Perry.  1882;  W.  D. 
Hicks,  1883. 

Assessors— D.  T.  Campbell,  1872-73;  W. 
H.  Norris,  1874;  William  Robinson,  1875- 
76;  E.  Green,  1877-79;  J.  W.  Robinson, 
1880-81;  J.  Hicks,  1882;  E.  Green,  1883. 

Collectors— D.  J.  Hicks,  1872-73;  H.  P. 
Daniels,  1874-75;  W.  Gilbert,  1876;  W. 
Norris,  1877;  M.  F.  Norris,  1878;  W.  Gil- 
bert, 1879;  Isaac  Hicks,  1880-81;  J.  D.  Nor- 
ris, 1882;  W.  Gilbert,  1883. 

School  Treasurers — Edwin  Green,  1872-73; 
E.  Fairchild,  1874;  L.  E.  Dunbar,  1875; 
John.  Gaddis,  1876;  J.  Tuttle,  1877;  J.  M. 
Gaddis,  1878;  J.  M.  McConneoughey,  1879- 
81;  J.  V.  Wingard.  1882;  G.  A.  Baldridge, 
1883. 

Highway  Commissioners  ^W.  M.  El  listen 
J.  B.  McConneoughey,  J.  P.  Anderson,  J.  B. 
McConneoughey,  W.  Gilbert,  A.  Welch,  D. 
P.  McConneoughey.  A.  Snider,  A.  J.  Shurtz, 
D.  H.  Keller,  J.  Jones,  R.  Green,  C.  Gil- 
bert. W.  B.  Elliston,  James  Reed,  R.  Gil- 
bert, A.  J.  Shurtz. 

Justices  of  the  Peace — A.  J.  Shurtz  and  B. 
L.  Bowmaster,  1870-72;  A.  J.  Norris  and  J. 


414 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


R.  Dunbar,  1873-74;  J.  McConneoiighey  and 
J.  K  Dunbar,  1875-76;    S.  Johnson  and  H. 
P.  Daniels,    1877-80;     S.    Johnson    and    E.   j 
Green,  the  present  incumbents. 

Constables— Cyrus  Gilbert,  1870-72;  E. 
Green,  1873-76;  A.  J.  McConneoughey, 
1877-79;  T.  McAtee,  1880;  J.  Land,  1881; 
J.  Wingard,  1882;  J.  Lemmington,  1883. 

The  first  public  highway  in  the  township 
was  called  the  Mount  Vernon  &  Nashville 
road,  or  Jefferson  County  &  Washington 
County  road.  J.  A.  Dees  made  the  first  trail 
where  this  road  was  laid  out.  There  were 
nothing  but  a  few  paths  and  trails  before 
this  road  was  made,  ^jood,  substantial 
wooden  bridges  now  span  the  streams  where 
they  are  needed. 

Among  the  prominent  stock-dealers  are 
Joseph  Mannen,  Josiah  Tuttle,  Andrew 
Welch,  Jesse  A.  Dees,  A.  Gilbert,  etc.,  etc. 
They  buy  and  sell  and  deal  in  cattle,  mules 
and  hogs.  Mr.  Dees  has  some  very  tine  cat- 
tle, and  deals  largely  in  mules;  he  has  on 
Land  at  present  some  sixty  odd  head  of 
mules.  Mr.  Gilbert  also  has  a  large  number 
of  mules. 

Williamsburg. — The  village  of  Williams- 
burg is  situated  in  Knob  Prairie,  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  Section  35.  It  was 
laid  off  by  Drs.  Moore  &  Peavler  December 
17,  1867,  into  four  blocks,  one  of  eleven 
lots,  one  of  twelve  lots,  and  two  of  ten  lots 
each.  John  Hagle  built  the  first  storehouse, 
and  David  Hicks  the  first  residence.  His 
sons  opened  a  drug  store,  and  also  built  a 
residence,  into  which  Thomas  Westcott 
moved.  The  Mannings  came  a  little  later, 
and  then  Place.  Henry  Willis  erected  some 
brick  buildings,  the  first  in  the  village. 
About  the  year  1864,  Anderson  built  a  mill, 
but  soon  afterward  sold  it  to  Boswell,  and 
Boswell  sold  it  to  James  Dare.  A  good 
schoolhouse  has  been  built  in  the   town.      At 


present,  J.  D.  Norris  keeps  a  general  store, 
J.  W.  Robinson  a  drug  store  and  William 
Hicks  a  drug  store.  Dr.  O.  P.  Norris  is 
Postmaster.  The  usual  number  of  shops  are 
operated.  The  place  has  about  one  hundred 
inhabitants.  The  town  is  called  Williams- 
burg, but  the  post  office  bears  the  name  of 
Laur. 

Blissville  Township  was  not  backward  in 
educational  matters,  and  schools  were  early 
established  and  schoolhouses  built.  One  of 
the  first  schoolhouses  in  the  township  was 
built  near  whore  Eli  Gilbert  settled.  It 
stood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Cyrus  Gil- 
bert, and  was  of  logs  16x18  feet,  the  cracks 
daubed  with  mud.  The  first  teacher  was  of 
the  name  of  Bellis.  Another  pioneer  school- 
house  was  on  the  land  now  owned  by  R.  Gil- 
bert, and  A.  Welch  was  one  of  the  early 
teachers  here.  A  schoolhouse  was  built  on 
the  land  of  G.  J.  Hoyt,  in  Grand  Prairie, 
and  another  on  the  land  owned  by  the  heirs 
of  Reuben  Green,  Jr.  The  township  has  at 
present  six  schoolhouses,  conveniently  locat- 
ed on  Sections  7,  10,  16,  18,  24,  28.  In 
these,  schools  are  taught  for  the  usual  term 
each  year  by  competent  teachers. 

The  church  history  of  Blissville  Township 
is  extensive,  and  dates  back  to  an  early 
period  of  the  settlwrnent  of  the  country.  A.t 
first,  meetings  were  held  in  dwelling-houses, 
and  in  the  woods  in  summer.  The  Grand 
Arm  Methodist  Church  was  the  first  church 
built  in  the  township.  It  was  put  up  about 
1840.  Among  the  early  members  were  Abner 
Minson  and  wife,  Jacob  Freeman  and  wife, 
Susan  Eubank,  Jesse  P.  Dees  and  wife,  Nao- 
mi Dees,  John  Freeman  and  wife,  and  per- 
haps others.  Among  the  early  preachers  here 
were  Simeon  Walker,  T.  W.  Williams,  James 
Johnson,  Files  and  J.  Barnes.  The  organ- 
ization is  still  kept  up,  and  the  society  has  a 
good  frame  building.     A    graveyard  is  adja- 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


415 


cent,  in  which  slumber  many  of  the  early 
members  of  this  pioneer  chm-ch.  The  mem- 
bership of  the  church  is  about  sixty,  and  an 
excellent  Sunday  school  is  maintained  dur- 
ing the  summer,  of  which  J.  Tuttle  is  Super- 
intendent. Rev.  Mr.  Root  is  pastor  of  the 
church  at  the  present  time. 

Mount  Zion  Church  is  located  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  township,  and  has  but  a  small 
attendance.  Pierce's  Chapel  now  has  no  reg- 
ular attendance  or  organization. 

At  Williamsburg,  there '  is  a  Methodist 
Church  with  an  interesting  membership  of 
about  forty.  Rev.  Root  is  the  pastor.  A 
good  Sunday  school  is  maintained. 

There  is  also  a  Universal ist  Church  at 
Williamsburg, with  some  forty  members,  under 
the  spiritual  supervision  of  Rev.  Mr.  Maddox. 

Blissville  Township  has  no  railroads,  nor 
no  manufacturing  intwrests.  It  is  decidedly 
an  agricultural  and  stock-ra  sing  region.  Its 
nearest  shipping  point  is  Woodlawn,  on  the 
Louisville  &  Nashville  Railroad,  located  a 
couple  of  miles  from  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  township.  This  road,  though  not  touch- 
ing the  township,  has  been  of  great  benefit, 
by  increasing  the  value  of  property  and  real 
estate,  as  well  as  in  affording  the  farmers 
transportation  facilities. 

With  all  the  growth  and  activity,  which 
assumes  larger  proportions  in  the  recital  than 
in  the  actual  experience,  the  community 
which  gathered  in  this  township  was  really 
on  the  frontier  at  the  time  of  which  we  have 
been  writing.  While  not  so  completely  iso- 
lated as  some  of  the  other  earlier  settlements 
in  Southern  Illinois,  the  people  experienced 


many  of  the  hardships  and  discomforts  inci 
dent  to  frontier  settlements.  Mills  were 
early  built  near  by,  but  from  lack  of  power 
or  adequate  machinery  most  of  the  dour  and 
much  of  the  meal  was  procured  at  Carmi  and 
other  and  even  more  distant  points,  enduring 
long,  tedious  delays.  As  a  farming  district, 
the  settlements  in  what  is  now  Blissville 
Township  were  of  slow  growth;  the  village 
of  Mount  Vernon,  some  ten  miles  distant, 
seemed  to  absorb  the  floating  population. 
Here  and  there  the  smoke  curled  upward  in 
the  air  from  the  scattered  log  cabins,  and  the 
busy  pioneer  protracted  the  day  long  into  the 
night  in  clearing  up  his  farm. 

Deer  were  plenty,  and  were  shot  in  large 
numbers,  while  wolves,  panthers,  wild  cats 
an  occasional  boar,  and  the  whole  class  of 
small  game  that  was  found  in  this  section  in 
early  times,  afforded  wholesome  meals  and 
rare  sport  to  those  fond  of  hunting.  Most 
of  the  early  settlers  were  from  the  Southern 
States,  and  brought  here  with  them  many  of 
their  social  characteristics.  Saturday  after- 
noons, as  they  are  still,  were  a  general  holi- 
day, and  the  farmers  repaired  to  the  neigh- 
boring village.  But  few  in  the  community 
had  very  strong  scruples  then  against  the  use 
of  whisky,  and  strong  potations  tended  to 
make  fun  lively,  aud^not  anfrequently  caused 
rough-and-tumble  fist  lights. 

Thus  time  passd  in  the  early  years  of  the 
country,  the  people  enjoying  themselves  in  a 
rough  kind  of  way.  They  were  rude,  but 
generous  to  a  fault,  and  always  ready  with 
their  time  and  labor  to  assist  a  new  comer 
or  a  friend  in  his  time  of  need. 


416 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    XXr 


BALD  HILL  TOWNSHIP-ITS  GEOGRAPHICAL    AND  PHYSICAL    FEATURES-ADVENT    OF    THE  PIO- 

NEERS-THEIR  TRIALS,  TRIBULATIONS,  ETC.— MILLS  AND  ROADS-ORGANIZATION  OF  THE 

TOWNSHIP  AND  THE  LIST  OF  OFFICIALS-SCHOOLS,  CHURCHES,  ETC.,  ETC. 

been  imperceptible,  but   nevertheless    it  has 
been  made. 

Bald  Hill  Township  is  situated  in  the  ex- 
treme southwest  part  of  the  county,  and  com- 
prises a  full  Congressional  township.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  south  and  west  by  Franklin 
and  Perry  Counties,  on  the  north  by  Bliss- 
ville  Township,  on  the  east  by  Elk  Prairie, 
and  is  designated  in  the  Government  survey 
as  Township  4  south,  and  Eange  1  east.  It 
is  a  good  farming  region  and  boasts  some 
good  farms  and  some  energetic  farmers.  Its 
sm-face  features  are  much  the  same  as  other 
townships  described  in  this  work.  There  are 
no  large  water-coui-ses,  and  the  land  is  gen- 
erally rather  level.  The  township  is  without 
towns  and  railroads,  and  devoted  chiefly  to 
farming. 

Following  close  upon  the  heels  of   the    re- 
treating savages  came  the    early    settlers    of 
Jefferson  County.     This    township   was    not 
settled  as  early  as  Moore's  Prairie     and    the 
country    around    Mount   Vernon.     In    fact, 
those  sections   were   considered    old    settle- 
ments before  any  white    man    ventm-ed    into 
this  division  of  the  county.   The  first  settlers 
who  came  here  were  not  well-to-do.    Most  of 
them  brought  sufficient  capital    only    to    im- 
prove a  farm    in    a  country   where  but  little 
i  more  than  energy  and  frugality  were  required, 
and   these     were,    fortunately,    sufficient   to 
!  found  a  home  here.      After  the  fii-st  arrivals, 
i  emigrants  found   open    doors    and    willing 
j  hands  to  assist  in  raising  a  cabin.      A  single 


'■  The  souDd  of  the  war-whoop  oft  woke  the  sleep  : 
of  the  cradle."  [ 

AMONG  the  first  settlers  there   was    but  i 
little  law  and  Gospel,    and    but    little  i 
was  needed.     ladustry  in  working  and  hunt- 
ing, bravery  in  war,  candor,  hospitality,  hon- 
esty and  steadiness  of    deportment   received 
their  full  reward  of  public  honor  and  public 
confidence  among  these  our  rude  forefathers  1 
to  a  degree  that  has  not  been  fully  sustained 
by  their    more    polished    descendants.      The 
punishments    they    inflicted    upon    offenders 
were  unerring,  swift  and  inexorable  in  their 
imperial  com-t  of  public    opinion,    and    were 
wholly  adapted  for   the   reformation    of     he 
culprit  or  his  expulsion  from  the  community. 
Any  petty  misdemeanor  was   punished    with 
all  the  infamy  that  could  be  heaped  upon  the 
offender. 
/       With  all  their    backwoods    rudeness,  these 
early  settlers  were  given  to  hospitality,    and 
,    freely  divided  their  rough  fare  with  a  neigh - 
;    bor  or  stranger,  and  would  have  been  offend- 
I    ed  at  the  offer  of  pay.      In  their    settlements 
'    they  lived,  they  worked  and  sometimes    they 
fought — for  fun;  and  they  feasted  or  suffered 
I     together    in    cordial    harmony.      They    were 
warm  and  constant  in  their  friendships,  and 
the  cold  selfishness  of  the    present   day   was 
utterly  unknown.     The    world    has   changed 
greatly  in  the  past  fifty  years,  and  the  people 
have  changed  with  it.    The  change  may  have 

•By  W.  H.Perrin. 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


417 


day  sufficed  for  the  united  neighborhood  to 
erect  the  rude  structui'e,  build  a  lire-place  and 
chimney  and  saw  out  the  logs  for  doorway 
and  windows.  Into  houses  in  this  condition 
the  new  arrivals  were  generally  glad  to  re- 
move, for  free  as  the  hospitality  of  the  pio- 
neer may  have  been,  it  had  no  power  to  in- 
crease the  capacity  of  the  cabin,  and  two 
families  packed  a  little  dwelling  designed  for 
one  to  overflowing.  Blankets  supplied  the 
place  of  windows  and  doors,  and  furs,  skins 
and  blankets  spread  on  brush  or  on  the  piinch- 
eon  floor  supplied  the  beds.  Each  men  was 
the  "architect  of  his  own  fortune;"  and 
while  thu  whole  neighborhood  lent  willing 
assistance  in  case  of  special  need,  each  one 
was  too  busy  with  his  own  affairs  to  ply  any 
trade  for  general  hire. 

The  tirst  settlement  of  this  township  is 
somewhat  obscure,  nor  can  the  exact  date  of 
the  advent  of    the    first    pioneer    be    given. 

Among  the  tirst  settleis  here  were  Abra- 
ham McGrinnis,  John  G.  Turmon.  James  Bel- 
lows, Willis  Hardwick,  Isaac  Smith,  William 
Steerman,  Samuel  Irvin,  the  Scrnggins,  Sol- 
omim  Goddard,  Nathaniel  Morgan,  etc.,  etc. 
McGinnis  afterward  went  to  Texas,  but  left 
two  sons  here — James  and  Kichard.  Tur- 
mon went  North,  where  later  he  died,  leav- 
ing a  son  named  Grant.  It  may  be  that  all 
of  the  settlers  mentioned  above  did  not  settle 
at  tiist  in  what  is  now  Bald  Hill  Township, 
but  they  settled  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
It  is  a  difficult  matter,  after  so  many  years, 
to  locate  every  early  settler  upon  the  proper 
section,  and  they  were  coming  in  now  so  rap- 
idly that  it  is  impossible  to  keep  trace  of 
them. 

The  abundance  of  game  was  a  somewhat 
mixed  evil.  When  the  ci-o])s  of  the  early 
settlers  were  tirst  planted,  they  were  subject 
to  the  attack  of  crows,  blackbirds  and  squir- 
rels, and  when  further    advanced    the    thou- 


sands of  wild  geese  and  turkeys  threatened 
to  take  all  that  was  left.  Deer  were  numer- 
ous, so  were  wolves,  while  the  timber 
swarmed  with  the  chattering  game  that  found 
shelter  there.  "  Painters"  were  numerous — 
too  much  so  for  a  very  great  feeling  of  secur- 
ity, though  as  a  general  thing  they  were  eas- 
ily frightened  away.  A  story  is  told  of  a 
person,  on  a  certain  occasion,  riding  along  a 
trail  on  horseback  through  the  woods,  when 
he  was  very  much  frightened  and  his  horse 
considerably  scratched  by  a  panther  spring- 
ing upon  him  from  a  tree,  but  it  lost  its  hold 
and  was  soon  left  in  the  distance.  Women 
out  picking  wild  berries  were  often  startled 
by  seeing  these  treacherous  animals  crouched 
in  trees,  meditating  the  chances  of  an  attack, 
but  no  serious  results  are  known  to  have  oc- 
curred in  this  immediate  section. 

The  people  of  this  settlement,  like  those 
surrounding  it,  and  which  were  removed 
somewhat  from  the  older  settlements,  learned 
early  to  depend  upon  their  own  resources  for 
the  comforts  of  life.  This  was  especially 
marked  in  the  clothing  of  the  people  and  the 
adornment  of  the  home.  Deer  skins  were 
largely  utilized  by  the  men,  and  even  the 
women  sometimes  made  their  own  garments 
of  them.  Buckskin  breeches  and  buckskin 
hunting-shirts  were  more  common  then  than 
the  farmers'  "  overalls  "  are  now.  A  buck- 
skin suit  was  not  a  „very  inviting  thing  to 
jump  into  of  a  cold  morning,  or  to  wear  af- 
ter getting  wet,  but  these  were  minor  discom 
forts,  and  were  not  allowed  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  daily  duties.  This  was  the  way  the 
people  lived  in  the  early  days  of  the  country — 
days  we  know  nothing  of  except  as  we  gather 
it  from  the  "  traditions  of  the  fathers. " 

The  early  settlers  of  Bald  Hill  Township 
had  the  same  hard  times  in  procuring  bread 
as  in  other  portions  of  the  county.  The 
mortar  and  pestle,  the    hand   mill,  and  later 


418 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


the  horse  mill  served  them.  Now.  mill  facil- 
ities are  all  that  can  he  desired.  The  town- 
ship has  as  good  roads  as  any  other  portion 
of  the  county,  but  in  reality  this  is  not  say- 
ing much  to  the  credit  of  roads  in  general. 
As  there  are  few  streams  in  the  township, 
bridges  are  not  much  needed. 

Originally,  Bald  Hill  was  a  part  of  Elk 
Prairie  Election  Precinct;  but  after  township 
organization,  it  became  Bald  Hill  Township. 
It  is  Democratic  in  politics,  and  has  always 
been  of  that  faith.  Since  the  time  of  town- 
ship organization,  the  following  is  a  list  of 
township  officials  in  Bald  Hill: 

Supervisors — John  B.  Ward,  1870;  John 
B.  Ward!  1871;  John  B.  Ward,  1872;  John 
B.  Ward,  1873;  R.  J.  D,  Allan,  1874;  S.  B. 
Gilbert,  1875;  R.  J.  D.  Allan,  1876;  J.  B. 
Ward,  1877;  J.  B.  Ward,  1878;  J  .B.  Ward, 
1879;  J.  H.  Johnson.  1880;  L.  A.  Johnson, 
1881;  L.  A.  Johnson,  1882;  R.  T.  Wright, 
1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Township  Clerks- G.  B.  Johnson,  1872; 
H.  F.  White,  1873;  W.  Clampit,  1874;  W. 
H.  Hudson,  1875;  W.  H.  Hudson,  1876:  J. 
H.  Wilhaite,  1877;  J.  H.  Wilhaite,  1878;  J. 
Lemmon,  1879;  J.  Lemmon,  1880;  J.  Lem- 
mon,  1881;  W.  H  Baldwin,  1882;  Thomas 
Dennington,  1883,  now  in  office. 

Assessors— William  Clampit,  1872;  Will- 
iam Clampit,  1873;  S.  B.  Gilbert,  1874; 
William  Clampit,  1875;  T.  S.  Johnson,  1876; 
W.  E.  Ward,  1877;  W.  E.  Ward,  1878;  S. 
B.  Gilbert,  1879:  B.  W.  Laur,  1880;  J.  J. 
Baker,  1881;  B  W.  Laur,  1882;  O.  E.  Bald- 
win, 1883,  the  present  incumbent. 

Collectors— S.  B.  Gilbert,  1872;  S.  B.  Gil- 
bert, 1873;  H.  Foreman,  1874;  W.  E.  Ward, 
1875;  W.  E.  Ward,  1876;  W.  E.  Ward, 
1877;  W.  J.  Cook.  1878;  B.  W.  Laur,  1879; 
H.  Foreman,  1880;  W.J.Cook,  1881;  W.  J. 
Cook,  1882;  S.  M.  Gilbert,  1883,  now  hold- 
ing the  position. 


School  Treasurers— R.  J.  D.  Allan,  W.  H. 
Benthall,  W.  H.  Baldwin,  G.  B.  Johnson,  W. 
H.  Benthall,  S.  S.  Warren. 

Justices  of  the  Peace  — W.  H.  Cunning- 
ham, S,  B.  Gilbert,  J.  F.  Kirkpatriek,  R.  J. 
D.  Allan,  W.  S.  Jenkins,  W.  J.  Cook,  S.  B. 
Gilbert,  R.  T.  Wright,  R.  J.  D.  Allan. 

Constables — J.  R.  Fagan,  W.  H.  Baldwin. 
J.  Warren,  W.  H.  Allen,  S.  O.  Nowland,  J. 
Johnson,  R.  T.  Wright,  J.  F.  Walker,  W.  H. 
Baldwin,  A.  J.  Duglett,  J.  R.  Fagan. 

Highway  Commissioners— Isaac  Fleener, 
C.  B.  Hamby,  A.  C.  Wheeler,  William  Dud- 
ley, H.  C.  Foreman,  W.  Harris,  J.  B.  John- 
son, H.  F.  White,  R.  D.  Webb,  J.  B.  John- 
son, F.  M.  Baldwin,  M.  M.  Fitzgerrell.  W. 
A.  Ward,  A.  J.  Duglett. 

Educational  and  church  facilities  are 
somewhat  meager  in  this  township  to  what 
they  are  in  other  portions  of  the  county. 
The  early  history  of  education  here  is  but  a 
sample  of  what  it  was  elsewhere  in  the  early 
days.  It  cannot  be  said  now  who  taught  the 
first  school,  or  where  the  first,  schooihouse 
was  built.  The  township  now  has  five  school- 
houses,  a  smaller  number  than  any  other 
township  in  the  county.  These  schoo  [houses 
stand  on  Sections  2,  8,  23,  29  and  36,  and  in 
them  schools  are  taught  for  the  usual  period 
each  year.  There  is  but  one  church  build- 
ing in  the  township,  and  that  is  Bald  Hill 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  near  the  north 
line  of  the  township.  It  is  a  frame  building, 
and  has  a  very  good  membership  for  a  coun- 
try church.  Religious  services  are  held  in 
several  of  the  schoolhouses. 

Bald  Hill  Township  contains  some  very 
fine  farming  lands.  It  is  diversified  between 
woodland  and  prairie.  Horse  Prairie  lies 
mostly  in  Bald  Hill,  while  the  four  town- 
ships of  Bald  Hill,  Blissville,  Elk  Prairie 
and  McClellaa  corner  in  Knob  Prairie.  In 
these  prairies  may  be  seen  some  as  fine  farms 


HISTORY  OF  JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


419 


as  are  found  in  the  county.  Stock-raising 
is  beginning  to  occupy  the  minds  of  the 
farmers  mi;ch  of  late  years,  and  judging 
from  present  indications  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  this  will  be  quite  a  stock-rais- 
ing region.  No  railroad  taps  the  township, 
but  the  Illinois  Central  passes  so  near  it  that 
it  affords  the  farmers  here  excellent  shipping 
facilities.      There    is  nothing  to  prevent  this 


township  from  being  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous communities  in  the  county.  Nothing  is 
required  but  plenty  of  energy  and  enterprise. 
With  this  chapter  we  close  the  historical 
part  of  this  volume.  To  the  many  friends 
who  have  lent  us  their  kindly  smiles  and 
assistance,  and  particularly  to  the  old  set- 
tlers, we  wish  them  health,  longj  life  and 
happiness.      Addio! 


PAET   IV 


JOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES, 


PART  IV. 


Biographical  Sketches, 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


JOHN  R.  ALLEN,  farmer.  P.  0.  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  June  16,  1840,  in  Jefferson  County, 
III.,  son  of  John  W.  Allen,  of  Sumner  Count}', 
Tenn.,  since  of  Jefferson  County,  111.,  was  edu- 
cated in  Washington  County,  111.,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  served  three  years  in  the  late  war  in  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infautr}'.  He  works  at  the  wagon 
trade  and  runs  a  grist  mill,  but  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade.  Was  married,  August  11, 
1860,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.,  daughter  of  William 
Tate,  of  Jefferson  County,  and  has  had  six 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living — Eli  \\'.,  Per- 
dita  R.,  Nina,  U.  S.  and  Henry  D.  Mrs.  Allen 
died  July  23,  1875,  and  was  buried  at  Pleas- 
ant Grove.  Mr.  Allen  was  again  married  Sep- 
tember 26,  1875,  to  Eliza  J.  Mitchell  of  Mis- 
sissippi, by  whom  he  has  had  one  child — Ed- 
ward C.  He  owns  161  acres  of  land,  and  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Poli- 
tics, Republican. 

HON.  WILLIAM  B.  ANDERSON,  County 
Judge,  Mt.  Vernon.  (A  sketch  of  Judge  William 
R.  Anderson  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on 
the  War  History.) 

JOHNW.  BAUGH,  express  agent,  Mt.  Ver- 
non, was  born  Febr.  11,  1836,  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111. 
He  is  a  son  of  Judge  Downing  Baugh,  a  native 
of  Barren  County,  Ky.,  an  attorney  at  law,  who 


came  to  this  count}-  about  1821,  teaching  school 
for  several  years,  after  which  he  entered  the 
mercantile  business,  and  then  served  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  many  j-ears  ;  also  served  as 
Probate  Justice.  At  the  age  of  forty-five,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  followed  his 
profession,  and  in  1854  was  appointed  Judge 
of  the  Circuit  Court,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term 
of  Judge  Marshall.  In  1857,  he  moved  to  Mc- 
Gregor, Iowa,  where  he  followed  his  profes- 
sion, and  was  elected  Judge  of  the  City  Court. 
He  is  now  virtually  retired  from  active  life. 
He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, Mt.  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31,  holding  the 
office  of  Master  for  many  years.  In  his  new 
home  in  Iowa,  he  has  also  been  prominently 
connected  with  the  higher  order  of  Masons, 
and  now  holds  the  office  of  Grand  Prelate  of 
the  Grand  Commandery  of  the  Knights  Temp- 
lar, and  also  Grand  Chaplin  of  the  Grand  Chap- 
ter. He  was  born  in  Auril,  1798,  and  is  yet 
living,  a  grand  old  man,  although  he  has  lost 
his  eyesight.  He  has  seen  more  than  two 
generations  rise  and  pass  away.  He  is  aDem- 
ocrat  in  pohtics,  and  a  warm  supporter  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  His  whole 
life  is  an  example  worthy  of  imitation.  His 
father,  John  Baugh,  was  also  a  native  of 
Kentucky.     He  was  a  minister  of  the  Christian 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Church.  He  was  also  a  merehaut  in  Bowling 
Green,  K}-.,  and  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  to  which  lat- 
ter place  he  came  about  1821,  and  died  here  in 
1854.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mill}-  (Pace) 
Baugh,  was  a  daughter  of  an  old  pioneer,  Joel 
Pace,  who  was  formerly  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  He  died  here.  Her  mother, 
Mary  (East)  Pace,  was  a  fine  old  lady,  a  true 
type  of  our  American  women  ;  she  reached  the 
good  old  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Our  sub- 
ject was  educated  in  Mt.  Vernon.  In  earl}' 
life  he  learned  and  followed  the  harness-maker's 
trade.  In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Eighteenth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  as  a  mu- 
sician, and  was  mustered  out  in  the  spring  of 
1862,  when  here-enlisted  in  Company  F,  of  the 
Fortieth  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  as  a  pri- 
vate, but  through  his  own  exertion  and  ability 
was  promoted  several  times,  till  he  held  the 
office  of  Adjutant.  He  resigned  in  th^  fall  of 
1864,  and  returned  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he 
served  in  the  Circuit  Clerk's  office  for  eleven 
years,  and  then  served  four  years  as  Police 
magistrate.  Since  then  he  has  been  express 
agent  for  the  Adams  Express  Compan}".  Our 
subject  was  married  in  May,  1862,  at  Mt.  Ver- 
non, 111.,  to  Miss  Amelia  J.  Hill,  born  April 
1,  1842,  in  Clay  County,  111.  Her  father.  Rev. 
J.  H.  Hill,  was  a  native  of  Ohio.  Her  mother 
was  Eleanor  (Williams)  Hill.  Mrs.  Baugh  is 
the  mother  of  two  children — Frank  C,  born 
July  5,  1865  ;  and  Milly  E.,  born  October  21, 
1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baugh  and  children  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  an  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  an  active  worker 
in  the  Sunday  school,  of  which  he  is  the  Su- 
perintendent. In  political  matters,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

WILLIAM  BAWDEN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Cornwall,  England,  July 
9.  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Bawden  (de- 
ceased), also  a  native  of  Cornwall,  He  mar- 
ried Louise  Quilliam,  a  native  of  the  Isle  of 
Man,  and  a  daughter  of  John   Quilliam,     Mrs, 


Bawden  has  in  her  possession  a  photograph 
of  the  Laxey  Water  Wheel,  on  her  native 
Island,  which  is  the  largest  water  wheel  in  the 
world,  being  thirty-seven  feet  in  diameter.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bawden  have  eight  children — Nellie, 
Hannah  L.,  Willy  R.,  John  H,,  Thomas  E,, 
Emma  ?Iaud,  Herbert  M.  and  Mabel  M.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bawden  came  to    North  Michigan  in 

1857,  and  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1864,  but  in 
eighteen  months  went  back  as  far  as  Jo  Daviess 
County,  111.,  where  he  bought  a  half  interest  in 
a  lead  mine,  since  known  as  Bawden's  Tunnel, 
which  he  ran  for  about  nine  years.  He  then 
went  to  Utah  Territory,  and  worked  in  the  cele- 
brated Emma  Mine,  in  Little  Cottonwood 
Caiion  for  eighteen  months,  when  he  returned 
to  Jo  Daviess  Count}",  and  engaged  in  farming, 
which  he  still  pursues.  He  removed  to  this 
county  in  March,  1881,  and  settled  on  Section 
15,  in  Mt.  Vernon  Township,  where  he  owns 
160  acres  of  land. 

LEWIS  N.  BEAL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  in  Lehigh  County,  Penn.,  April  28, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  Beal  (deceased),  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  who  emigrated  to  America 
about  the  year  1836.  Our  subject  spent  his 
boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  and  attended  the 
common  schools.  He  came  to  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  with  his  parents  in  1851.  and  in  1855  to 
Centralia.     He  came  to  Jefferson    Count}'  in 

1858,  where  he  has  since  resided,  except  two 
years  that  he  spent  in  Kansas,  which  was  dur- 
ing 1864  and  1865.  He  married  Sarah  M. 
Casey  January  20,  1872.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  the  well-known  Franklin  S.  Casey  (deceased). 
They  have  three  cliildren — Alvin  C,  John  F. 
and  May  E.  Mr,  Beal  owns  eighty-five  acres 
of  very  valuable  land,  and  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church.  His  farm  lies  in  Sec- 
tion 30,  and  adjoining  the  city  of  Mt,   Vernon, 

GEORGE  H  BITTROLFF,  merchant,  Mt. 
Vernon,  This  gentleman  was  born  April  18. 
1852,  in  Evansville,  Ind.     His   father,  Louis 


MOrNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


Bittrolff,  was  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany.  He 
is  a  jeweler  by  occupation,  having  learned  his 
trade  with  his  father,  John  L.  Bittrolff,  who 
also  had  the  first  jewehy  store  in  Evansville, 
Ind.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Anna  (Gross- 
man) Bittrolff,  is  a  native  of  Wurtcmberg,  Ger- 
many. She  is  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
viz.:  George  H.,  Louis  H.,  Annie  Wright.  Mol- 
lie  Ford,  William,  Eliza  and  Walter,  deceased. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Evansville,  where 
he  learned  and  followed  book-keeping  till  1878, 
when  he  came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he.  in  part- 
nership with  R.  E.  Ryan,  opened  a  dry  goods 
store  on  a  small  scale,  but  added  to  the  stock 
from  time  to  time  till  at  present  the}'  carry  a 
stock  of  from  $12,000  to  $15,000,  including  a 
stock  of  boots  and  shoes.  Owing  to  his  energy, 
honesty  and  perseverance,  he  has  established 
for  himself  a  good  reputation  as  a  thorough 
business  man.  His  store  occupies  the  first  and 
second  floors  of  a  fine  building  on  the  south 
side  of  the  square.  He  was  married,  October 
10,  1872,  in  Evansville,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Willa 
Nail,  born  August  24,  185-1,  in  Rumsey,  Ky. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  William  J.  and  Rebecca 
Nail.  Four  children  were  the  result  of  this 
happy  union,  viz.:  Hallie  A.,  born  November 
3,  1873;  George  Nail,  born  July  10,  1877; 
Ray,  born  November  30, 1879;  Clyde,  born  June 
(!,  1882,  .\Irs.  Bittrolff  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
and  in  politics  is  a  Republican.  The  Bittrolffs 
came  originally  from  France,  from  whence  thej' 
fled  to  Germany  on  account  of  religious  perse- 
cution, about  the  time  the  Huguenots  came  to 
America. 

DR.  ROBERT  BLUM,  dentist,  Mt.  Vernon. 
It  is  an  encouraging  phase  of  our  present  age 
that  the  prizes  awarded  honest  work  and  vigor- 
ous energy  are  open  to  all,  and  that  the  young 
man  maj'  win  the  highest  honors  and  emolu- 
ments equally  with  the  man  of  large  and  varied 
experience.  Dr.  Blum,  though  only  just  in 
middle  life,  has  risen  to  the  higher  rank  of  his 


profession,  and  sustains  a  reputation  worthy 
only  of  the  highest  abilit}-.  He  was  born  July 
23,  1842,  in  Southeastern  Russia,  and  is  a  son 
of  A.  and  Julia  (Schultz)  Blum,  both  natives  of 
Russia  ;  he  born  in  1812,  and  she  in  1818. 
The  parents  came  to  this  country,  with  their 
family,  in  1844,  and  first  settled  in  Galveston, 
Texas,  where  the  father  dealt  in  furs  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  At  present  he  is  a  merchant  in 
Tarpen  Springs,  Fla.,  and  since  his  advent  in 
this  country  he  has  made  and  lost  three  good 
fortunes.  Subject  is  the  youngest  of  three  liv- 
ing children — Edward  A.,  Amalia  G.  and  Rob- 
ert— out  of  a  family  of  fourteen  children.  The 
schools  of  New  Orleans  and  St.  Louis  afforded 
our  subject  his  means  of  education.  Wliile  in 
the  latter  city,  he  apprenticed  himself  to  a  den- 
tist there,  and  there  learned  his  profession.  He 
afterward  practiced  dentistrj-  in  Du  Quoin 
and  Cairo,  and  in  1872  he  came  to  Mt. 
Vernon,  where  he  has  followed  his  profession 
since.  He  was  married,  June  4,  1867,  in  Du- 
Quoin,  to  Miss  Alice'Spotts,  born  February  8, 
1844,  in  Greene  County,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  Spotts,  born  May  7,  1812,  in  Delaware, 
an  architect  and  builder  b}'  profession.  He  died 
July  31,  18(i4.  Five  children  have  come  to 
bless  this  union — May  0.,  born  May  5,  1868; 
Albert  and  Alfred,  twins,  born  September  2, 
1869;  Robert  A.,  born  January  1,  1874,  and 
Guy  E.,  born  February  6,  1881.  Mr.  Blum  is 
a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  a  Democrat. 

JOHN  S.  BOGAN,  Circuit  Clerk,  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  in  Woodstock,  Shenandoah  Co.,  Va.,  on 
the  6th  of  March,  1820.  '  His  father,  Benjamin 
Bogan,  was  born  in  Spottsylvania  County,  Va  , 
December  30,  1795.  He  was  reared  in  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  and  graduated  from  the  theolog- 
ical seminarj-  of  that  city;  he  there  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  printer's  trade  with  John 
Stewart,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Wood- 
stock of  that  State,  when  he  became  engaged 
in  the  publication  of  a  paper,  he  himself  acting 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


as  editor;  he  continued  this  for  a  number  of 
years  and  then  removed  to  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio, 
where  he  published  a  paper  for  four  j'ears.     At 
the   expiration  of  this    time  he    returned    to 
Woodstoclt,  and  soon  after  was  appointed  clerls 
of  the  Second  Comptroller's  office,  Washington, 
D.  C  and  soon  after  was  transferred  to  a  clerk- 
ship in  the  general  post  office.     He  held  this 
position  for  ten  3'ears,  and  was  then  appointed 
chief  clerk  of  the  Senate  document  room,  where 
he   remained   for   twentj-two  years,  and    was 
then  removed  on  the  commencement  of  Grant's 
Presidency.     He  was  a  Captain  in  the  war  of 
1812.     At  the  time  of  his  newspaper  career,  he 
became  noted  as  one  of  the  leading  writers  of 
the  east,  and  was  afterward   a   corresponding 
editor  of  five  or  six  of  the  leading  journals  of 
our  country.     He  was  an  Elder  of  the  Presby- 
terian   Church.     His  death  occurred   in  Fair- 
fax  County,  Va.,  on  the  25th   of  July,  1870. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  Bogan,  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and   a  soldier  in   the   Revolutionary 
war.        Sarah     A.      (Ott)      Bogan     (subject's 
mother)  was    born  at  Woodstock,    Va.,  April 
18,  1801,  and   died    in   Fairfax    County,  Va.; 
September  26,  1867.     She  was  a  daughter  of 
Michael  and  Mary  (Zaron)  Ott,  natives  of  York, 
Penn,,  who  subsequently   settled  in  Virginia. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war.     Our  sub- 
ject's parents  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  the 
following  six  are  living :  Dr.  Vanburen,  of  Wash- 
ington City;  Susan  S.,  wife  of  Hon.  George  H. 
Varnell,  of  Mt.  Vernon,   111.;  Samuel    W.,   of 
Washington,  D.  C;  Anna,  wife  of  Samuel  Butt, 
of  Fairfax    County,    Va.;  Charles    J.,   of  the 
Treasury  Department,  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
John  S.,  our  subject,  who  is  the  oldest  child. 
He  was  reared   in   Woodstock    until    he   was 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  was  removed  by 
his  parents  to  Washington.     When  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  he  entered  upon  a  six  years' 
term  of  apprenticeship  in  the    GJohe  printing 
office  of  Blair  &  Reed,  Washington,  D.  C.     He 
remained  in  this   position  until  1843,  when,  on 


account  of  his  failing  health,  he  engaged    in 
farming  near  Washington,    and   continued  the 
saipe  until  October  30, 1846;  he  came  to  Jeffer- 
son County,  111.,  in  Grand  Prairie   Township, 
where  he  continued  the  occupation  of  farming 
until  August,  1851,  when   he  removed  to  Mt. 
Vernon,  and  started  the  first  newspaper  of  the 
town,  the  Jeffersonian.     In  the  fall  of  1854,  he 
sold  his  paper  to  Bowman   &   Robertson,  and 
the  same  year  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  of  the 
county,  a  position  he  still  retains,  and  fills  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  citizens  of  Jeffer- 
son County.     Previous  to  1854,  while  engaged 
in  farming,  he  held  the  offices  of  School  Direc- 
tor, Constable   and    Deputy   Sheriff.     He   was 
married  in  1842  to  Miss  Louisa  Margaret  Bru- 
nette, a  native  of  Alexandria  County,  Va.    She 
is  the  mother  of  five  children,  viz.,  Sarah  B., 
wife  of  Marcus  L.  Goodale;  Mary  C,  wife   of 
William  T.  Goodrich;  Hannah,  wife  of  Newton 
C.  Pace;  William  and  John  F.     Mr.  Bogan  has 
been  connected  with  the  Jefferson  County  Fair 
Association  as    Secretary   or    President  since 
1860;  he  is   a  charter    member    of  the  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  "  Iron  Hall."     He 
and  wife  are  connected  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

RUFUS  J.  BOND,  druggist,  Mt.  Vernon,  was 
born  Nov.  11,  1847,  in  Shiloh  Township,  Jeffer- 
son County,  111.  He  is  a  son  of  Michael  Bond, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  but  reared  in  Ten- 
nessee. He  came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of 
1829,  and  the  next  year  moved  his  family  here, 
he  following  his  vocation,  and  dying  in  1880, 
being  the  son  of  Louis  Bond.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  Maria  (Fuller)  Bond,  was  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  five  boys  and 
two  girls  are  now  living.  Her  parents  were 
Levi  and  Elizabeth  Fuller,  he  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  she  of  New  Jersey.  Our  subject 
was  educated  in  this  county,  where  he  also 
tilled  the  soil  till  after  he  was  twenty -two  years 
old,  when  he  commenced  clerking  in  Mt.  Ver- 
non in  the  drug  store  of  Samuel  S.  Porter.    He 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY   AND  TOWNSHIP. 


is  now  a  partner  of  Mr.  Porter,  having  a  half 
interest  in  the  store.  Our  subject  was  joined 
in  matrimony  to  Miss  Mary  J.  England,  who 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children — Norman 
A.  and  Maude,  deceased  ;  Harry,  born  Decem- 
ber 1,  1878  ;  Anna  L.,  born  November  19, 
1880,  and  Neal,  born  May  27,  1883.  Mrs. 
Bond  is  connected  with  the  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  Bond  holds  the  responsible  office  of  City 
Treasurer,  and  in  politics  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party. 

HON.  THOMAS  S.  CASEY,  Circuit  Judge, 
Mt.  Vernon.  For  sketch  of  Judge  Casey,  see 
chapter  on  Bench  and  Bar. 

W.  B.  CASEY,  liveryman,  Mt.  Vernon,  was 
born  in  June,  1820,  in  Jefferson  County.  His 
father,  William  Casey,  Esq.,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, but  reared  in  Kentucky;  he  died  in  this 
county.  When  about  twelve  years  old,  while 
living  at  Cave-in-Rock,  111.,  he  and  his  aunt 
killed  a  bear  which  was  swimming  the  Ohio 
River.  He  was  also  married  at  Cave-in-Rock, 
to  Amy  Barker,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Louis  Bar- 
ker, one  of  the  most  prominent  pioneers  of 
Southern  Illinois,  who  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature when  Illinois  was  a  Territor}-,  and  was 
afterward  elected  to  the  Senate.  His  lather, 
Isaac  Casey,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  brother  of  Gov.  Case}-.  He 
came  here  about  1817.  (See  General  History 
about  the  Casey  family.)  Squire  William 
Casey  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  at  one 
time  was  considered  the  wealthiest  man  in  Jef- 
ferson Count}-,  donating  the  ground  on  which 
Mt.  Vernon  was  built.  He  held  the  offices  of 
Commissioner  and  Justice  of  the  Peace.  The 
past  record  of  the  Casey  family  is  such  that 
their  descendants  can  well  be  proud  of  it.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he 
spent  a  great  deal  of  his  time.  His  main  occu- 
pation in  life  has  been  that  of  a  United  States 
Mail  Contractor  ;  even  as  late  as  eight  years 
ago  he  got  sixteen  contracts  from  the  Govern- 
ment.    He  has  never  held  nor  sought  public 


oflSce,  and  may  yet  be  considered  a  type  of 
the  old  pioneers.  Mr.  Casey  has  been  married 
twice,  his  present  wife,  Sarah  C.  Hamlin,  being 
born  in  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Rhoderiek 
Hamlin.  The  result  of  the  union  is  three 
daughters — Lora,  deceased  ;  Cornelia,  wife  of 
John  McGuire,  and  Virginia.  Mr.  Casey  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  belonged  to  the  United  States  re- 
cruiting service. 

WILLIAM  C.  C0W6ER,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  February  15, 
1828,  and  was  a  son  of  Adam  Cowger,  deceased. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  this  county 
in  1850,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  15,  1883.  He  followed 
teaming  several  years,  and  ran  a  livery  stable 
in  Mt.  Vernon  about  twelve  years.  He  was 
married  in  July,  1849,  to  Abigail  Suter,  by 
whom  he  had  one  child — William  A.,  born  June 
29,  1850,  and  died  January  24,  1874.  Mrs. 
Cowger  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Tenn.,  in 
1833,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William  Suter,  de- 
ceased. 

RUSSELL  DEWEY,  miller,  Mt.  Vernon,  born 
February  11,  1833,  in  Erie  County,  Penn.  He 
is  a  son  of  Russell  Dewey,  Sr.,  born  January 
2,  1800,  in  New  Canaan,  N.  Y.  He  was  also  a 
miller,  and  died  near  Quincy,  Adams  County, 
111.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Elizabeth 
(Miks)  Dewey,  born  March  5,  1805,  in  Hocking 
Ohio,  and  died  in  Adams  County,  111.  She 
was  married  September  17,  1821,  at  Hocking, 
Ohio,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Spurgin,  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 
She  was  the  mother  of  twenty  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  now  living.  Our  subject  was 
educated  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  and 
in  early  life  devoted  his  attention  to  milling, 
and  has  followed  it  in  Erie,  N.  Y.,  near  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  in  Missouri  and  in  Mt.  Vernon, 
to  which  place  he  came  in  1860.  He  was  mar- 
ried twice.  His  first  wife,  Rebecca  Kimmons, 
died  in  Adams  County.  His  present  wife,  Eu- 
nice   (Mills)    Dewey,   was    born   January    28 


8 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


1841,  in  Hardin  County,  III.  Her  parents 
were  George  and  Hannah  (Pollard)  Mills,  the 
latter  a  native  of  England.  George  Mills 
lived  eighteen  j'ears  in  Mt.  Vernon,  merchan- 
dising most  of  the  time,  but  at  one  time  acting 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Jefferson  County,  in 
which  he  died.  Jlrs.  Eunice  Dewey  is  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  viz. :  George  W., 
deceased;  Addie,  born  March  14,  1864;  Mary 
0.,  born  October  20,  1865;  Emma  L.,  born  De- 
cember 2,  1867;  Eliza  G.,  born  October  26, 
1869;  Edgar  A.,  born  March  12,  1871;  Mattie, 
born  December  27,  1873;  Charles  L.,  born  No- 
vember 16,  1875;  Lucy  A.,  born  May  26, 
1878;  Harry  R.,  born  April  9,  1880;  Frank  M., 
born  September  13,  1882.  Mrs.  Dewey  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  an 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  also  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  a 
member  of  the  Iron  Hall.  At  present,  he  holds 
the  office  of  Alderman. 

SILAS  DOWNER,  wagon-maker.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  July  15,  1831,  in  Vermont. 
His  father,  John  Downer,  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
but  in  early  life  taught  school.  In  the  fajl  of 
1832,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County,  and  for 
many  years  followed  teaching  as  a  vocation. 
He  is  }-et  living  with  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
whose  grandfather,  Silas  Downer,  was  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  but  died  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, to  which  he  came  about  1830.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Sarab  (Neil)  Dowuer,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont ;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Wal- 
ter and  Hannah  Neil,  and  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  are  now  livhig  in  this 
county;  she  died  May  1,  1882.  Our  subject 
was  educated  in  this  county,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  most  of  his  life.  In  early  life  he 
farmed.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  commenced 
working  at  the  blacksmith  trade,  to  which  he 
devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention.  He  is  a 
natural  mechanic,  and  most  of  his  life  has  been 
spent  in  shops  and  mills,  of  which  latter  he  has 
built  and    repaired   a  great  many.     The  last 


three  years,  however,  he  has  spent  in  his  wag- 
on shop.  Our  subject  was  joined  in  matrimonj-, 
April  13,  1852,  in  Mount  Vernon,  to  Miss 
Harty  L.  Schanck,  born  July  9,  1825,  in  New 
York  ;  she  is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Schanck,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  born  in  1799.  He  came 
here  in  1839,  following  different  occupations, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  living  men  in  the 
county  ;  he  was  also  the  oldest  man  in  his 
regiment  while  serving  in  the  Mexican  war. 
Mrs.  Downer's  mother,  Abigail  (Cole)  Schanck, 
was  a  native  of  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  She 
was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  four 
are  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Downer  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  a  member  of  the 
H.  W.  Hubbard  Chapter  of  R.  A.  M.;  has  been 
Alderman  of  the  Third  Ward,  and  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics. 

COL.  GEORGE  W.  EVANS,  banker.  Mount 
Vernon.  This  gentleman  is  a  son  of  Nathaniel 
and  Mar}-  Evans,  both  deceased,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Wales,  and  who  came  to  America  when 
the}'  were  both  young,  and  were  reared  by  their 
parents  in  Eastern  Virginia,  where  they  died, 
the  former  in  1846,  aged  fifty  j-ears,  and  the 
latter"  in  1849,  aged  fifty  years.  Thej'  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  viz.,  Jonathan  and 
George  W.,  our  subject.  He  was  born  in  Pres- 
ton County,  Va.,  December  20,  1832,  and  was 
there  reared  on  a  farm,  being  bound  out  to 
work  after  his  father's  death.  When  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age,  he  accompanied  an 
overland  emigrant  train  to  California,  and  there 
spent  four  years  in  merchandising  and  mining. 
In  the  fall  of  1850,  he  returned  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  and  the  following  spring  began  a 
roving  life,  which  he  continued  until  the  break- 
ing-out of  the  late  war,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Johnson  County,  111.,  and  raised  Company  E, 
of  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
entered  the  service  as  Captain  of  the  same.  He 
served  through  the  war,  and  passed  through 
the  general  rules  of  promotions,  and  when  he 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


was  mustered  out  of  the  service  he   held  the 
rank   of    Colonel.     After   the  war,  he  settled 
permanently  in  Jefferson  Countj',  111.,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Elk  Prairie  Township  ;  he 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  land   owners  of  the 
county,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  farm- 
ing.    In  1873,  he  engaged  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness, under  the  firm  name  of  Evans,  Wilhanks 
&  Co.     In  1865,  he  married  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  Miss  Martha  C.  Anderson,  daughter  of 
Gov.  Stinson  H.  Anderson,  whose  history  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work.     This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children.     Col.  Evans 
is  a  wide-awake,  public-spirited  and  self-made 
man,  and   enjoys  the   highest  respect  of  the 
communit}-  in  which  he  lives.     He  is  an  active 
member  of  the   A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  and  K.   of  H. 
J.   E.  FERGERSON,  merchant,  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  August  1,  1819,  in  Sumner  County, 
Tenn.     He  is  a  son  of  Nelson  Fergerson,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  a  black.smith  by  occupa- 
tion.    He  came  here  in  the  fall  of  1819,  follow- 
ing his  trade,  mostly.     He  moved  back  to  Ten- 
ne.ssee  in  1822,  and  died  there  in  1825.     His 
father,  Edward  Fergerson,  was  also  a  native  of 
Virginia,  but  died  in  Tennessee.     The  mother 
of  our  subject  wasRoxoda  (Tyler)  Fergerson,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  where  she  died.     She  was 
married  three  times,  her  second  husband  being 
Gideon  Pitt,  who  died  in  Tennessee.     Her  third 
husband   was    Carter  C.    Hall.     She  was   the 
mother  of  eight  children,  viz.:  James  E.  Fer- 
gerson, John  VV. Fergerson, Matilda  A.  Fergerson 
(deceased)  Nelson  Fergerson  (deceased)  Sarah  E. 
Pitt,  William  H.  Hall,  Andrew  Hall  and    Cath- 
arine Hall.    Our  subject  only  went  a  few  months 
to  the  old  subscription  schools  in  Tennessee. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  he  was  bound  out 
eight  years,  bj-  the  courts,  to  learn  the  black- 
smith trade  with  B.  F.  Simpson.     After  four 
years,  he  took  the  white  swelling  in  his  ankle, 
and  was  laid  up  almost  two  years,  and  finally 
was  cured,  his  emploj"er  paying  all  expenses 
and  giving  him  his  liberty.     In  the  fall  of  1836, 


he  returned  to  Jefferson  Count}'  (where  he  had 
lived  several  years  during  his  infancy),  and  in 
Mt.  Vernon  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  black- 
smith with  Burton  Affleck,  till  August,  1837, 
when  he  returned  to  Bedford  Count}-,  Tenn., 
where  he  stayed  with  his  uncle  from  1837  till 
1841,  when  he  got  married  and  moved  to  Sum- 
ner County  in  1843,  where  he  carried  on  farm- 
ing with  good  success  till  1852,  when  he  lost 
his  first  wife,  Ann  S.  Ventress,  who  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  three  are  now 
living,  viz.:  James  M.,  Frank  L.  and  John  L. 
In  the  spring  of  1852,  he  again  came  to  this 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  mer- 
chandising. He  was  married  the  second  time 
to  Mrs.  Margarets.  Westcott,  who  died  in  1858. 
After  Mr,  Fergerson  was  married,  he  went  back 
to  Tennessee  in  order  to  bring  his  children  to  his 
new  home.  Mrs.  Margaret  S.  Fergerson  was 
the  mother  of  five  children,  viz.:  Mary  A.  West- 
cott, wife  of  William  T.  Williams ;  James  West- 
cott; Hon.  John  W.  Westcott,  a  prominent  mer- 
chant and  politician  of  Xenia,  Clay  County,  111.; 
Elizabeth  Westcott ,  present  wife  of  T.  J.  Gas- 
ton, and  William  B.  Westcott,  a  commission' 
man  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried a  third  time,  to  Sarah  F.  Allen,  born  in 
Jefferson  Count}-.  Her  father,  Rev.  George 
Allen,  is  a  local  ministerof  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  She  is  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Glendora  B.,  born  May  2,  1860;  Ju- 
liette E.,  born  September  18,  1863;  Edith  L., 
born  January  6,  1869;  George  E.,  born  July 
20,  1872  (he  died,  July  6,  1883,  from  wounds 
received  by  the  explosion  of  a  coal  oil  can  on 
July  5),  Fannie  E.,  born  August  5,  1876,  and 
Carrie  M.,  born  October  25,  1881.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ferger.son  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Fergerson  has  no  aspi- 
ration for  office,  but  devotes  his  attention  strict- 
ly to  business.  He  has  been  engaged  as  a  mer- 
chant, farmer  and  manufacturer  since  1852. 
He  now  owns  a  harness  store  and  an  interest  in 
Hudspeth,  Taylor  &  Co.'s  dry  goods  store;  also, 


10 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


an  interest  in  the  woolen  factory,  and  for  many 
years  liad  an  interest  in  the  milling  business. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican  to  the  core. 

JOHN  GIBSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  October  22, 1829,  in  Monroe  County, 
Ohio,  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Gorley)  Gib- 
son. The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph 
Gibson,  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  He  was  a 
farmer  b}-  occupation,  and  settled  in  the  North 
of  Ireland,  where  he  died.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Countj-  Tyrone,  Ireland.  He  was  a 
farmer  b}"^  occupation,  and  came  from  Ireland 
in  an  earlj'  day,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Monroe  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
entered  Government  land.  He  finall}"  moved  to 
Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  died.  The  mother  was 
a  native  of  County  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  seven 
are  living.  Our  subject's  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  his  native  county-,  and, 
in  1853,  he  went  to  California,  where  he 
mined  for  a  year  and  then  returned  to  the 
States.  In  1855,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
111.,  and  farmed  for  three  years,  and  then  went 
.to  Pike's  Peak,  Colo.,  crossing  the  plains  with 
two  yoke  of  oxen.  He  mined  in  what  was 
called  the  California  Gulch  until  1860,  and 
then  returning  to  Illinois,  he  farmed  in  this 
county  until  October,  1861.  He  then  enlisted 
in  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Companj-  I,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  entered  the  army  as  a  private,  but 
was  soon  afterward  elected  to  First  Lieutenant. 
He  was  next  promoted  to  Captain,  and  held 
that  position  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Among  the 
battles  in  which  he  participated  were  the  battles 
of  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Stone  River,  siege  of  Nash- 
ville, Mission  Ridge,  Atlanta  campaign,  Sher- 
man's "  march  to  the  sea,"  and  was  finally  mus- 
tered out  at  Goldsboro,  N.  C.  Since  the 
war.  he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  farming. 
He  owns  134  acres,  part  of  which  is  situated  in 
the  corporate  limits  of  Mt.  Vernon.  He  was 
married,  in  this  county,  October  10,  1833,  to 


Mrs.  Mary  Adeline  Coleman,  who  was  born  in 
Morgan  Countj-,  Ohio,  October  10,  1833,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah  Jane  (Web- 
ster) McClure.  This  lady  is  the  mother  of  four 
living  children — C.  C.  Coleman  (by  her  first 
husband),  born  June  12,  1860  ;  Armettie,  born 
Februarj-  13,  1867  ;  James  A.,  born  November 
4,  1869.;  Emily  B.,  born  May  27,  1872.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gibson  are  members  of  the  M.  E. 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.  fraternit}'  of  Opdyke,  and  the  Union  Lodge, 
No.  13,  L  0.  0.  F.,  of  Mt.  Vernon.  He  has 
filled  the  various  chairs  in  both  lodges,  and 
has  been  Grand  Representative  to  the  Masonic 
Grand  Lodge  twice.  In  politics,  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  part3'. 

JUDGE  ANGUS  McNEIL  GRANT,  banker, 
Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Christian  Co.,  Ky.,  May 
26,  1810.  His  parents,  Joshua  and  Henrietta 
(McNeil)  Grant,  originallj-  of  North  Carolina, 
and  of  Scotch  parentage,  settled  in  Kentucky 
in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century.  He 
received  in  his  boyhood  an  ordinarj'  school 
education,  perfected  by  a  subsequent  two- 
years  course  of  study  in  the  higher  branches 
of  learning,  at  Princeton  College,  in  his  native 
State.  Upon  abandoning  definitely  student 
life,  he  became  engaged  in  clerking  for  an 
uncle,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  period  of 
about  four  jears.  He  was  afterward  occupied 
in  farming  and  agricultural  pursuits,  at  which 
he  continued  until  1836.  At  this  date  he  moved 
to  Mount  Vernon  111.,  and  for  two  years  was 
employed  in  merchandising,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  time  he  became  identified  with  the 
hotel  business  and  also  with  farming  opera- 
tions. In  1867,  he  abandoned  the  hotel  busi- 
ness ;  continued  busy  with  farming,  however, 
until  1872.  In  this  year,  the  organization  of 
the  Mount  Vernon  National  Bank  was  effected, 
he  being  the  prime  mover  in  the  enterprise,  and 
to  him  by  election  was  awarded  the  presidential 
chair,  which  he  continued  to  fill  with  fidelity  and 
ability  until  a  serious  attack  of  sickness,  in 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


11 


1879,  compelled  him  to  resign  tlie  position. 
During  the  days  of  the  Whig  party,  he  was 
one  of  its  adherents  and  supporters,  but  since 
its  dii3,soIution  has  been  a  zealous  and  consistent 
Democrat.  In  1837,  he  was  elected  Countj- 
Surveyor,  and  filled  that  office  for  man^'  years. 
He  was  afterward  elected  Count}-  Judge,  but 
resigned  before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  He 
was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  and  settlers  of 
Mount  Vernon,  and  is  honored  as  one  of  its 
most  enterprising  citizens  ;  upon  his  arrival, 
there  were  but  four  or  five  houses  in  the  place, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  con- 
.stantly  and  ably  exerted  himself  to  aid  in 
securing  to  it  the  full  development  of  its 
resources.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Octo- 
ber, 1836,  to  Miss  Martha  Anderson,  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of  William  B. 
and  Ann  (Galaspie)  j^inderson.  She  was  born 
in  1810,  and  died  in  Mount  Vernon,  111.,  May 
8,  1883.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  following 
children  :  Edward  Henry,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  six  years ;  Lena,  wife  of  C.  D.  Ham  ; 
Amanda  C.,  wife  of  M.  M.  Poole,  a  prominent 
banker  of  Shawneetown.  111.,  and  Augusta 
May,  wife  of  William  C.  Pollock.  Judge 
Grant  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Mount  Vernon,  and  enjoys  the  highest 
esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 

WILLIS  DUFF  GREEN,  M.  D.,  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  in  Danville,  Ky.,  January  18,  1821. 
His  father.  Dr.  Duff  Green,  an  eminent  physician 
of  that  place,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Willis  Green, 
who  emigrated  to  Kentuckj-  from  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley  of  Virginia  about  the  year  1780. 
He  is  a  brother  of  Judge  W.  H.  Green,  of  Cairo, 
111.  He  was  educated  primarilj-  at  Center 
College,  in  his  native  town,  and  was  a  classmate 
of  Gen.  John  C.  Breckenridge.  Upon  relin- 
quishing college  life,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  with  his  father,  remaining  under  his 
preceptorsliip  for  a  period  of  two  years.  He 
then,  at  the  expiration  of  this  time,  attended  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Transylvania  Uni- 


versit}',  and  graduated  from  the  Medical  Col- 
lege of  Ohio.  He  then  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Hartford,  Ky.,  where  he  resid- 
ed for  a  year  and  a  half  He  afterward  prac- 
ticed for  two  jears  in  Pulaski,  Tenn.,  i-emovmg 
subsequenti}-,  in  1846,  to  Mount  Vernon,  III., 
which  has  since  been  his  home,  and  where  he 
has  been  constantly  and  successfullj'  occupied 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  extends 
over  the  entire  southern  portion  of  the  State. 
In  politics,  he  has  invariably  and  consistently 
supported  the  principles  and  platforms  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  as  the  Breckenridge  can- 
didate for  Congress,  was  defeated  with  the  head 
of  the  ticket.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  of  Illinois,  and  has  officiated 
as  Grand  Master,  also  as  a  Representative  to 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  United  States.  He  is 
noted  for  his  generosity  in  charitable  enter- 
prises, and  has  always  been  an  active  and  a 
zealous  member  of  benevolent  societies  and  or- 
ganizations. He  was  President  of  the  Mt.  Ver- 
non Railroad  Companj',  until  it  was  merged  in 
the  St.  Louis  &  Southern  Railroad,  and  in  the 
performance  of  the  important  functions  attend- 
ant on  that  office  evinced  the  possession  of  ad- 
mirable administrative  powers.  He  is  a  man 
of  scholarly  attainments,  a  skillful  and  reliable 
phj-sician,  and  a  useful  member  of  the  commun- 
ity amid  which  he  is  an  esteemed  and  loved 
townsman.  He  was  married,  in  1844,  to  Cor- 
inne  L.  Morton,  of  Hartford,  Ky. 

BLUFORD  HARLOW,  former,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Wilson  Count}',  Tenn.,  De- 
cember 27,  1814,  and  is  a  son  of  Overton  Har- 
low (deceased),  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  brought 
his  familj'  to  this  county  in  1818,  and  settled  in 
Mt.  Vernon  Township,  where  our  subject  has 
since  resided.  Mr.  Harlow  was  married,  Janu- 
ary 7,  1841,  to  Emma  Branson,  a  daughter 
of  Brisco  D.  Branson,  an  ea.rly  settler  of  this 
county.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  nine 
living— Noah  H.,  John  H.,  William  T.,  Mary 
E.,  Martha  C,  Stephen  A.  D.,  James  0.,  Joel 


12 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


J.  and  Sarah  E.  Mr.  Harlow  owns  1 60  acres 
of  land,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer. 

ROBERT  HARLOW,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt.  Ver- 
non, was  born  December  15,  1816,  in  Wilson 
Count}',  Tenn.,  a  son  of  Overton  Harlow,  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  married  Elizabeth  Hunt,  of  Ten- 
nessee, bj'  whom  he  had  seven  children — Joel, 
Bluford,  Robert,  Mary,  Henderson,  Charles 
and  Elisha.  Our  subject  came  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  in  the  foil  of  1818,  where  he  still 
resides.  He  was  educated  in  Jefferson  County, 
Til.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
He  was  married  May  1, 1844,  to  Serena,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Lisenby,  of  Tennessee.  Our  sub- 
ject has  had  ten  children,  seven  living — Charles, 
Thomas,  MoUie,  William,  Ellen,  Henry  H.  and 
Ida.  He  owns  165  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Politics, 
Democrat. 

WILLIAM  J.  HARLOW,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt 
Vernon.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native 
of  Jefferson  County,  and  was  born  in  Mt.  Ver- 
non Township  May  8,  1844,  son  of  Joel  Har- 
low, of  Texas,  who  removed  to  Arkansas  when 
our  subject  was  quite  small,  and  later  to  Mis- 
souri. William  J.,  returned  in  1863,  and  has 
since  resided  in  Jefferson  County.  He  was  in 
the  late  war  in  Company  A,  Eighth  Missouri 
Cavalry,  in  the  State  militia.  He  was  mar- 
ried October  9,  1868,  to  Rosella  Warren. 
They  had  one  child — Earl  (deceased).  Mr. 
Harlow  owns  forty  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

JOHN  Q.  HARMON,  a  son  of  John  M.  and 
Christina  (Brown)  Harmon,  was  a  native  of 
Campbellstown,  Lebanon  County,  Penn.,  born 
on  the  10th  of  August,  1830.  During  his  early 
life,  he  had  a  severe  and  protracted  struggle 
with  poverty,  and  when  a  boy  received  but  a 
limited  common  school  education.  On  begin- 
ning his  business  career,  he  was  almost  wholly 
uninformed  in  literature,  language,  books  and 
principles,  and  had   a  passionate  temper,  but 


was  blessed  with  a  resolute  will,  and  he  then 
determined  to  overcome  these  obstacles,  and 
by  industry,  energy  and  patience  he  accom- 
plished the  work  and  learned  to  govern  him- 
self Leaving  home  when  but  a  boy,  he  em- 
barked on  his  career  in  life  as  a  clerk  in  a 
country  store,  and  the  few  months  of  his  stay 
in  that  position  received  the  first  lessons  of  an 
active  life.  After  leaving  the  store,  he  ap- 
prenticed himself  to  the  saddler's  trade,  but 
for  some  reason  unknown  to  the  writer  he 
soon  gave  it  up  and  began  teaching  the  country 
schools,  and  continued  thus  until  he  was  offered 
a  position  under  the  late  John  B.  Irvin,  con- 
tractor on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  He  was 
connected  with  different  railroads,  holding  dif- 
ferent positions,  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
afterward  located  permanently  in  Newark, 
Ohio,  and  was  there  employed  in  the  County 
Clerk's  office  until  1850,  when  he  came  to 
Cairo,  111.,  accepting  a  clerkship  with  Ellis. 
Jenkins  &  Co.,  contractors  in  building  the 
levees  that  surround  that  citv.  In  1851,  he 
went  out  in  the  Lopez  expedition  for  the  lib- 
eration of  Cuba,  with  Joseph  I.  Abell,  of  Cairo, 
and  Frank  Livingston,  of  Paducah,  and  was 
sentenced  to  be  executed,  and  once  taken  out 
to  be  shot,  but  through  the  efforts  of  Daniel 
Webster  those  of  the  expedition,  who  were 
not  already  executed  were  finally  pardoned, 
Harmon  among  the  number.  In  1852,  he  went 
to  Jonesboro,  111.,  and  began  clerking  in  a  gen- 
eral merchandising  store  for  C.  D.  Finch,  and 
remained  thus  engaged  for  about  two  years. 
In  1854,  he  returned  to  Cairo  and  engaged  as 
book-keeper  for  Fowler  &  Norton,  wharf- 
boatmen,  and  later  with  Williams,  Stephens  & 
Co.,  wholesale  grocers.  At  the  organization  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  1856,  he  was 
appointed  Clerk  of  that  court,  and  the  follow- 
ing spring  was  elected  City  Clerk  ;  he  held 
these  positions  until  1861,  when  he  resigned 
and  declined  a  re-election.  On  tue  30th  of 
April,   1860,   he  was  appointed    Clerk   of  the 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


13 


Circuit  Court  to  fill  a  vacancy  iu  that  office, 
and  was  elected  to  tlie  same  office  the  follow- 
ing fall  and  re-elected  in  1864  and  1868.     In 
1861,  he  was  elected  County  Clerk  and  served 
one  term.     He  was  Secretary  ol'  the  State  Con- 
stitutional Convention  of  1870,  and   Clerk  of 
the    House  of  Representatives  of  the  session 
of  1863   and   1864  of  the  General   Assembly. 
He   was   appointed    Consul    to    Chihuahua  in 
Mexico,  by  President  Buchanan,  but  declined 
the  appointment.     He  also  held  the  office  of 
Master  in  Chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and 
Court  of  Common    Pleas.     In    1878,   lie    was 
elected  Clerk  of  the  Appellate  Court  for  the 
Eighteenth  District  of  Illinois,  and  during  his 
term    of    office,    in    the    year    1882,    died   of 
Bright'8  disease,  at  Eureka  Springs,  where  he 
had  gone  in  the  vain   hope  of  regaining  his 
health.     He  was  married  on  the  24th  of  June, 
1858,  to   Mary   H.,  daughter   of  Joseph    and 
Henrietta  McKenzio,  who  still  survives,  and  is 
the  mother  of  the  following  children  :  Mary  C, 
Rob  Roy,  Frank  B.,  Kate  I.  and  Gertrude  P. 
Mr.  Harmon  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  popular 
men  that  ever  lived  in  the  county.     Of  an  im- 
pulsive, warm  and  generous  heart,  his  whole 
nature  was  as  genial  as  sunshine  ;  of   blood 
pure  and  gentle,  his  companionship  was  an  un- 
mixed pleasure  to  all  his  large  acquaintance, 
which  extended  throughout  the  entire  State. 
His  warm  heart  went  out  in  sympathy  to  the 
afflicted,  and  his  purse-string   was  never  tied 
when  the  appeal  of  charity  came.     His  integ- 
rity stood   every  test  of  life,  and   was   never 
questioned  ;  brave,  chivalric  and  impulsive,  he 
would  resent  instantaneously  anj-  real  or  fan- 
cied reflection  upon  his  own  or  his  friend's  in- 
tegrity, but  his  pure  soul  never  harbored  malice, 
hate  or  revenge  a  moment,  and  he  was  as  ready 
to  forgive  and  forget  as  he  had  been  to  feel  and 
resent  the  wrong.     His  ideal  of  moral  integrity 
was  placed  in  the  highest  niche,  and  yet  his 
whole  life  was  marked   by  no  deviation  from 


the  high  standard  he  had  placed  before  him 
when  a  boy.  His  life  was  pure  and  cleanly — 
both  morally  and  socially.  He  was  a  loving 
and  affectionate  husband  and  father,  and  when 
the  cruel  and  irreparable  loss  came  to  his  loved 
household,  with  its  great  and  incurable  afflic- 
tion, the  sympathy  and  condolence — sincere 
and  heartfelt — of  all  his  wide  circle  of  friends 
went  out  to  them  in  their  hour  of  severe  trial. 
At  the  head  of  his  grave  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  posterity  may  stand  and  trul}'  say  the 
world  is  brighter  and  better  that  he  lived.  His 
memory  will  be  cherished,  and  his  good  deeds 
not  forgotten. 

GEORGE  M.  HAYNES,  attorney  at  law, 
Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  iu  Mt.  Vernon.  111., 
August  27,  1847,  and  when  some  two  years 
old  removed  with  his  family  to  Washington 
County,  where  he  remained  until  1865.  He 
then  returned  to  Mt.  Vernon,  for  the  purpose 
of  attending  school,  and  has  since  made  it  his 
home.  By  the  aid  of  friends,  he  was  enabled 
to  attend  JIcKendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  111. 
for  six  months,  which,  with  previous  schooling^ 
gave  him  a  fair  English  education.  While  en- 
irasred  as  a  clerk,  he  found  time  to  read  law 
under  the  direction  of  the  late  Judge  T.  B. 
Tanner,  and  in  March,  1870,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  did  not,  however,  enter  upon  the 
active  duties  of  the  profession,  but  pursued  his 
studies  until  March,  1872,  when  he,  with  Mr. 
R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks,  purchased  the  Mt.  Vemon 
Free  Press,  the  Democratic  organ  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Haynes  took  charge  of  the  paper,  and  un- 
der his  management  it  became  a  strong  and 
vigorous  element  in  the  campaign  of  1872.  In 
October,  Mr.  Haynes  sold  his  interest  in  the 
paper  to  W.  H.  Mantz,  and  in  June,  1873 
formed  a  law  partnership  with  Seth  F.  Crews, 
which  continued  for  nearly  eight  years.  They 
at  once  took  a  front  rank  in  the  profession, 
and  held  it  until  1880,  when  the  partnership 
was  dissolved.  Since  that  time,  Mr.  Haynes 
has  enjoyed  as  good  a  practice  as  any  member 


14 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  the  bar  of  Jefferson  County.  From  1873  to 
1879,  he  was  Master  in  Chancery,  an  office  he 
filled  with  acceptance.  At  the  December  term 
of  court,  1877.  the  State's  Attorney  was  sick 
and  Judge  Allen  appointed  Mr.  Haynes  in  his 
place.  In  politics,  he  has  always  been  an  un- 
flinching and  uncompromising  Democrat,  per- 
mitting nothing  to  move  him  out  of  line.  Mr. 
Haynes  is  still  young  in  years,  and  has  a  use- 
ful future  before  him.  A  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence,  a  lawyer  of  ability  and 
experience,  he  will  yet  make  his  mark  in  the 
profession.  He  has  written  much  for  publica- 
tion, and  is  a  good,  though  not  a  brilliant  writ- 
er. One  of  his  best  efforts  is  his  chapter  on 
the  bench  and  bar  of  Jefferson  County,  wnritte 
especially  for  this  work.  Mr.  Haynes  was  mar- 
ried, August  22,  1876,  to  Miss  Ada  Bucking- 
ham, of  Hamilton  County.  They  have  two 
children  living — Maggie  and  Florence — the  lat- 
ter born  on  the  day  President  Garfield  was 
shot — and  Ada  Louise  dead. 

W.  H.  HERDMAN,  blacksmith.  Mount 
Vernon.  Among  our  quiet,  steady  and  reliable 
citizens  who  deserve  mention  in  this  work  we 
class  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He 
was  born  January  25,  1828,  in  Allegheny 
County,  near  Pittsburgh,  Penn.  His  father, 
Robert  Herdman,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  a  farmer  and  miller  by  occupation  ; 
he  was  a  prominent  man  in  his  county,  and 
drowned  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  in  the 
Muskingum  River.  The  father  of  Robert  was 
William  Herdman,  a  native  of  Ireland,  though 
the  family  originally  is  of  Scotch  descent.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Jane  Hanson,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Penns3-lvania  ;  her  father  was  Thomas 
Hanson  ;  she  is  3'et  living,  aged  eighty  years, 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six  are 
now  living,  viz.;  William  H.,  our  subject ;  Prof. 
Thomas  H.,  now  Presiding  Elder  at  Lebanon. 
111.;  John  R.,  a  carpenter  and  farmer  in  Clay 
County.  111.;  James  H.,  County  Treasurer  of 
Warren  County,  111.;  Mary  A  ,  wife  of  Dr.  Elli-  ' 


ott,  of  Hagerstown,  Ind.,  and  Jane  E.,  wife  of 
Dr.  Givens,  of  Paxton,  Ford  Co.,  111.  Our  sub- 
ject went  to  school  in  Ohio  ;  in  early  life,  he 
farmed  and  then  learned  the  blacksmith  trade, 
which  he  has  followed  all  his  life  ;  he  has  also 
manufactured  plows,  wagons,  buggies,  etc.;  he 
came  to  Mt.  Vernon  in  1850,  and  there  has  fol- 
lowed his  occupation  ;  he  was  joined  in  matri- 
mony, on  the  2-tth  da^'  of  November,  1850,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Kirby,  born  May  3,  1836,  in 
Louisville,  Kj'.  Her  parents,  Moses  and  Lydia 
(Williamson)  Kirby,  were  natives  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  This  happy  union  was  blessed  with 
eight  daughters — Ada  I.,  Ina  B.,  Lydia  J.  (de- 
ceased), Florence  V.,  Ella  A.,  Etta,  Grace  and 
Octavia.  Mr.  Herdman  is  an  I.  O.  0.  F.,  hav- 
ing filled  all  offices,  and  also  been  a  Represent- 
ative to  the  Grand  Lodge  and  Encampment ; 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Town  Council 
and  Supervisor  and  School  Director.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  liberal  Republican. 

F.  W.  HERMANN,  merchant  tailor,  Mount 
Vernon.  Among  the  energetic  young  bus- 
iness men  of  Mt.  Vernon  we  must  count  Mr. 
Hermann,  who  was  born  March  24,  1841,  in 
Loeban,  Prussia,  Germany.  His  father,  F.  W. 
Hermann,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  German}-,  where 
he  died  ;  he  also  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Ger- 
man Army.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Lou- 
isa Heske,  an  estimable  lady,  was  also  a  native 
of  Prussia,  where  she  died,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren to  mourn  her  departure,  and  of  those,  five 
brothers  are  now  living.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated in  German}-,  where  he  learned  his  trade  ; 
becoming  imbued  with  a  desire  to  see  America, 
the  land  of  wealth  and  wonder,  he,  like  manj- 
of  his  sturdy  countrymen,  who  make  such  ex- 
cellent citizens,  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
August  12,  1872.  landing  in  New  York.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  four  and  a  half  years  in 
Little  Falls,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  From  there 
he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  finally,  August  16, 
1877,  he  came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  has  fol- 
lowed his  trade  ever  since.     He  was  joined  in 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY   AND  TOWNSHIP. 


15 


marriage  twice  ;  his  first  wife,  Matilda  A. 
Wacliter,  was  horn  in  Germau3-;  slic  dieil  in  Mt. 
Vernon,  leaving  three  children,  viz.:  E.  R. 
Augnst,  born  January  27,  1871  ;  F.  William, 
born  August  3,  1876,  and  Emina,  deceased. 
His  present  wife.  Ma}-  Stoker,  was  born  May 
8,  1855,  in  Nashville,  III.  She  is  the  mother 
of  Laura  L.,  born  October  18,  1882.  Mr. 
Hermann  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

COL.  STEPHEN  G.  HICKS,  deceased.  A 
sketch  of  Col.  Hicks  will  be  found  in  the  chap- 
ter on  the  war  and  military  history  of  the 
county. 

ROBERT  N.  HINMAN,  I>ostmaster,  Mt. 
Vernon,  is  a  native  of  Jefferson  Count}',  111., 
born  on  the  ISth  of  December,  1854.  His 
father,  Harmon  D.  Hinraan,  was  a  native  of 
Vermont,  born  in  1804.  Here  ho  spent  his 
early  life  and  received  a  limited  education  in 
the  common  schools.  In  1825,  he  moved  to 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  there  served  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  brick  mason's  trade,  and  was,  iu 
November,  1830,  married  to  Cynthia  Eddy,  who 
died  in  1851,  leaving  three  children  as  the 
result  of  their  union — Safford  E.,  deceased  ; 
William  H.,  and  Mary  J.,  wife  of  D.  C.  Groves, 
of  Richland  County,  111.  In  1833,  he  removed 
to  Madison  County,  Ind.,  and  subsequently,  in 
ISll,  to  Jefferson  County,  111., and  settled  on  a 
l':\vm  one  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  the 
city  of  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  remained  en- 
gaged farming  and  working  at  his  trade  until 
1859.  when  he  removed  to  Mt.  Vernon,  and 
erected  by  his  own  design  a  large  and  commo- 
dious brick  residence,  intending  to  spend  his 
remaining  years  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  past 
labor.  His  death  occurred  in  the  fall  of 
18(i0  from  an  injury  received  by  being  thrown 
from  a  horse.  He  was  an  industrious  man,  of 
good  standing  in  the  community,  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  an  active  worker 
for  the  Republican  party.  His  second  marriage 
occurred  in  this  county,  in   1851,  to  Elizabeth 


Moss,  a  native  of  Jefferson  County,  III,  born 
January  30,  1832,  and  died  December  29,  1871- 
She  was  the  mother  of  five  children — Robert 
N.,  our  subject;  Alma,  wife  of  J.  C.  Moss;  and 
Rosa,  John  and  Alice  (deceased).  Robert  N. 
Hinman  was  reared  in  Mt.  Vernon  and  educated 
in  the  city  schools.  When  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age,  he  engaged  as  clei'k  for  S.  K.  Latham, 
Postmaster,  and  remained  thus  engaged  for 
nine  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time 
was  appointed  Postmaster,  which  position  he 
has  since  filled.  In  Ashley,  111.,  in  1875,  he 
married  Miss  Elizabeth  E.  Burghardt,  a  native 
of  New  York,  who  has  borne  him  the  following 
children  :  Eugene,  Earl,  and  an  infant  un- 
named. Mr.  Hinman  is  an  enterprising  young 
'  man,  well  worthy  of  the  confidence  the  people 
place  in  him.  He  is  a  Republican  politically, 
but  takes  no  active  interest. 

EDWARD  HITCHCOCK,  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  Expotu'iit,  Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  iu 
Evansville,  Ind.,  February  3,  1841.  He 
is  a  newspaper  man,  and  has  been  in 
that  business  nearly  all  of  his  life.  At 
the  age  of  twent}',  he  published  the  Tem- 
perance Guide  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  in  con- 
junction with  J.  M.  Pool,  the  editor.  The  war 
of  the  rebellion  breaking  out,  the  patriotic 
ardor  of  51  r.  Hitchcock  was  so  wrought  upon 
that,  leaving  an  edition  of  the  paper  incom- 
plete still  upon  the  press,  he  volunteered  "  for 
a  soldier"  under  the  first  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent for  75,000  volunteers  to  suppress  the  re- 
bellion, and  April  19,  1861,  at  Indianapolis, 
was  mustercMl  into  the  service.  In  the  follow- 
ing August  (his  term  of  enlistment  having 
expired)  he  received  his  discliarge.  Aug- 
ust 18.  1862,  he  "donned  the  blue ''again, 
for  ■•  three  years  or  during  the  war,"  as 
Orderly  in  Company  E,  Seventy-first  Indiana. 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  two  days  later  was 
commissioned  Second  jjieutenant,  and  subse- 
quently promoted  to  First  Ijieutenant,  Com- 
pany E,    Sixth    Indiana    Cavalry.     (The   regi- 


16 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ment,  in  1863,  was  transferred  from   the   In- 
fantry   to   the   cavalry    arm   of  the  service.) 
After  passing  through  the  usual  privations  and 
trials  incident  to  those  stirring  times  (having 
once  been  taken  prisoner  and  paroled)  and  the 
rebellion    having   been  crushed — in    1865,  he 
was  mustered  out  at  Indianapolis.     He  located 
in  the  fall  of  1865  in  Olnej-,  Richland  County, 
111.,  and  there  engaged  in  the  combined    busi- 
ness of  provision  dealer  and  job  printer.     Sub- 
sequently moving  his  job  ofBce  to  Flora,  111.,  he 
bought,  in  1866,  a  half  interest  in  the    Clay 
County   Union,  with  S.  P.  Connor  as   associate, 
and    moved    to  Louisville,   the    count}-   seat. 
Some    months    later,  Connor   having   "  Andy 
Johnsonized,"  Mr.   Hitchcock,  under  political 
compulsion,  bought    the  former's  interest    in 
the  office.     For  seven  years  thereafter  he  had 
sole  editorial  control  of  the  paper,  which  he 
had  christened  The   Voice    of  the    People.     In 
1871,  he    bought  an  interest  in  the  Greenup 
Mail,  and  for  a  year  or  so  edited  both  journals. 
Leasing  The    Voice    to  one  of  his   pupils,   Mr. 
C.  R.  Davis,  in  1872,  he  moved  to   Greenup, 
and  there  in  person  conducted  The  Mail  during 
the  memorable   Grant-Greeley  campaign.      In 
1873,  he  again  assumed  charge,  personally,  of 
The  Voice  of  the  People.     A  few  months  later, 
by  purchase,  H.  R.  Miller,  another  pupil,  took 
control,    changing  the  name  to   the    Tribune. 
The  parties   who  had  taken    The  Greenup  Mail 
in  twelve  mouths  suspended  publication,  and 
in  1874  Mr.  Hitchcock  was  induced  to  lease 
and  resurrect  it.     He  moved  the   office  to  the 
county   seat,  Prairie  City  (now  Toledo),    and 
began  at  "  No.  1,  Vol.  I,"  the  publication    of 
the    Cumberland     Republican.      Placing    the 
paper  upon  a  sound  footing,  at  the  end  of  his 
lease,  he  repaired  to  Effingham,  subsequently 
at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  (his  old  home);  he  found  a 
better   opening    in  the  Express   office,  where, 
later,  a  company  was  formed,  with  our  subject 
as  its  President,  for  the  purpose  of  publishing 
a  daily  and  weekly  newspaper.     It  was  named 


the  Republican  and  he  was  its  political  editor. 
This  was  in  the  winter  of  1875-76,  and  dur- 
ing the  early  months  of  the  Hayes-Tilden  cam- 
paign. Disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  Re- 
publican, Mr.  Hitchcock  took  charge  of  a  job 
office  on  Main  street.  His  friends  offering 
sufficient  inducement,  he,  in  December,  1876, 
removed  to  Casey.  Clark  County,  111.,  and 
under  a  lease,  established  the  Exponent.  Hav- 
ing been  appointed  Postmaster  of  the  thriving 
town,  he  managed  both  offices  with  Mrs. 
Hitchcock's  assistance.  In  November,  1878.  the 
Republicans  of  Jefferson  County  invited  Mr. 
Hitchcock  to  locate  at  Mt.  Vernon,  and  to  bring 
hither  his  printing  material.  He  did  so;  and 
on  the  5th  day  of  December,  of  that  year,  the 
first  number  of  Vol.  Ill,  of  the  Exponent  was 
issued  in  Mt.  Vernon.  Since  that  date,  now 
nearly  five  years,  the  paper  has  regularly 
appeared,  notwithstanding  difficulties  and  trials 
that  possibly  are  not  appreciated  by  those  who 
never  tried  to  stem  the  tide  of  an  adverse  po- 
litical sentiment  that  uniformly  at  elections 
sweeps  over  Jefl'erson  County.  Mr.  Hitch- 
cock was  married  May  27,  1863,  to  Miss  Hen- 
rietta Barber.  Five  children  is  the  result  of 
this  marriage— Edward.  Kate,  Clyde,  Andrew 
H.  and  Grafton. 

JAMES  HITCHCOCK,  photographer,  Mt. 
Vernon.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Terre  Haute,  Ind  ,  Dec.  15, 18-12,  and  is  the  son 
of  Dr.  J.  W.  Hitchcock,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  111.  Our 
subject  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.  In  early  life,  he  learned 
the  drug  business,  and  followe4  the  same  till 
August  12,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  Sixth  Indiana  Cavalry,  under  Capt,  Welsh 
and  Col.  James  Biddle.  The  regiment  served 
in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  During  the 
j  first  engagement  of  the  regiment  at  Richmond, 
Ky..  Mr.  Hitchcock  received  a  flesh  wound. 
August  6,  1864,  he  was  captured  and  lay  in 
Andersonville  Prison  till  April  28,  1865. 
June  10,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  at  Camp 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


17 


Chase,  Ohio,  and  at  that  time  was  Sergeant  of 
his  eompan}-.  After  returning  from  the  arm>', 
he  went  to  Olney,  111.,  where  he  was  again  em- 
ployed in  his  old  business  as  druggist,  but 
after  a  short  time  he  begun  in  his  present  pro- 
fession of  photographer.  Till  1870,  he  trav- 
eled and  did  photograpliing;  he  then  located 
at  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  and  through  his  superior 
workmanship  has  built  up  an  extensive  trade, 
receiving  work  from  Cairo  and  other  cities  at 
a  distance.  Ma}-  3,  1868,  he  was  married,  in 
Olney,  111.,  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Gardner,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  and  daughter  of  George  Gardner. 
In  early  life,  she  was  left  an  orphan,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  was  Assistant  Postmaster  at 
Petersville,  Md.,  where  she  was  subjected  to 
the  experiences  found  in  being  in  the  midst  of 
contending  armies.  Three  of  her  brothers 
were  soldiers  in  the  Union  army.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hitchcock  have  three  children,  viz.:  Ruby 
E.,  Ray  and  Ethel.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  Ivanhoe  Lodge,  No.  683,  K.  of  H.;  also 
Rowena  Lodge,  No.  283,  K.  &  L.  of  H.  He  is 
also  member  of  the  Royal  Templars  of  Tem- 
perance, Mt.  Vernon  Council,  No.  7.  In  pol- 
itics, he  is  a  Republican. 

THOMAS  H.  HOBBS,  miller,  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  on  the 
18th  of  May,  1820,  to  David  and  Chloe  (Hunt) 
Hobbs.  The  elder  Hobbs  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  February  6,  1783,  and  when  a  small 
boy  was  left  an  orphan,  and  was  bound  to 
Jesse  Hunt  to  learn  the  saddler's  trade,  and  was 
removed  by  him  to  Sumner  Count}',  Tenn., 
and  there  principally  reared  and  educated. 
He  subsequently  married  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Hunt,  and  in  the  spring  of  1826,  with  his  wife 
and  seven  children,  removed  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled in  Williamson  County,  and  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  came  to  this  county,  bought  a  small 
improvement  of  land,  and  engaged  in  farming 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1852.  He  was  a  volunteer  of  the  war 
of  1812,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 


copal Church  for  over  fifty  years  His  wife 
and  subject's  mother  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina May  19, 1783,  and  died  in  Jefferson  County, 
111.,  January  8,  1854.  She  was  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living.  Thomas 
H.  Hobbs  was  principally  reared  in  this  county, 
and  here  received  such  an  education  as  the 
schools  of  the  county  afforded.  In  1849,  he  left 
his  home  and  went  to  California  by  overland 
route,  and  remained  there  engaged  in  mining 
in  the  moimtains  for  over  two  years,  and 
returned  home  in  1851,  after  an  absence  of 
two  years  two  months  and  twelve  days.  Dur- 
ing the  years  of  1851  and  1852,  he  was  engaged 
in  contracting  and  superintending  the  track- 
laying  on  the  lUiuois  Central  Railroad.  He 
then  bought  a  farm  in  Washington  County, 
near  Ashley,  and  engaged  in  farming,  and  con« 
tinued  the  same  only  one  year,  and  removed  to 
Ashley  and  engaged  in  merchandising.  In 
1855,  he  sold  his  business,  returned  with  his 
family  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  in  connection  with  farming.  In 
1860,  he  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  con- 
tinued in  this  business  until  1867.  The  year 
previous  to  iiis  selling  out,  he  bought  the  flour- 
ing mill,  which  has  since  chiefly  occupied  his 
time  in  connection  with  stock-feeding,  trading 
and  shipping.  In  February,  1843,  he  married 
Miss  Malinda  Holtsclaw,  who  died  in  1852, 
leaving  two  children  as  the  result  of  their 
union.  Of  these,  one  is  now  living — James  H., 
a  machinist  of  Mount  Vernon.  In  1854,  Mr. 
Hobbs  married  Eliza  E.  Guthrie,  who  has 
borne  him  five  children,  of  whom  the  following 
are  living  :  Charles  A.,  Alva  L.,  Thomas  Ed- 
ward and  Homer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hobbs  are 
Methodists  ;  he  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
a  member  of  the  A.,  V.  &  A.  M.  and  I.  0. 
0.  F. 

THOMAS  HUDSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  this  county  June  18, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Joel  Hudson  (deceased), 
a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a  soldier  for  the 

B 


18 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


United  States  Government  in  the  late  war. 
Our  subject  spent  his  early  life,  from  the  time 
he  was  seven  years  old,  in  Mount  Vernon, 
working  in  the  flouring  mill  of  Hobbs  & 
Guthrie.  He  was  married,  January  20,  1878, 
to  Miss  Martha  S.,  daughter  of  Stephen  D.  C- 
and  Elizabeth  L.  Davis,  of  this  township.  Mr. 
Davis  is  a  boot  and  shoe  maker  in  Mount  Ver- 
non. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hudson  have  had  three 
children,  two  living — Samuel  C.  and  Alvar  T. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  had  ten  children,  four  liv- 
ing— Matilda  R.  (Foster),  Lutitia  A.  (Winters), 
Alevia  (Smith)  and  the  wife  of  our  subject. 
There  were  ten  children  in  the  Hudson  famil}-. 
four  of  whom  are  living — Joel,  Newton,  Charles 
and  our  subject.  Mr.  Hudson  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  owns  eleven 
acres  of  valuable  laud  on  Section  IS,  where  he 
now  resides,  having  recentl}'  abandoned  the 
milling  business. 

JOHN  B.  HUDSPETH,  merchant,  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  December  16,  1824,  in 
Warrick  County,  Ind.,  son  of  Thomas 
Hudspeth,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  He 
was  a  farmer  in  earl}'  life,  and  a  mer- 
chant in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he 
dying  in  Booneville,  Warrick  Co.,  Ind.,  his 
father  being  Charles  Hudspeth,  a  farmer.  The 
mother,  Susannah  (Boone)  Hudspeth,  was  a 
native  of  Warren  County,  Ky.  She  is  a  dis- 
tant relative  of  old  Daniel  Boone,  the  famous 
hunter  of  Kentucky.  Her  father,  John  Boone, 
was  a  farmer  in  Kentucky.  She  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  now 
living,  viz. :  Mar}',  wife  of  William  Hudson  ; 
Thomas  J.,  George  P.,  John  B.  and  Joseph  M. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Bloomington,  Ind., 
at  the  institute.  In  early  life,  he  worked  in  his 
father's  store,  then  learned  and  followed  the 
cooper's  trade  five  3'ears,  and  then  entered  the 
mercantile  career  and  has  followed  it  ever  since. 
He,  in  partnership  with  his  brothers,  started  a 
general  store  in  Booneville,  Ind.,  bu3'ing  and 
shipping  large  quantities  of  tobacco.      They 


were  also  engaged  in  the  milling  business, 
building  two  flouring  mills  and  one  saw  mill. 
In  1865.  he  severed  connection  with  his  brother 
and  went  to  Evausville,  Ind.,  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Hudspeth,  Adams  & 
Co. ;  afterward  it  was  changed  to  Hudspeth, 
Miller  &  Co.  In  1878,  Mr.  Miller  sold  out  and 
Mr.  Curtis  took  his  place.  The  firm  is  now 
known  as  Hudspeth  &  Curtis  ;  they  are  run- 
ning two  large  retail  dry  goods  houses.  A 
year  ago  last  February,  our  suliject  sold  out  to 
his  younger  brother,  Joseph  M.,  and  in  Decem- 
ber, 1882,  came  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  in  April 
the  following  j-ear  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  A.  F.  Tajlor,  and  runs  a  dry  goods  store. 
He  was  joined  in  matrimony  at  Bloomington, 
Monroe  Co.,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Denny,  born 
April  13,  1821,  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  daughter 
of  James  and  Harriett  (Littrell)  Denny,  natives 
of  Kentucky.  Subject  has  three  children  now 
living,  viz.  :  Lily,  wife  of  F.  M.  Barbour  ; 
Eugene  E.,  March  29,  1857,  and  Birdie, 
October  18,  1866,  and  twins  (deceased), 
Thomas  B.  and  James  L.  Mr.  Hudspeth  is  an 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  an  I.  0.  0.  F.  While 
in  Indiana,  he  was  Sherifl"  of  Warrick  County, 
and  filled  other  town  offices.  Had  been  a 
Democrat  till  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  on.  He  is 
now  a  stanch  Republican. 

MAJOR  NOAH  JOHNSTON,  banker.  A 
sketch  of  Major  Johnston  will  be  found  in 
chapter  on  the  political  history  of  the  couutv. 

JAMES  D.  JOHNSON,  merchant,  Mt.  Ver- 
non, a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  pioneer 
families  of  Jefferson  Count}',  and  a  prominent 
business  man  of  Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson County  on  the  20th  of  June,  1838.  to 
John  N.  and  Sarah  T.  (Hobbs)  Johnson.  John 
N.  Johnson  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  there 
reared  and  educated.  In  1819,  with  his  par- 
ents, he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in 
this  county  In  1834,  he  married,  and  soon 
after  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office 
of  Short  &  Frost,  and  subsequently  graduattcl 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND   TOWNSHIP. 


19 


at  the  Ohio  Medical  College.  In  1S50,  he  gave 
up  his  professional  practice  and  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business,  and  continued  the 
same  with  good  success  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  November,  1855.  He 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Metliodist  Epis- 
copal Church  for  over  thirt}-  years,  a  liberal 
contributor  to  churches  and  all  charitable  pur- 
poses. He  was  a  son  of  James  Johnson,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  who  removed  to  Kentuclcy, 
being  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  State, 
and  afterward  to  Tennessee,  and  subseqiientlv 
to  Illinois,  and  settled  in  Jeflerson  County, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  and  is  now  re- 
siding in  Mt.  Vernon.  She  is  the  mother  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  the  following  are  now 
living  :  James  D.,  our  subject;  Mary  P.,  wife 
of  Henrj-  F.  Waters  ;  Chloe  C  ,  wife  of  David 
H.  Warren  ;  A.  Curt,  and  John  N.  James 
D.  Johnson  was  reared  in  .Mt.  Vernon,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  the  county.  In 
1857,  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  store  for  James 
M.  Pace,  for  three  years,  and  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time  engaged  in  merchandising  on  his 
own  account,  continuing  the  same  until  Au- 
gust, 1862,  when  he  entered  the  late  civil  war 
as  a  private  in  Company  B,  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Tenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Inl'antry, 
under  command  of  Col.  T.  S.  Casey,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  in  May,  186,3. 
He  then  returned  home,  and  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, and  is  at  present  engaged  in  the 
same  business,  on  the  east  side  of  the  public 
square.  His  stock  of  goods  comprises  every- 
thing found  in  a  first-class  general  store.  He 
was  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  built  the  large 
wollen  mills  of  this  cit}',  and  was  a  partner  of 
the  same  for  fifteen  years.  In  October,  1860, 
he  married  Miss  Martha  Boswell,  a  native  of 
Princeton,  Ind.,  who  died  in  September,  1870. 
leaving  three  children,  viz.:  Lucius  H.,  Sarah 
A.  and  Alva  C.     In  June.  1875,  he  married  a 


second  time,  Miss  Arabella  Courtney,  a  native 
of  Danville.  III.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children,  of  whom  one  is  now  living, 
viz.,  Leroy  C.  Mr.  Johnson  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ; 
he  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  served 
the  people  in  manj-  of  the  town  offices. 

DR.  A.  C.  JOHNSON,  druggist.  Mount  Ver- 
non, a  son  of  John  N.  and  Sarah  T.  (Hobbs) 
Johnson,  was  born  in  Mount  Vernon,  Jefferson 
Co.,  Ill,  on  the  17th  of  August,  18-47.  He  was 
reared  in  this  county,  and  was  educated  in  the 
Mount  Vernon  High  Schools.  After  his  fiither's 
death,  he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  mercantile 
establishment  of  James  M.  Pace,  and  remained 
with  him  for  a  period  of  two  years.  He  then 
engaged  as  clerk  in  a  drug  store  for  Dr.  E. 
Welborn,  and  remained  thus  engaged  for  three 
years.  In  1865,  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  on  his  own  account.  In  1866,  he  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  with  Hiram  S.  Plum- 
mer,  M.  D.,  and  after  one  and  one-half  years' 
study,  entered  the  Miami  Medical  College  at 
Cincinnati,  graduated,  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Elk  Prairie  Town- 
ship, Jefferson  County,  and  the  following  year 
came  to  Mount  Vernon  and  engaged  in  the 
drug  business,  at  which  he  still  continues.  In 
October,  1868,  he  married  Miss  Amelia  R. 
Stratton,  daughter  of  Capt.  S.  T.  Stratton.  They 
have  two  children.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, an  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizen. 

JAMES  K.  JONES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  August  14,  1816,  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  is  a  son  of  George  Jones,  also  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. He  died  in  Jennings  County,  Ind.  The 
mother  of  our  subject.  Prudence  (Keith)  Jones, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  died  in  Jen- 
nings County,  Ind.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Keith,  a  farmer  and  minister  by  occupa- 
tion. She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  five  are  now  living.  Our  subject  was 
educated  in  Indiana.     He  came  to  this  county 


30 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


in  the  fall  of  1864,  and  has  followed  farming 
with  good  success.  He  built  and  owned  the 
Opdyke  Mills,  managing  it  for  some  time  with 
good  success  ;  he  finally  rented  it  to  other  par- 
ties, and  afterward  ran  it  again  himself  for 
four  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  live 
at  Mount  Vernon.  Our  subject  was  joined  in 
matrimony  twice.  His  first  wife,  Hannah  S. 
Keller,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  died  in 
March,  1872,  in  this  county ;  she  was  the 
mother  of  the  following  children :  Isabella 
Stonemetts,  Mary  Stratton.  Jessie  D.,  Frederich 
C.  and  Virginia  H.  Kline.  Mr.  Jones'  present 
wife.  Miss  Hannah  A.  Montgomerj-,  is  a  native 
of  Ohio,  but  was  reared  in  Indiana.  Her 
father,  Alexander  Montgomery,  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
is  a  Democrat  and  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  They 
are  raising  a  little  grand-daughter,  whose  name 
is  Eva  C.  Yost. 

WILLIAM  A.  JONES,  physician.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  December  24,  1857,  in  Shiloh 
Township,  Jefferson  Co.,  111.  His  father,  Sam- 
uel W.  Jones,  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  where 
he  was  a  farmer  bj-  occupation.  He  came  here 
in  the  fall  of  1857,  farming  nine  3-ears  on 
Moore's  Prairie,  and  finally  moved  back  to  Shi- 
loh Township,  where  he  had  first  settled.  His 
father.  George  Jones,  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
but  died  in  Indiana.  More  about  the  Jones 
family  is  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mary  A.  (Henry) 
Jones,  vvas  a  native  of  Indiana  ;  she  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Henry  ;  she  is  yet  living,  loved 
and  respected  by  all  who  come  in  contact  with 
her,  and  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  viz., 
Nanny  P.  Wells,  George  H.,  Gilbert  D.,  William 
A.,  John  C,  Mary  E.,  Minnie  M.,  Anna  M.,  and 
Samuel  S.  (deceased).  Our  subject  was  edu 
cated  mostly  in  the  common  schools  of  Jeffer- 
son Count3^  He  attended  medical  lectures  at 
the  Missouri  Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where   he   graduated  March   4,  1880.      After 


practicing  ten  months  he  removed  to 
Mount  Vernon  February  1,  1881,  where 
he  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  enjoying  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  a  large  number  of  people  in  both  town  and 
countr}',  and  building  for  himself  an  enviable 
reputation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  Marion  Lodge,  No.  31.  In  politics,  he  has 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
for  the  last  two  j-ears  has  filled  the  office  of 
County  Physician  with  tact  and  ability. 

WILLIS  A.  KELLER,  farmer  and  livery 
stable,  P.  0.  Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Lincoln 
County,  Tenn.,  July  1,  1826.  His  father,  John 
Keller,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  July  17, 
1804,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Bedford 
County,  Tenn.,  in  1814,  where  he  received 
his  education  and  married.  In  December,  1841, 
he  moved  with  his  family  to  Jefferson  Countj', 
111.,  and  settled  in  Elk  Prairie  Township.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  in  the  win- 
ter often  worked  at  shoe-making  and  cooper- 
ing. In  1847,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
service  of  the  Mexican  war,  and  died  in  Jala- 
pa,  Mexico,  in  January,  1847,  from  a  disease 
contracted  while  in  the  service.  His  wife,  Marj- 
(Nees)  Keller,  was  a  native  of  Lincoln  Countj', 
Tenn.,  born  in  1805,  and  died  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  in  December,  1869.  She  was  the 
mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Elizabeth, 
Jane,  Willis  and  Jesse  are  now  living.  Willis 
A.  Keller  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  received 
but  a  limited  education.  At  ten  years  of  age 
he  began  working  out  on  a  farm  by  the  month, 
and  continued  the  same  until  he  was  nineteen 
3-ears  of  age,  when  he  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  own  account.  He  commenced 
on  a  capital  of  less  than  $10,  and  rented  land; 
but  by  good  management,  economj-  and  integ- 
rity he  became  verv  successful,  and  accumu- 
lated over  1.000  acres.  In  connection  with  his 
farm,  he  has,  for  two  years,  been  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  in  Mt.  Vernon.  He  was 
married,  January  7,  1846,  to  Miss  Marj-  Dodds, 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


21 


a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  November  29,  1829, 
and  died  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  July  1,  1865, 
leaving  four  children,  viz.:  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
George  W.  Yost;  Judge  C  A.  Keller;  Amanda, 
wife  of  Robert  Lloyd,  of  Kentucky,  and  Min- 
nie E.,  wife  of  Julian,  Frochock.  Mr.  Keller 
married  a  second  time  in  18G6,  Mrs.  Lucj' 
Rentchler  a  native  of  Mt.  Vernon.  She  has 
borne  him  three  children,  viz.;  Mary  J.,  Lu- 
tliema  and  Charles  R.  Mr.  Keller  is  a  self- 
made  man,  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the   I.  0.  O.  F.  and  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

JUDGE  COLUMBUS  A.  KELLER,  lawyer, 
Mt. Vernon,  isanativeofthis county,  having  been 
born  aboutthree  milessouthwestofMt.  Vernon, 
November  24, 1851.  He  was  raised  on  the  home 
farm,  and  during  his  youth  gave  his  attention 
to  farming  pursuits.  In  the  common  schools 
of  the  vicinity '  he  obtained  his  early  school- 
ing, which  he  supplemented  b}"  a  three  years' 
course  of  study,  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Prof  T.  H.  Herdman,  then  of  Mt.  Vernon,  now 
a  Methodist  clergyman  residing  near  Vanda- 
lia,  111.  Becoming  dissatisfied  with  life  on  the 
farm,  he  evinced  an  earl}-  desire  to  cast  his 
lot  with  some  of  the  higher  profession.  That 
of  law  appeared  to  possess  greater  attractions 
for  him  than  an}-  other,  and  he  resolved  to  give 
lioth  time  and  money  to  the  prosecution  of 
studies  in  this  direction,  and  accordingly,  in 
1869,  he  entered  the  McKendree  College,  Leb- 
anon, 111.,  where  he  subsequently  passed  the 
required  examination,  and  graduated  with  hon- 
or in  1871.  He  returned  home  and  continued 
his  studies  under  Judge  James  M.  Pollock,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1872  entered  the  Ann  Arbor  Law 
University,  where  he  acquired  such  a  profi- 
ciencj-  in  his  studies,  that  he  was  enabled  to 
creditably'  pass  a  rigid  examination  in  open 
Supreme  Court  at  Ottawa,  111.  Judge  Pol- 
lock took  him  in  as  a  partner,  the  partnership 
lasting  until  1877,  when  our  subject  was  elect- 
ed County  Judge  of  Jefferson  County  for  four 
years,  during  which  time   he  discharged    the 


duties  thereof  to  the  credit  of  himself  and  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  people  at  large.  Upon 
his  retirement  from  office,  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  is  at  present 
thus  engaged.  September  16,  1873,  he  mar- 
ried, in  Lebanon,  III,  Miss  Nellie  F.  Raymond, 
a  native  of  California,  and  a  daughter  of 
Charles  R.  and  Jennie  L.  Raymond.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  viz., 
May,  Raymond  and  Willis.  In  politics,  the 
Judge  takes  an  active  interest,  being  identified 
with  the  Democrat  party.  He  is  Grand  Master 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W.,  K.  of  H.,  and  R. 
T.  of  T.  It  is  seldom  that  we  find  one  who  has 
ascended  the  ladder  of  fame  with  more  rapid 
strides  than  has  Judge  Keller.  Rising  from 
the  lowly  position  of  a  farm  boy  to  that  of 
Judge  of  a  wealthy  and  populous  county,  and 
that,  too,  at  an  age  which  made  him  by  far  the 
3'oungest  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  entitles  him 
to  that  honor  and  praise  which  is  due  to  those 
whose  pathway  is  strewn,  not  with  flowers  as 
some  might  suppose,  but  at  whose  every  step 
are  met  obstacles  and  adversities  which  deter- 
mination and  perseverance  can  only  surmount. 
C.  KOONS,  physician,  Mt.  Vernon.  Among 
the  j'oung  and  rising  phj-sicians  of  this  county 
who  owe  their  high  standing  and  the  confidence 
that  the  people  place  in  them  not  to  inherited 
wealth  or  fame,  but  to  their  own  exertions  and 
go-ahead  spirit,  we  are  glad  to  count  him  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born  July 
16,  1849,  in  Athens,  Ohio.  His  father,  Jona- 
than Koons,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
farmer  and  mechanic  by  occupation.  He  came 
to  Illinois  in  1855,  and  is  yet  living  in  the 
north  part  of  Franklin  Count}'.  His  father, 
Peter  Koons,  was  a  native  of  Bedford  County, 
Penn.,  near  the  old  battle-field  of  Bloody  Run. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Abigail  (Bishop) 
Koons,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
died  in  Franklin  Count}',  111.     She  was  a  dauj^h- 


22 


BlOmiAPHICAI.: 


tur  of  Rev.  G.  Bishop,  a  minister  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  aud  oue  of  the  greatest  revivalist 
in  his  day.  Eight  boys  and  two  girls  were  the 
result  of  this  happy  union.  Seven  are  now 
living — Xahum  W.,  James  R.,  John  A.,  George 
E.,  Joseph  B.,  Quintillia  Taylor  aud  Ciuder- 
rellus,  our  suliject,  who  received  a  common 
school  education  at  Taylor's  Hill  in  Frauklin 
County,  and  received  his  medical  education  at 
the  American  Medical  College,  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
graduating  May  16,  1876,  after  which  he  fol- 
lowed his  profession  two  years  in  Franklin 
County,  and  since  1878  in  this  county,  being 
located  at  Belle  Rive.  June  8,  1883,  he  located 
in  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  now  follows  his  pro- 
fession. Dr.  Koons  was  joined  in  matrimonj', 
October  9,  1870,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Border,  born 
May  29,  1846,  in  Athens  County,  Ohio.  Her 
parents,  Joseph  and  Jemima  (Jones)  Border, 
were  natives  of  Ohio.  Two  children  blessed 
this  union — Alice,  deceased,  and  Nellie,  born 
January  1,  1880.  Dr.  Koons  has  always  been  an 
ardent  Republican.  His  two  older  brothers,  S. 
B.  Koons  and  J.  R.  Koons,  were  soldiers  in  our 
late  war.  The  former  died  while  in  the  army. 
SAMUEL  K.  LATHAM,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  April  14,  1839,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.  His  father,  James  Latham,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  but  reared  in  Vermont.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Anna  (Johnson)  La- 
tham, was  born  in  1798  in  Virginia,  but  reared 
in  Tennessee,  aud  at  the  age  of  twentj-one 
came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  Louis 
and  Frankie  (Stone)  Johnson,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia. Mrs.  Anna  Latham  is  yet  living,  and, 
although  in  her  eighty-fifth  year,  is  quite 
strong,  and  at  this  writing  does  a  great  deal  of 
work.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  eight  were  with  her  first  husband,  Ran- 
som Moss,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  died  in 
this  count}'.  She  has  altogether  150  offspring, 
including  children,  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren, of  whom  a  few  are  deceased. 
She  is  a  lady  who  is  loved  and  cherished  by  all 


with  whom  she  comes  in  contact.  She  has 
seen  almost  three  generations  rise  and  pass 
away.  Our  subject  went  to  school  when  the 
subscription  plan  was  in  vogue.  He  f:\rmed 
till  November  10,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  of  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantr}'.  After  the  second  year,  he  veteran- 
ized aud  re-enlisted,  serving  till  1864,  when  he 
was  honorably*  discharged  on  account  of  disa- 
bility. Since  then  he  has  been  looking  after  his 
form  interest.  He  has  also  been  Postmaster 
of  Mt.  Vernon  for  thirteen  years.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony  August  12,  1858,  in  this 
county,  to  Miss  Emeline  T.  Dukes,  born  October 
21,  1838,  in  Tennessee.  Her  parents.  Jackson 
and  Elender  (Rife)  Dukes,  were  natives  of 
Tennessee,  having  come  to  this  county  almost 
forty-five  years  ago.  Eight  children  now  liv- 
ing are  the  result  of  this  happy  uuiou — Em- 
ma A.,  John  S.  and  Clara  A.  (twins),  Charles 
L.,  Delia  M.,  Mandy.  Nora  and  Nina.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Latham  and  three  children  are  connected 
with  the  M.  E.  Church,  In  politics,  Mr.  La- 
tham is  a  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for 
Old  Abe. 

C.  W.  LINDLEY,  merchant,  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  August  20,  1847,  in  Lincoln 
County,  Tenn.,  son  of  Thomas  J.  Lindley,  who 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  millwright  and 
machinist  by  occupation,  who  died  in  Franklin 
County,  111.,  his  father  being  Oliver  Lindley,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. The  mother  of  our  subject,  Virginia  (Tim- 
mons)  Lindlej,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  was  the 
mother  often  children.  At  the  age  of  two  years, 
our  suljject  was  crippled  by  paralysis,  and  up  to 
the  age  of  twelve  he  could  not  walk.  He  read 
a  great  deal,  and  attended  school  in  different 
places,  viz.:  Oakhill  Seminary  and  Manchester, 
Tenn.  After  that,  in  1863,  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  attended  school  in  Shawneetown,  Spring- 
garden,  and  then  at  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he 
clerked  about  sixteen  years,  aud  then  was 
elected  Countv  Treasurer  iu  1879,  serving  till 


MOrNT  YERXON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


23 


December,  1882,  filling  the  office  with  tact  and 
ability,  being  the  only  Republican  that  has 
ever  filled  that  office.  Previous  to  that,  ho  had 
been  Township  Collector  for  two  years.  In 
March,  1882,  he  opened  a  grocery  store,  which 
he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  was  married, 
in  Mt.  Vernon,  to  Miss  Kate  Hitchcock,  born 
July  14,  1847,  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  daughter 
of  Dr.  John  W.  Hitchcock,  and  is  the  mother 
of  two  children,  viz.:  Neil  (deceased)  and  Cliff, 
born  February  12,  1881.  Mrs.  Lindley  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  also  a 
member  of  K.  of  H.,  I.  0.  M.  A.,  and  Iron  Hall; 
has  been  City  Treasurer  for  four  years;  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

C.  B.  LINDSEY,  merchant.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  April  15,  1853,  in  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  son  of  John  Lindsay,  a  na- 
tive of  Washington,  N.  Y.,  born  October 
23,  1815,  a  harness-maker  by  occupation.  He 
is  yet  living  in  Weatherford,  Tex.  He  came  to 
Illinois  in  1840,  but  for  the  last  nine  years  has 
lived  in  Texas.  His  father,  Theodore  Lindsey, 
and  his  grandfather,  John  Lindsey,  Sr.,  were 
soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  latter  died 
from  wounds  received  in  the  war.  John  Lind- 
sey le.arned  his  trade  in  Troy,  N.  Y.;  he  finished 
in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  followed  it  in  BuflTalo, 
Cleveland,  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  Troy,  111.  In  1844, 
he  went  to  St.  Louis,  and  in  1849  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia, returning  to  St.  Louis  in  1851,  and  to 
Madison  County,  111.,  in  1853.  From  there,  in 
1859,  he  went  to  Montgomery  County,  III.,  and 
then,  in  1875,  he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  now 
resides.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Caroline 
(Smith)  Lindsey,  was  a  native  of  New  York. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  Smith,  who  lived 
to  be  ninety -six  years  old,  dying  the  centennial 
year.  She  is  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  five  are  now  living,  viz.:  Julia  A.  Whit- 
zell,  Rebecca  J.  Huey.  Lottie  M.  Campbell, 
Charles  B.,  our  subject,  and  Jennie  L.  Fouke. 
Our   subject   was    educated    in    Illinois.      He 


studied  pharmacy  in  the  New  York  College  of 
Pharmacy,  New  York  City,  returning  to  Illinois 
in  1878,  clerking  in  Taylorville,  Christian  Coun- 
ty, one  year,  when  he  went  to  Warrcuton, 
Mo.,  where  he  opened  a  drug  store,  continued 
it  one  year,  then  sold  out  and  started  for  Texas; 
was  wrecked  in  a  railroad  disaster,  and  returned 
to  Illinois,  where  he  clerked  in  McLeansboro 
till  June,  1881.  August  17,  1881,  he  was  mar- 
ried, in  Mt.  Vernon,  to  Mrs.  Belle  Reardon,  and 
went  to  Fort  Worth,  Tex.,  where  he  clerked  in 
a  drug  store  till  March,  1883,  when  he  returned 
to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  now  runs  a  harness 
shop.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  three  soci- 
eties, viz.:  Knights  of  Honor,  Odd  Fellows  and 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workman.  In  pol- 
itics, he  has  never  taken  an  active  part,  and  is 
identified  with  no  particular  party,  voting  for 
the  best  man.  Mrs.  Lindsey  is  the  mother  of 
one  boy,  Edgar  B.,  born  September  5,  1882. 

JOHN  P.  LISENBEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt.  Ver- 
non, is  an  old  settler  of  Jefl'erson  County,  and 
therefore  is  entitled  to  more  than  a  passing 
notice.  He  was  born  in  East  Tennessee  May 
19, 1822,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Lisenbey  (de- 
ceased), a  native  of  Tennessee  also.  Our  sub- 
ject spent  his  bo3'hood  days  on  his  fatiier's  ferr}- 
boat  at  Walton's  Ferry,  on  the  Tennessee  Rive», 
in  Ray  County.  He  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  count}-  in  1833,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  served  one  year  in  the  Mexican  war,  in  Com- 
pany H,  Third  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Cer- 
ro  Gordo  and  Vera  Cruz.  Mr.  Lisenbey  was 
married,  August  31,  1847,  to  Miss  Frances 
Hawkins,  a  daughter  of  Meredith  and  Martha 
Hawkins.  This  union  has  been  blessed  with 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living — Laura. 
Huldah  M.,  Idelia,  William  M.,  Benjamin  and 
Charles  M.  One  daughter,  Clara,  died  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years;  the  other  one,  Martha 
J.,  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Mr.  Lisenbey 
owns  forty  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  is  a  memlier  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 


24 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


JOHN  W.  LOCK,  D.  D.,  minister,  Mount 
Vernon.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  another 
exemplification  of  the  truth  that  character 
does  not  die  ;  that  traits  of  mind,  as  well  as 
physique,  are  handed  down  for  generations, 
sometimes  obscured,  sometimes  marvelously 
developed  by  circumstance.  Dr.  Lock  was 
born  February  12,  1822,  in  Paris,  Bourbon  Co., 
Ky..  and  is  a  son  of  Kev.  George  Lock. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  David  Lock, 
was  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland  ;  his 
father,  grandfather  and  great-grandfather 
were  all  ministers  of  the  Established 
Church  of  England  ;  he  was  also  educated  for 
the  ministry,  but  after  his  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try he  followed  the  profession  of  teaching  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky,  and  finally  died 
in  Kaskaskia,  111.  The  father  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1797,  but  was  raised  and  edu- 
cated principally  in  Kentucky.  In  1816,  he 
entered  the  ministry  at  an  early  age.  The  first 
year  of  his  ministry  was  spent  in  the  mount- 
ains of  Tennessee.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Indiana,  and  was  finally  elected  Presiding 
Elder  of  a  district  that  was  200  miles  long  and 
100  miles  wide.  It  extended  on  both  sides  of 
the  Wabash,  through  Illinois  and  Indiana,  with 
headquarters  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.  He  died  in 
1834,  and  his  memory  is  fondly  cherished  by 
the  people  over  whom  he  watched  as  a  tender 
shepherd  for  so  many  years.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  Elizabeth  B.  McKeynolds,  was 
born  in  1802,  in  Virginia,  and  was  a  daughter  ! 
of  Robert  McReynolds,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  that  State  and  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  she 
was  a  teacher  by  profession,  and  followed  it 
after  her  marriage  ;  she  died  at  New  Albany 
in  1858.  Subject  is  the  only  one  living  of  a 
family  of  six  children.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived atthe  Augusta  College,  Kentucky,  where 
he  fitted  himself  for  the  ministry.  He  com- 
menced to  preach  in  the  fall  of  1843,  at  Bain- 
bridge,  Ohio.  In  1850,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Indiana  Conference,  and  served  at  Bevay 


and  Rising  Sun.  Was  next  appointed  Presi- 
dent of  the  Brookville  College,  and  served  in 
that  institution  four  years,  and  was  then  ap- 
pointed the  Presiding  Elder  of  that  district. 
In  1860,  he  was  elected  to  the  Chair  of  Mathe- 
matics in  the  Indiana  Asbur}'  University,  and 
filled  that  position  creditably  to  himself  and 
the  institution  for  twelve  years.  In  1872,  here- 
signed  from  the  faculty,  and  was  appointed  to 
the  pastorate  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.  After  two 
years'  service  there,  however,  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  McKendree  College  at  Leba- 
non, 111.  He  resigned  that  capacity  after  four 
years  of  service,  and  was  appointed  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  Lebanon,  111.,  district.  In  1881, 
he  was  transferred  to  the  pastorate  of  the  M. 
E.  Church  at  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  is  still  sta- 
tioned. His  life  thus  far  has  been  a  very  busy 
one.  In  connection  with  his  other  ministerial 
duties,  he  has  served  from  his  conference  as 
delegate  to  the  general  conference  four  times. 
In  connection  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  which 
he  received  from  his  Alma  Mater  at  the  time  of 
graduation,  he  also  took  a  post  graduate  course, 
and  in  1845  was  given  the  degree  of  M.  A.,  and 
while  professor  iu  Asburj-  was  given  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  Dr.  Lock  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
in  Jacksonville,  Ohio,  on  June  11,  1846.  to 
Miss  Matilda  Wood.  This  lady  was  born  in 
Adams  Countj-,  Ohio,  on  April  20, 1827,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  R.  Wood  (a  soldier 
of  the  war  of  1812  and  a  native  of  Kentucky) 
and  Ruth  (Shoemaker)  Wood,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
Seven  children  have  come  to  bless  this  union, 
of  whom  three  are  now  living,  viz.:  George  W. 
(a  lawyer  in  East  St.  Louis),  Bettie  L.,  wife  of 
Mr.  Hamilton,  of  Jerseyville,  111.,  and  Rev. 
Edwin,  now  preaching  at  Sebetha,  Kan,  Sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and  I. 
0.  0.  F.,  and  in  politics  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES  HARDY  MAXEY,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn., 
July  26,  1805,  and  is  a  son  of  William  Maxey, 
deceased,  a  pioneer  of  Sumner  County,  Tenn., 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


25 


and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  countj\ 
Our  subject's  grandfather,  Jesse  Maxej',  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  a  pioneer  of  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  was  at  one  time  scalped,  toma- 
hawked and  left  for  dead  bj-  the  Indians,  but 
recovered  and  lived  several  j-ears.  Mr.  Maxey 
came  with  his  parents  and  settled  among  the 
Indians  and  wild  animals  in  this  county  in 
1818.  He  attended  the  first  school  ever  taught 
in  Jefferson  County.  Joel  Pace  was  the 
teacher,  and  the  house  was  a  log  cabin,  with  a 
dirt  floor,  split  poles,  with  pins  in  them  for 
seats,  and  a  puncheon  writing  desk  fastened  on 
pins  in  the  wall,  just  beneath  a  crack  in  the 
wall,  used  for  window.  Mr.  Maxey  was  married, 
April  1, 1824,  to  Sallie  Bruce,  a  daughter  of 
Azariah  B.  Bruce  (deceased).  They  have 
had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  they  raised 
to  maturit)-,  viz.:  Artamissa  C.  (deceased,  leav- 
ing four  children),  Mai^-  E.,  Martha  E.,  Susan 
B.  and  Druscilla  J.  Our  subject  owns  136  acres 
of  land,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  He  is 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  South. 

SAMUEL  T.  MAXEY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Mt.  Vernon  Township  August  29,  1834,  on  the 
old  Maxey  homestead,  on  Section  6,  and  is  a 
son  of  Dr.  William  M.  A.  Maxey,  of  whom  we 
make  further  mention  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  Mt.  Vernon.  He  worked  for  six  years 
at  the  carpenter  and  builder's  trade.  He 
served  four  years  and  two  months  for  Uncle 
Sam  during  the  late  war.  He  was  twice  a 
Lieutenant,  and  twice  a  Captain,  having  been 
promoted  for  gallantry.  He  served  one  year  as 
a  private  in  Capt.  R.  D.  Noleman's  Company, 
First  Illinois  Cavalrj'.  After  that,  he  was 
promoted  to  the  Lieutenancy,  then  to  the 
Captaincy.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Stone  River,  siege  of  Nashville,  Franklin, 
siege  and  taking  of  Memphis,  Perryville,  Ky., 
and  others,  twent3'-one   in  all.      His   brigade 


was  the  only  one  that  held  its  ground  all  through 
the  battle  of  Stone  River;  and  in  honor  of  that 
fact  the  United  States  Government  placed  the 
cemetery  on  the  spot  of  ground  where  this  trans- 
pired. It  would  be  in  keeping  here  to  remark 
that  the  Captain  also  participated  in  the  taking 
of  Island  No.  10.  After  the  war,  he  engaged 
in  farming  for  two  3-ears,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  ministry,  spending  eleven  j-ears  in  the  itin- 
eracy in  the  Southern  Illinois  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  When  hav- 
ing failed  in  health,  he  again  settled  on  the  old 
homestead.  Mr.  Maxe}-  was  married,  January 
12,  1855,  to  Miss  Lucinda,  daughter  of  the  em- 
inent Dr.  Joseph  Frost  (deceased).  She  was 
born  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  near  Waterloo. 
Our  subject  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  owns  310  acres  of  valuable  land,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  of  graded 
stock.  Although  the  Captain  has  been  often 
solicited,  he  has  never  held  a  civil  office.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  society,  in 
good  standing,  and  has  been  a  member  of  that 
order  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  Mr. 
Maxe}'  has  always  been  identified  on  the  side 
of  temperance  and  total  abstinence.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  stanch  Republican. 

DR.  J.  H.  MITCHELL,  physician,  Mt. Vernon. 
The  profession  is  always  below  the  man.  He 
is  not  the  best  lawyer  who  lives  only  among 
the  books  and  dusty  documents  of  his  office, 
nor  is  he  the  most  successful  physician  whose 
knowledge  is  confined  to  his  drugs  and  the 
narrow  range  of  his  dail}-  routine.  The  man 
makes  the  profession  and  the  respectabilit}- 
depends  upon  the  manner  in  which  it  is  used. 
Dr.  Mitchell,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a 
man  who,  though  most  thoroughly  qualified  in 
every  particular  of  his  calling,  does  not  allow 
his  profession  to  tyrannize  over  him.  He  was 
born  ^larch  15.  1850,  in  Blairsville,  Ind.,  and 
is  a  son  of  Dr.  S.  M.  and  jNLirtha  A.  (Harri- 
son) Mitchell.  The  grandfather  of  oiir  subject, 
Sion  H.  Mitchell,  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 


36 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


Una,  and  was  a  teacher  by  profession.  He 
came  West  and  died  in  Raleigli,  111.  The  father 
was  born  in  Tennessee  ;  received  his  medical 
education  in  the  Rush  Medical  College,  Chi- 
cago ;  has  practiced  in  Corinth  and  Blairsville, 
lud.,  and  at  present  leads  in  the  latter  place  a 
retired  life,  his  practice  being  carried  on  by 
his  son  Henry  C.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Evansville,  Ind.  Subject  is  one  of  six  children 
— John  H.,  Audubon  Q.,  Martha  J.  Jones, 
Henry  C,  George  0 .  and  Thomas  M.  His 
education  was  received  in  Corinth,  Ind.,  and 
afterward  at  McKendree  College.  His  profes- 
sional learning  was  obtained  at  the  Rush  Med- 
ical College,  from  which  institution  he  grad- 
uated in  1874.  He  first  located  at  his  home, 
where  he  shared  his  father's  practice  until 
1879,  and  then  came  to  his  present  location  at 
Mt.  Vernon,.  111.,  where  he  has  folldwed  his 
profession  ever  since.  Mr.  Mitchell  was 
married  April  30,  1874,  in  Elk  Prairie  Town- 
ship, Jefferson  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Fitzgerrell — a  native  of  this  county,  being  born 
here  December  9, 1854,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
J.  and  Patsey  A.  (Martin)  Fitzgerrell  (whose 
sketches  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work). 
Three  children  have  blessed  this  union — James 
M.,  born  February  16, 1875  ;  John  S.  and  Thom- 
as J.,  twins,  born  August  10,  1877.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mitchell  are  both  members  of  the  Mt. 
Vernon  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Subject 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M  and  I.  0.  M. 
A.  fraternities  and  of  the  Iron  Hall,  Mt.  Vernon 
Lodge,  No.  68.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 
At  present  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  the  Mt.  Vernon  Public  Schools. 

RUFUS  A.  MORRISON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Hardeman  County,  Tenn., 
December  20,  1 844,  and  is  a  son  of  Adlai  S. 
Morrison  (deceased),  a  native  of  Wilson  Coun- 
t3-,  Tenn.  Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  attended  the  common  school.  He  served 
three  years  in  the  late  war  in  Company  A, 
Sixth   Regiment,    Tennessee  Cavalry.      After 


the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  he  came  to  Jef- 
ferson County,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  was  married  Sep- 
tember 4,  1873,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  William 
T.  Williams  of  this  township.  They  have  four 
children — Charles,  Walter,  Robert  and  John. 
Mr.  jMorrison  owns  fort}'  acres  of  land,  and  re- 
sides on  the  northeast  quarter   of  Section  19. 

NORMAN  H.  MOSS,  lawyer,  Mt. Vernon,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  March  25, 1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  Capt.  John  R.  and  Parmelia  C. 
(Allen)  Moss,  whose  history  appears  in  the  de- 
partment devoted  to  Sbiloh  Township.  His  early 
life  was  spent  on  the  home  farm,  and  received 
the  benefits  of  the  common  schools  of  the 
county;  besides  attended  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Irvington,  111.,  and  the  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  Universitj-.  In  1875,  he  be- 
gan teaching  school  in  the  county,  and  con- 
tinued the  same  until  1879,  when  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Crews 
&  Haynes.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  May 
5,  1882,  and  immediately  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  chosen  profession  in  the  office  with 
Mr.  Seth  F.  Crews,  and  continued  with  him  un- 
til January  1,  1883,  when  he  opened  his 
present  office.  Mr.  Moss  is  a  member  of  the 
Roj'al  Templars  of  Temperance  and  the  Iron 
Hall  Lodge  :  is  Independant  in  politics,  and 
in  1880  was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Con- 
vention for  the  Greenback  party. 

CHARLES  H.  PATTON,  lawyer,  Mount  Ver- 
non, is  a  native  of  Hartford  Count}',  Conn.,  born 
on  the  9th  of  May,  1834.  His  father,  Eliphalet 
W.  Patton,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county, 
born  October  5,  1805,  and  was  there  reared, 
educated  and  married.  During  his  younger 
life  he  followed  boating  on  the  river,  and  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1835,  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Ashtabula 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  1862, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  on  a  farm  in  Dodds  Township,  one 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  Mount  Vernon,  and 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


21 


which  he  had  purchased  the  3-ear  previous.  He 
remained  in  this  county,  activel}-  engaged  in 
farming,  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred December  5,  1881.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  a  man  who  took  but  little  interest  in 
political  affairs.  His  wife,  and  subject's  moth- 
er, was  Ladora  A.  Griswold,  a  native  of  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  born  February  6,  1814  ;  she  is  now 
residing  with  her  son,  Frank  E.  Patton,  Deputy 
County  Treasurer,  in  the  city  of  Mount  Vernon. 
She  is  the  mother  of  six  children,  of  whom 
five  are  now  living,  viz.,  Albert  W.,  Arthur  W., 
Adelaide  M.  (deceased,  who  married  Charles 
A.  Kinney,  of  Mount  Vernon),  Byron  E.,  Frank 
E.,  and  Charles  H.,  our  subject,  who  is  the  old- 
est child.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm,  and  was 
educated  in  Ohio,  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Zuinglas  C.  Graves,  now  President  of  the  Leb- 
anon, Penn.,  Female  College.  At  eighteen 
j'ears  of  age,  he  left  his  home  and  engaged  as 
a  sailor  upon  the  lakes,  and  followed  the  same 
for  three  years.  When  he  was  twenty-one  years 
old,  he  began  teaching  school,  and  by  close 
economy  he  was  enabled  to  save  enough  that 
would  defraj-  his  expenses  while  studying  law 
under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  L.  A.  Leon- 
ard, of  Pierpont,  Ohio.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  March  12, 1862.  He  came  to  Jefferson 
County  in  1861,  and  settled  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  the  same  winter  taught  school.  In 
1862,  on  the  arrival  of  his  parents  to  take 
charge  of  the  farm,  he  removed  to  Mount  V^er- 
uon,  entered  into  the  practice  of  law  in  part- 
nership with  Judge  James  M.  Pollock,  and 
continued  with  him  until  1865,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  County  Clerk,  and  served 
in  that  position  until  1869  ;  he  again  returned 
to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  1870,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  Thomas  S. 
Casey,  and  continued  with  him  until  1873.  In 
1880,  he  took  in  as  a  partner  Mr.  Albert  Wat- 
son, a  former  student,  and  a  young  man  who 
promises  to  become  a  prominent  and  worthy 


member  of  the  bar.  Mr.  Patton  was  married, 
November  17,  185-t,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Shave,  a 
native  of  Bere  Regis,  Dorsetshire,  England, 
who  came  to  America  with  her  parents  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years,  in  1847.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter John  and  Charlotte  (Lane)  Shave,  both  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patton  have  the  following 
children  :  Fred  W.,  Lulu  L.  (wife  of  Stephen 
G.  H.  Taylor),  Lillie  W.  and  Otto  Charles.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  bar  of 
the  United  States,  District,  Circuit  and  Supreme 
Courts,  and  is  a  member  of  the  orders  K.  of 
H.  and  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. 

COL.  C.  W.  PAVEY,  Collector  Internal  Rev- 
enue, farmer,  etc.,  P.  0.  Mount  Vernon,  was 
born  in  Highland  County,  Ohio,  November  8, 
1835,  and  is  a  son  of  C.  T.  Pavey,  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  He  was  a  prominent  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  and  removed  to  Highland  County , 
Ohio,  where  he  died  hi  1848.  Politicallj-,  he 
was  a  Whig,  and  a  great  admirer  of  Gen.  Har- 
rison, and  took  an  active  interest  in  ever^^thing 
pertaining  to  the  good  of  the  county  in  which 
he  lived.  His  father,  Isaac  Pavey,  was  also  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  but  died  a  citizen  of  Ohio  ; 
his  death  was  caused  from  the  effects  of  a  fall 
from  his  horse,  and  occurred  when  he  was 
eighty  years  of  age.  The  mother  of  Col.  Pa- 
vey, our  subject,  was  Lucinda  (Taylor)  Pave}', 
and  sprang  from  a  branch  of  the  old  Zachar^' 
Taylor  famil}-  ;  she  is  still  living,  at  the  age  of 
eightj-four  years,  and  is  the  mother  of  six 
children,  of  whom  D.  D.  Pavey,  of  Sedalia, 
Mo.,  and  our  subject  are  the  only  two  now  liv- 
ing. Col.  Pave}'  spent  his  early  life,  until  twelve 
years  of  age,  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  at  Green- 
field and  Athens,  Ohio,  and  after  leaving  school 
engaged  in  merchandising,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  remained 
in  Ohio  until  1859,  and  then  came  to  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  where  he  opened  a  grocery  store, 
which  he  carried  on  successfully  until  the  spring 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


of  1862,  when  he  assisted  in  raising  Companj- 
E,  of  the  Eightieth  Illinois  Yolanteer  Infantr}', 
of  Tfhich  he  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant. 
He  went  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  with  his  regiment, 
and  in  September  was  detached  to  the  Fourth 
United  States  Battery,  and  placed  in  charge  of 
a  section.  He  remained  with  it  until  the  battle 
of  Perrysnlle,  Ky,,  when  it  was  so  decimated 
and  shattered  it  was  ordered  to  be  disbanded, 
and  he  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  McCook.  He 
soon  obtained  permission  to  join  his  company, 
and  remained  with  it  until  its  arrival  at  Mur- 
freesboro,  when  he  was  ordered  to  brigade 
headquarters  for  staff  duty.  He  served  as 
Brigade  Inspector  until  the  spring  of  1863, 
when  the  expedition  was  organized,  under  the 
command  of  Gen.  Straight,  to  go  to  the  rear 
of  Bragg's  arm\-.  He  was  placed  in  command 
of  a  battery  upon  his  arrival  at  Nashville,  and 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Sand  Mountain,  or 
Daj-'s  Gap,  in  Alabama,  where  he  was  wounded 
and  left  on  the  field.  He  was  captured  by  the 
enemy,  and  kept  in  the  prisons  of  Knosville 
and  others,  then  sent  to  Libby,  and  finally  ex- 
changed. He  was  kept  at  Libby  for  twenty-two 
and  one-half  months,  and  with  five  other  offi- 
cers held  as  hostages.  At  one  time  they  were 
sentenced  to  death,  and  were  placed  in  close 
confinement  in  a  cell  under  the  prison  for  105 
days,  and  then  sent  to  the  North  Carolina  Mili- 
tary Penitentiarj-.  He  remained  there  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  prisoners  in  1864,  when  they 
were  removed  to  Danville,  Ya.  He  was  charged 
with  being  one  of  the  instigators  of  the  out- 
break. At  Danville  he  was  engaged  again  in 
an  outbreak,  and  was  placed  under  a  heavy 
guard  and  again  sent  to  Richmond,  and  put  in 
the  old  cell  in  close  confinement.  He  sta\-ed 
there  until  February,  1865,  when  they  were  ex- 
changed, as  the  parties  for  whom  they  were 
held  were  not  executed.  The  exchange  was 
brought  about  by  Gens.  Oglesby  and  Logan,  of 
Illinois,  and  friends  of  the  other  p:trties.  Up- 
on his  arrival  in  Washington,  President  Lincoln 


did  not  think  him  fit  for  duty,  and  granted  him 
a  leave  of  absence,  and  a  permit  to  visit  the 
Northern  prisons.  After  the  battle  of  Naah- 
ville,  he  reported  to  Gen.  Thomas  for  duty. 
But  Gen,  T,  not  thinking  him  able  for  field  duty, 
ordered  him  to  report  to  Gen.  Rosseau  for  light 
duty.  He  remained  there  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  then  came  home  to  Mt.  Yemon,  and 
engaged  in  milling,  grain  and  general  merchan- 
dise, which  he  followed  until  the  spring  of  1880, 
when  the  firm  sold  out  to  Stratton,  Fergerson  & 
Co.  Since  then  he  has  been  devoting  his  at- 
tention to  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  owns 
380  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  is  an 
energetic  and  active  business  man,  and  takes 
great  interest  in  every  enterprise  for  the  good 
of  his  county,  and  the  Republican  party,  of 
which  he  is  an  ardent  supporter.  In  August, 
1882,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Arthur 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  of  the  Thirteenth 
District  of  Illinois,  with  headquarters  at  Cairo. 
He  was  one  of  the  delegates  from  the  Nineteenth 
District  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
at  Chicago,  which  nominated  Garfield  and  Ar- 
thur. He  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  against 
R.  W.  Townsend,  but  was  defeated,  owing  to  the 
minority  of  his  part}-.  He  was  appointed  by 
Gov.  Cullom  Commander  of  the  Third  Brigade 
of  the  Illinois  National  Guards,  located  on  and 
south  of  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  Railroad,  and 
held  the  position  for  four  years.  His  wife.  Isa- 
bella F.,  is  a  daughter  of  Joel  Pace,  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  the  county.  She  is  the  mother 
of  five  children,  all  living,  as  follows:  Eugene 
M.,  Lewis  G.,  Neil  P.,  Mabel  and  Alice.  Gen. 
and  Mrs.  Pavey  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church, 

JOHN  C,  PIGG,  farmer,  P,  0.  Mt.  Yemon, 
was  born  in  Warren  County,  Tenn.,  March  26, 
1831,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Pigg  (deceased),  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  Our  subject  was  brought 
to  this  county  by  his  Grandfather  Smith  in 
1834,  where  he  has  since  resided,  except  six 
months  in  Arkansas,     He  served  about  three 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY   AND  TOWNSHIP. 


years  in  the  late  war,  in  Corapan}-  E,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  was  on  detached  duty  as  team- 
ster from  the  first,  and  he  was  promoted  to 
Wagonmaster  after  the  battle  of  Bentonville. 
He  was  married,  March  15,  lS-t9,  to  Polly  M. 
Newbe}-,  by  whom  he  has  had  nine  children, 
seven  living,  four  boj's  and  three  girls,  viz.: 
Henry,  James  T.,  William  P.,  Frances  E.,  Ellen 
C,  Hardy  and  Itfary  Belle.  Our  subject  owns 
eighty  acres  of  land,  and  resides  on  Section  17. 
A.  W.  PLUMMER,  retired,  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  December  24,  182G,  in  Go- 
shen Township,  Champaign  Co.,  Ohio,  son  of 
Joseph  and  Eunice  (Cumniings)  Plummer. 
She  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  he 
of  Vermont.  She  removed  to  Ohio  with 
her  parents  when  quite  young,  and  died 
there.  He  came  to  Ohio  in  early  manhood, 
and  died  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  five  still  sur- 
vive. Our  subject  early  turned  his  attention 
to  farming,  and  followed  it  for  many  years.  In 
1866,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  settling 
on  a  farm  which  he  yet  owns.  It  contains  120 
acres,  and  is  situated  two  miles  south  from  51 1. 
Vernon.  He  was  the  second  owner,  the  land 
having  been  entered  during  Tyler's  administra- 
tion. About  the  year  1868,  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  G.  S.  Winslow,  and  he  in  partner- 
ship with  that  gentleman  assisted  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Southeastern  Railroad.  After 
its  completion,  they  became  contractors  on  the 
Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids  &  Northern  Railroad. 
After  a  five  3'ears'  sojourn  in  the  Northwest,  he 
returned  to  his  family  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  where 
he  yet  resides,  looking  after  the  interests  of  his 
farms.  Our  subject  was  married,  November  11, 
1847,  in  Ohio,  to  Miss  Maria  Flemming,  wiio  was 
born  and  reared  in  Clark  County,  Ohio.  Her 
parents  were  James  and  Elizabeth  (Bunnell) 
Flemming.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  daugh- 
ters, viz.:  Slalvina  C,  wife  of  L.  E.  Lcgge,  of 
Sedalia,  Mo.;  Janette,  deceased,  wife  of  James 


Bussell;  Olive,  wife  of  James  Tyler,  and  Alice 
L.  In  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Corapan}'  C,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, for  the  lOO-da}'  service;  served  as  color- 
bearer  of  the  regiment  under  Col.  Armstrong, 
of  Champaign  County,  Ohio.  The  regiment 
joined  Gen.  Butler  at  City  Point,  on  James  Riv- 
er. Mr.  Plummer  is  a  member  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Mt.  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31,  and  while  in  Ohio 
represented  his  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
State.  Since  the  breaking-out  of  the  war,  he 
has  been  associated  with  the  Republican  party. 
HIRAM  S.  PLUMMER,  M.  D  ,  Mayor  of 
Mt.  Vernon.  The  spirit  of  self-help  is  the  root 
of  all  genuine  growth  ni  the  individual,  and  as 
exhibited  in  the  lives  of  many  it  constitutes  the 
true  source  of  national  vigor  and  strength. 
The  record  of  Dr.  Plummer  is  such  as  to  entitle 
him  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  self-made 
and  successful  men  of  Illinois.  His  life  is  an 
example  of  the  power  of  patient  purpose,  reso- 
lute working  and  steadfiist  integrity,  showing, 
in  language  not  to  be  misunderstood,  what  it 
is  possible  to  accomplish,  and  illustrating  the 
efficacy  of  self-respect  and  self-reliance  in  en- 
aljling  a  man  to  work  out  for  himself  an  honor- 
able competency  and  a  solid  reputation.  He  is 
the  third  child  of  Joseph  and  Eunice  (Cum- 
mings)  Plummer,  and  was  born  in  Marj'sville, 
Union  Co.,  Ohio,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1831. 
Joseph  Plummer  was  a  native  of  Rutland 
County,  Vt.,  born  in  1794,  and  was  there  reared 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  with  hia 
parents  then  removed  to  Lower  Canada.  Here 
he  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
his  majority,  and  then  moved  to  Union  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1871, 
he  came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  and  resided  with 
the  Doctor  until  he  died,  which  sad  event  oc- 
curred in  1873.  His  wife,  and  mother  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  1802, 
and  was  married  on  the  3d  of  February,  1820; 
she  died  in  Mechanicsburg,  Ohio,  in  1865.  Hi- 
ram S.  Plummer  spent  his  early  life  at  home. 


30 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


assisting  to  till  the  farm,  and  receiving  the  ben- 
efit of  the  common  schools.  At  twenty  years 
of  age,  he  left  his  home  and  began  the  study  of 
medicine  under  the  preeeptorship  of  Dr.  Andrew 
Wilson,  of  Urbana,  Ohio,  and  remained  with 
him  three  years,  subsequently  graduating  from 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He  immediately  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profes- 
sion, and  continued  the  same  until  the  breaking- 
out  of  the  late  rebellion  in  18G2.  He  yielded 
to  the  promptings  of  patriotism,  and  enlisted  as 
Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  Illinois  Regiment.  After  the  battle  of  Per- 
ry ville,  he  was  detached  to  take  charge  of  the 
wounded,  and  subsequently,  in  June,  1863,  he 
was  appointed  Surgeon  in  charge  of  the  hospital 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  on  the  consolidation  of 
his  regiment  in  November  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  but  remained 
in  charge  of  the  hospital  under  contract  until 
the  spring  of  1864,  when  he  resigned  his  posi- 
tion, returned  to  his  home  in  Mt.  Vernon,  111., 
and  resumed  his  practice,  continuing  the  same 
until  February,  1865,  when  he  again  entered  the 
service,  this  time  as  Surgeon  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty -second  Regiment.  In  October 
of  the  same  year,  he  returned  home  and  has 
been  engaged  in  his  professional  work,  doing  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  was  married, 
in  September,  I860,  to  Miss  Martha,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Harvey  T.  Pace,  one  of  the  old  pioneers 
of  the  county.  Mrs.  Plummer  is  a  native  of 
the  couutj-,  and  is  the  mother  of  the  follow- 
ing seven  children:  Hollie,  Grace,  Minnie  M., 
Nanie,  Ada  R.,  Lulu  and  H.  Gale.  Dr.  Plum- 
mer is  an  active  worker  for  the  Republican  par- 
ty, and  has  held  several  official  positions.  He 
is  now  JIayor  of  the  citj-,  is  a  member  of  the  or- 
der A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  member  of  the  South- 
ern Illinois  Medical  Association. 

JUDGE  JAMES  M.  POLLOCK,  lawyer,  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Count}'  Down,  Ireland,  and 
is  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  (Corrough) 


Pollock.  William  Pollock  was  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Scotland,  and  during  the  war 
of  his  native  country,  he  with  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Ireland,  and  was  there  married  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  subsequently  emi- 
grated to  America,  locating  in  Alleghen}- 
County,  Penn.,  bringing  with  him  at  the  time 
his  wife  and  seven  of  his  children.  He  died 
in  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  died  in  Pennsylvania.  She  was 
the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are 
now  living,  James  M.  Pollock,  our  subject,  be- 
ing the  fifth  child.  He  emigrated  to  America 
alone  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  joined 
his  brother,  who  resided  in  Pennsylvania.  He 
spent  his  early  life  in  farming,  as  a  hired  hand. 
and  bj-  his  industry  and  economy  he  was  able 
to  save  enough  means  to  receive  an  education. 
He  entered  the  Meadville  (Penn.)  College, 
and  graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of  1849. 
Previous  to  this,  and  while  working  on  the 
farm,  he  had  purchased  some  law  books,  and  so 
diligently  did  he  study  that  in  1850  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  then  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  at  New  Castle,  Lawrence 
County,  Penn.  In  1852,  he  was  elected  State's 
Attorney  for  Lawrence  County,  and  served 
four  5-ears.  In  1857,  on  account  of  his  failing 
health,  caused  b}'  the  close  confinement  to  his 
profession,  he  turned  his  face  westward,  de- 
termined to  find  a  more  healthful  climate.  On 
the  20th  of  April,  1857,  he  came  to  Mt. 
Vernon,  and  finding  the  climate  beneficial  to 
his  health,  he  decided  to  remain,  and  imme- 
diately began  the  practice  of  law.  In  1863,  he 
was  elected  Circuit  Judge,  and  filled  that  office 
until  1872.  He  is  now  engaged  in  a  large  and 
lucrative  law  practice  in -partnership  with  his 
sons.  He  was  married  in  Meadville,  Penn.. 
in  1848,  to  Carolina  M.  Lyon,  a  native  of 
Canada,  but  who  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children — William 
C,  James  L.,  and  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  nine  years.     Judge  Pollock  is  a  member  of 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


81 


the  I.  0.  O.  F;  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  with 
his  wife  unites  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  REII),  jeweler,  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Woburn,  Mass.,  Maj-  19, 
1854,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  B.  and  Emma  T. 
(Hoklen)  Reid.  The  ftither  is  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, is  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  is  living  in 
Greenville,  111.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  aud  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Catharine  Hoklen.  The  parents 
are  also  natives  of  that  State.  To  her  has 
been  born  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now 
living — William  G.,  Lizzie  (wife  of  a  Mr. 
Dickey),  Ward  J.,  Katie  (wife  of  a  Mr.  Rodgers), 
John  D.,  Susie,  Lilly,  Frank  aud  Tiua.  Subject 
received  his  education  in  Greenville,  111.  In 
early  life,  he  farmed  and  clerked,  and  finally 
came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  machinist,  and  afterward  that  of  a 
jeweler  under  Mr.  Morgan.  He  afterward 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  employer,  which 
still  exists.  In  Greenville,  on  May  19,  1875, 
he  was  married  to  Gertrude  A.  Schank,  who 
waa  born  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  November  26, 
1852,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Lafayette  and 
Delia  (Wilson)  Schank,  also  natives  of  New 
York.  Four  children  have  come  to  bless  this 
union — Delia  E.  (born  October  14, 187G),  Katie 
W.  (born  June  28,  1878),  John  B.  (born  Jan- 
uary 26,  1880),  Minnie  G.  (born  December  13, 
1881).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reid  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Subject  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  0.  U.  W.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  A.  ROBINSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon.  Among  the  enterprising  and  substan- 
tial farmers  of  Mt.  Vernon  Townshi[)  is  Mr. 
Robinson.  He  is  a  native  of  this  county,  and 
was  born  in  Spring -Garden  Township  July  18, 
1841.  His  father,  John  Robinson  (deceased), 
was  a  pioneer  of  this  county  and  a  native  of 
South  Carolina.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and,  in  181 5,  came  to  Franklin  County, 
111.,  and  helped  build  the  first  house  in  old 
Frankfort,  in  that  county,  and  a  short  time 


afterward  came  to  this  county  and  settled  the 
old  Wescott  farm  in  Shiloh  Township,  on  the 
Centralia  road.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
struck  the  first  lick  on  the  forge  in  Jefferson 
County.  He  was  a  hard-working  man,  and 
cleared  up  several  farms.  In  stature,  he  was  six 
feet  and  seven  inches.  He  married  Rhoda  San- 
ders, who  survives  him.  She  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  ;  came  to  Rutherford  County,  Tenn., 
when  a  girl,  where  she  became  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Robinson  ;  they  grew  up  children  together, 
and  married  in  that  county.  The  old  folks  had 
fourteen  children,  seven  boys  and  seven  girls, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  youngest. 
But  three  of  them  are  living — Jemima  Malone, 
of  Mt.  Vernon  ;  Theresa  Phelps,  near  Creal's 
Springs,  Williamson  County,  III.  ;  and  John  A. 
The  father  died  during  the  cholera  plague  in 
1852,  of  that  dreaded  disease.  John  A.  Robin- 
son has  been  a  druggist  thirteen  years,  but  had 
to  abandon  it  on  account  of  failing  health.  He 
was  married,  August  6, 1863,  to  Susan,  daughter 
of  Isaac  Dodson,  and  by  her  he  has  had  seven 
children,  five  living — Edward  M.,  eighteen 
years  old  ;  John  S.,  Lulu,  Frankie  M.,  and 
George  N.  Mr.  Robinson  owns  eightj-  acres  of 
valuable  land,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
trading.  He  is  turning  his  attention  to  short- 
horn cattle.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows order,  and  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  In 
politics,  a  Republican.  For  seven  years  he 
superintended  the  County  Infirmary  and  dis- 
charged his  duties  fivithfully. 

R.  E.  RYAN,  merchant,  Mount  Vernon.  It 
is  pdmittcd  that  a  poet  is  horn  not  inade,  and 
of  a  true  painter  the  same  maj-  be  said.  A 
strong  natural  bias  or  inclination  for  a  special 
course  in  life  will  struggle  for  development 
and  in  most  cases  with  success,  and  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  is  an 
example  of  both  of  these  principles.  Among 
the  self-made  men  of  Mount  Vernon,  none  de- 
serve a  more  honorable  mention  than  Mr. 
Rj-an,  who  was  born  in  Princeton,  Ind.,  July 


33 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


21,  1852.  Our  subject  is  of  direct  Irish  de- 
scent, ills  father,  John  M.  Ryan,  having  come 
from  Ireland  at  an  early  age.  The  latter  is 
also  a  merchant  by  occupation,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent engaged  in  business  in  Evansville,  Ind. 
Ellen  (Little)  Ryan,  the  mother  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  and  died  in 
Princeton,  Ind.,  in  1867.  Subject  is  the  second 
of  five  children,  viz.,  Mary  J.  (wife  of  a  Mr. 
Page,  of  California),  Robert  E.  (our  subject), 
James  L.,  John  M.  and  Margaret.  As  far  as 
his  education  goes,  it  was  received  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town.  When  quite 
a  boy,  he  commenced  life  in  a  woolen  mill,  and 
then  clerked  in  a  general  store.  He  remained 
in  that  town  five  years,  and  then  went  to 
Evansville,  Ind.,  and  clerked  three  years  for 
Miller  Bros.,  of  that  place.  In  the  spring  of 
1878,  he  came  to  Mount  Vernon,  and,  in  com- 
pan3'  with  George  H.  Bittrolff,  opened  a  general 
store.  It  was  a  stock  of  about  $1,500,  and 
consisted  mainly  of  dry  goods  and  boots  and 
shoes.  Since  then,  by  careful  industry  and 
perseverance,  the  stock  has  been  increased  to 
about  $15,000,  and  the  firm  now  occupy  one  of 
the  most  commodious  and  handsome  store 
rooms  in  Mount  Vernon.  Mr.  Ryan,  in  his 
business  career,  has  proved  himself  to  be  trulj- 
a  self-miide  man — one  that  can  rely  entirely 
upon  his  own  ability;  and  he  has  made  a  mark 
for  himself  in  the  business  circles  of  the  city. 
Our  subject  was  joined  in  matrimony  in  this 
city,  April  28,  1881,  to  Christina  May  Harmon, 
who  was  born  in  Cairo,  on  May  7,  1859,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  John  Q.  and  Mary  (McKenzie) 
Harmon,  the  father  being  among  the  pioneers 
of  Southern  Illinois.  The  mother  was  a  native 
of  Pittsburgh,  Penn.  Mrs.  R^'an  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Mount  Vernon. 
Mr.  Ryan  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and 
I.  0.  M.  A.  fraternities.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

JUDGE  JOHN  R.  SATTERFIELD,  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  Mount  Vernon,  was  born  in  Pen- 


dleton County,  Ky.,  September  28,  1809,  to 
Jeremiah  and  Elizabeth  (Breshiers)  Sutterfleld. 
When  he  was  eighteen  months  old,  he  was 
adopted  by  Edward  5Iaxey,  by  whom  he  was 
reared.  He  was  brought  to  Jeflferson  Count}', 
111.,  in  October,  1818,  and  here  he  received  the 
principal  part  of  his  education.  He  engaged  in 
farming,  and  continued  in  that  vocation  until 
1843,  .when  he  was  elected  to  the  olHce  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  he  still  continues 
to  hold,  having  served  in  it  for  over  forty  j-ears. 
In  1843,  he  was  also  elected  County  Recorder, 
and  served  in  that  office  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  1 845,  he  was  elected  School  Superintendent, 
and  held  the  office  one  term.  In  1842,  he 
served  as  Deputj'  SherifiF,  and  also  in  1846  and 
1847.  In  1850,  he  was  elected  Sheriff  for  two 
years.  In  1850,  he  was  elected  County  Judge, 
and  held  the  same  position  for  twenty-three 
years.  In  all  his  official  positions.  Judge  Sat- 
terfield  did  his  duty,  and  won  the  highest 
esteem  of  the  people  at  large.  He  was  married 
in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  January  30,  1833,  to 
Elizabeth  P.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
born  in  1815.  She  came  to  the  country  with 
her  parents  in  May,  1818.  She  is  the  mother 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  following  are 
living — Edward  V.,  John  N.,  Prudence  (wife  of 
Frank  Fry,  of  Colorado),  Martha  (wife  of  Sam- 
uel D.  Cooper)  and  Laura.  The  Judge  was  in 
the  Black  Hawk  war  for  three  months,  and 
held  the  office  of  Sergeant.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

JOSHUA  SHORT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  Clinton  County,  111.,  March 
23,  1830,  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  Short,  of  Clinton 
Count}',  111.  He  was  educated  in  Jefferson 
County,  and  was  in  the  late  war,  in  Compan}- 
I,  Forty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  ;  he 
was  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh 
and  several  skirmishes,  serving  nine  months 
He  was  married,  November  24, 1857,  to  Abigail 
Williams,  of  Ohio,  by  whom  he  had  one  child — 
Martha  Jane.     Mrs.  Short  died  July  1,  1862, 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


33 


and  was  buried  in  Jefferson  County.  He  was 
again  married,  May  26,  1864,  to  Luciuda  Tur- 
ner, by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  sis  living 
viz.,  Sarah  S.,  Lena  L.,  John  T.,  George  W., 
Alice  I.  and  Albert  A.  Mr.  Short  owns  sixty 
acres  of  land  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.     Politics.  Republican. 

THOMAS  H.  SIMONDS,  fiirraer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Rutherford  Countj',  Tenn., 
Februarj-  25,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard 
Simonds  (deceased),  a  native  of  Virginia.  Our 
subject  attended  the  subscription  schools  in  the 
old  log  schoolhouse,  sat  on  a  split  pole  seat, 
and  wrote  on  a  slab.  He  came  to  this  county 
in  March,  1852,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
On  the  1st  of  February,  1854,  he  married 
Sarah  Vance,  by  whom  he  has  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  living — John,  William,  James  E., 
Mary  E.,  Susan  E.,  Robert  and  Rebecca.  Mr. 
Simonds  awns  eightj-  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  on  Section  23. 

MAJ.  W.  H.  SUMMERS,  Mt.  Vernon,  was 
born  June  22,  1821,  in  Muhlenburg  County, 
Ky.  He  is  a  son  of  David  Summers,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina  and  a  farmer  by  oceupationi 
who  came  to  Jefferson  Count}-  in  1828,  and 
died  here  after  a  useful  career,  in  which  he 
filled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a 
number  of  years.  His  father.  William  H.  Sum- 
mers, Sr.,  was  also  a  farmer.  The  mother  of 
our  subject.  Mary  A.  (Cash)  Summers,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina.  She  is  yet  living, 
and  was  the  mother  of  six  children  who  reached 
maturity,  and  of  whom  Emeline,  wife  of  M. 
Redmond,  and  our  subject  are  the  only  ones 
now  living.  The  latter  was  educated  in  this 
county.  In  early  life  he  farmed.  He  has  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  a  soldier  in  two  wars. 
He  fought  in  the  Mexican  war  and  in  our  late 
war.  enlisting  in  the  summer  of  1861  in  the 
Fortieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company 
!<].  He  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant,  and 
from  that  rose  rapidly  through  his  merit  and 
bravery  to  the  rank  of  First    Lieutenant,  then 


Captain  and  finally  Major,  and  as  such  mus- 
tered the  regiment  out  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
at  Louisville,  Ky.  Maj.  Summers  participated 
in  man}'  thrilling  scenes  and  famous  battles, 
among  others  those  of  Shiloh,  Jackson,  Ciuxt- 
tanooga,  Mission  Ridge,  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  was  with  Gen.  Sherman  in  his  famous 
"  march  to  the  sea,"  and  while  on  the  route  he 
and  his  regiment  participated  in  what  they 
called  the  '-side-show  at  Griswoldville,"  and  af- 
terward in  the  battle  of  Bentonville  and  other 
minor  engagements.  At  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
he  was  shot  in  the  right  leg.  and  for  three 
months  did  not  know  that  the  bullet  was  in 
the  leg.  It  is  in  there  yet,  a  fit  memento  of  the 
hardships  gone  through.  He  was  also  wound- 
ed at  the  engagement  of  Griswoldville.  At  the 
battle  of  Mission  Ridge,  he  was  stunned  by  a 
shell,  which  shock  impaired  his  hearing  and 
otherwise  injured  him.  The  United  States 
Government  has  granted  him  a  pension  for  his 
faithful  and  valuable  service.  After  the  war, 
Maj.  Summers  returned  to  this  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  milling,  and  at  pres- 
ent keeps  the  "  Farmers'  House  "  in  Mt.  Ver- 
non, where  he  intends  to  pass  his  days.  He 
was  joined  in  matrimony  twice.  His  first  wife, 
Theresa  Lisenbey,  died  in  this  county.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  two  children,  viz.: 
Charles  F.,  deceased,  and  John  D.,  a  farmer  in 
Moore's  Prairie.  His  present  wife,  Loviza  J. 
(Short)  Summers,  is  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children,  viz.:  Ne- 
braska Van  Dyke,  William  S.  and  Thomas  J. 
He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  connected  with 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Ciuirch.  He  has  filled 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  in  politics 
has  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 
JOHN  W.  SUMMERS,  deceased.  Among 
the  worthy  and  once  useful  men  of  this  county 
was  Mr.  Summers.  He  was  a  native  of  this 
county  and  was  born  in  this  township  July  2, 
1825.  His  father,  John  Summers,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  but  spent  most  of  his   life  after 

c 


34 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


coming  to  this  countrj'  in  JeflFerson  County, 
except  one  year,  wliich  time  he  spent  in  Texas. 
He  was  engaged  mostly  in  the  milling  business. 
He  owned  a  saw  and  flouring  mill  and  carding 
machine,  in  partnership  with  his  father.  He 
also  made  some  furniture,  and  was  a  kind  of 
general  mechanic.  He  .married  Wincy  J. 
Hutchison  September  22,  1847 ;  she  is  a 
daughter  of  William  Hutchison,  deceased. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  John  W.,  Lin- 
da W.,  Rufus  A..  Margaret  F.,  James  C,  Wincy 
C,  Thomas  E.  and  Bertha  L.  Mr.  Summers 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  died  July  14,  1864, 
loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  Mrs.  Summers 
married  William  Finley  December  30,  1866, 
and  by  him  had  one  child,  Everard  W.  Mr. 
Finley  is  also  dead.  The  latter  was  a  Presby- 
terian minister,  and  a  native  of  Warren  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  born  November  30,  1800. 

JEREMIAH  TAYLOR,  banker  and  farmer, 
P.  0.  Mount  Vernon,  was  born  in  Warren 
County,  Ky.,  on  the  26th  of  November,  1816. 
His  early  life  was  spent  at  home,  assisting 
to  till  the  soil  of  the  farm,  and  receiving  such 
an  education  as  the  subscription  schools  of 
that  period  afforded.  At  seventeen  3'ears  of 
age,  he  began  teaching  school,  following  the 
same  during  the  winter  months,  and  in  the 
summer  divided  his  time  in  working  on  the 
farm  and  trading  in  stock,  shipping  by  flat- 
boats  to  New  Orleans.  The  exposure  incident 
to  such  a  business  so  impaired  his  health  that 
in  1842  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  trading  and 
seek  other  pursuits.  He  began  the  study  of 
chemistry  and  daguerreotyping  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  a  business  that  would  enable  him 
to  travel  and  thereby  regain  his  health.  After 
six  months  of  laborious  study  and  practice,  he 
became  master  of  the  art.  and  immediately 
began  traveling  in  the  interests  of  his  business, 
making  a  tour  through  the  following  States  : 
Kentucky,   Indiana,  Tennessee,  Missouri  and 


Illinois,  which  occupied  Ave  years  of  his  life. 
He  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  artists  in  the 
United  States.  On  the  13th  of  June,  1848,  he 
arrived  in  Mount  Vernon,  and  became  one  of 
Jefferson  County's  permanent  settlers.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  in  the  city  of  Mount  Ver- 
non until  the  following  September,  and  then 
married  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  a  farm  nine  miles  south  of  Mount 
Vernon.  He  proved  to  be  a  very  practical  and 
successful  farmer,  and  by  econom3-  and  good 
management  he  soon  acquired  sufBeient  means 
to  start  a  tanyard,  saddlery  and  shoe  shop, 
which  he  operated  in  connection  with  his  farm 
duties,  continuing  thus  until  April,  1867,  when 
he  retired  and  removed  to  Mount  Vernon. 
Having  always  been  a  man  of  active  business 
qualities,  he  soon  tired  of  this  easj  life,  and 
after  three  months  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  taking  in  as  a  partner  his  step-son, 
Mr.  C.  D.  Ham.  This  business  was  continued 
for  five  years,  and  with  good  success.  In  1872, 
after  selling  his  mercantile  interests,  he,  in 
company  with  several  other  prominent  men  of 
the  county,  organized  the  Mount  Vernon  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  which  has  occupied  a  great 
portion  of  his  time  since.  He  has,  however, 
managed  his  farm  during  all  this  time.  In 
September,  1848,  he  married  Mrs.  Frances  Ham, 
He  and  wife  are  connected  with  the  M,  E, 
Church  ;  he  is  a  member  of  the  A  .  F.  &  A.  M. 
and  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  politically  is  a  Republican. 
A.  F.  TAYLOR,  merchant.  Mount  Vernon. 
As  a  worthy  example  of  Western  enterprise, 
no  better  can  be  found  than  he  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  a  man  who,  beginning  life 
without  wealth  or  position,  with  no  other  help 
than  a  determined  will  and  native  abilities,  has 
amassed  quite  a  fortune,  and  has  risen  to  a 
position  of  honor  among  his  fellow-townsmen. 
]Mr.  Taylor  is  a  native  of  this  State,  and  was 
born  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  on  November  22. 
1832.  He  is  son  of  Rev.  W.  H.  and  Elizabetli 
(Spohnhimmore)    Taylor.     The  grandfather  o.'' 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


yg 


our  subject  was  a  native  of  England,  and  came 
to  this  country  in  an  early  day  and  settled  in 
^'ermont,  wliere  the  father  was   born   August 
27,  1800.     The  latter  came  West  in  1818,  and 
settled  in  whatMS  now  Schuyler  County,  111., 
,jind  became  minister  of  the  M.  E,  Church.     In 
1847,  he  came  to  Jefferson   County,  where   he 
followed    his    noble    calling    until    his    death, 
which    occurred     in    this     countj-    on    April 
3,     1872.      The    mother    was     a     native     of 
Kentucky,      and    a     daughter      of      Philip 
Spohnhimmore,     a    native    of    Pennsylvania 
Subject  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children  ; 
his    education    was    received    raostl}'   in    tiiis 
county.     At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  commenced 
clerking  in  Mount  Vernon,  and  remained  there 
until  the  spring  of  18G1,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  Fortieth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry.   In  that  regiment  he  ser\'ed  as  Quarter- 
master for  two 'years,  with   the  rank  of  First 
Lieutenant.     He  was  then  detached  to  serve  on 
the  staff  of  Col.  Hicks,  with  the  rank  of  Brigade 
Adjutant.     He  afterward  served  in  the  same 
capacity  under  Gen.  Meredith,  who  commanded 
the  district  of  Western  Kentucky.    In  that  line 
of  duty  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war 
Among  the  battles   in  which  he   participated 
was  that  of  Shiloh,  Vieksburg,  Jackson  (Miss.), 
and  many  other  smaller  skirmishes.     After  the 
war,  our  subject  returned  to  Mount  Vernon, 
when  he  again  devoted  himself  to  the  mercan- 
tile business.     He  first  opened  a  clothing  store, 
in  company  with  S.  H.  Watson.     At  the  end  of 
one  year   the  partnership  was  dissolved,  how- 
ever, and  he  went  into  the  dry  goods  trade  with 
J.  F.  Watson.     This  firm   continued   in  opera- 
tion  about   five   years.      The    firm    was   then 
changed    to   Johnson,  Taylor   &    Co.,  and   at 
present  the  business  is  being  transacted  under 
the  name  of  Hudspeth,  Taj-lor  &  Co.  In  Mount 
Vernon,   111.,   he   was    wedded   to  Miss  E.    A. 
Hicks,    who    was    Ijorn    January    16,    1834, 
near    Edwardsville,    111.      This    lady    is    the 
daughter     of     Stephen      G.     and     Eliza     K. 


(Maxey)  Hicks,  the  father  being  a  native  of 
Georgia,  the  motiier  of  Tennessee.  The  result 
of  this  union  has  been  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  now  living — Stephen  G.,  born  May 
21,  1859;  Nellie  A..  July  16,  1866,  and  Will- 
iam W.  (deceased).  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are 
both  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Subject 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  fraternity, 
and  has  filled  most  of  the  offices  of  that  organ- 
ization. It  is  Mr.  Taylor's  desire  to  bend  all 
his  faculties  and  abilities  to  his  business,  and, 
in  consequence  is  no  oflBce  seeker,  but  as  far  as 
his  political  feelings  and  [)rinciples  go,  he  gives 
his  influence  to  the  Republican  party. 

S.  G.  H.  TAYLOR,  merchant,  Mt.    Vernon. 
Among  the  man^-  successful  business  men  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  there  are  none  whose  career  affords 
a  much  better  example  of  what  steady  perse- 
verance will  accomplish  than  the  gentleman  of 
whose  life  this  is  a  brief  sketch.     Still  a  voung 
man,  Mr.  Taylor  has  already  m.adc    liimself  a 
mark  among  the   business   men  of  this   city. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  town  in  which  he  is  doing 
his  duty  as  a  good  and  true  citizen,  being  born 
here  March  21,  1859.     He  is  a  son  of  Albion 
F.  and  Elmira  A.  (Hicks)  Taylor,  whose  sketch- 
es appear   elsewhere  in  this  work.     Our  sub- 
ject's  education  was  received  in  the  schools  of 
this  city,  and  then  took  a  course  in  the  McKen- 
dree  College  at  Lebanon,  111,     After  his  return 
from  that  institution,  he  clerked  in  his  father's 
store  for  a  short  time,  and   then    in   1881,  he 
having  chosen,  the  mercantile  profession  as  his 
calling   for    life,  he   opened    a   grocery    store, 
where  so  far  he   has  liad  a  fair  share  of  the 
patronage  of  Mt.  Vernon  and  vicinity.     In  the 
pleasant  little  city  of  Mt.  Vernon,  on  Septem- 
ber 8,  1881,  he  was  wedded   to  Miss  Lulu  L. 
Patton,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  H.  and  Charlotte  (Lake)  Pattou, 
the  father  a  native  of  Ohio,  the  mother  of  Eng- 
land.    Both  Mr.  and   Mrs.  Taylor  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  this  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  31,  A. 


36 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


F.  &  A.  M.,  and   the  I.  0.  0.  F.     In   politics, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

ALLEN  C.  TANNER,  County  Clerk,  Mt. 
Vernon.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Allen 
C.  Tanner,  a  merchant,  and  connected  with 
many  of  the  best  families  of  "Virginia,  emigrat- 
ed to  Missouri  in  1824,  and  there  engaged  in 
frontier  trading.  His  wife.  Martha  (Bates) 
Allen,  was  of  a  highly  respectable  family. 
Tazewell  B.  Tanner,  subject's  father,  was  born 
in  Danville,  Va.,  November  6,  182L  His  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  McKendree  College, 
located  at  Lebanon,  111.,  although  his  home  was 
in  St.  Louis.  After  leaving  college,  he  engaged 
in  school  teaching,  and  continued  at  that  avo- 
cation during  the  ensuing  four  years.  He  then 
went  to  California  in  search  of  gold,  remaining 
on  the  Pacific  slope  for  one  year.  Upon  his 
return  to  Illinois,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Jefl'erson  County,  serving  two 
years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  re- 
signed his  position.  He  was  subsequently 
elected  to  the  Lower  House  of  the  Illinois  Leg- 
islature, and  in  the  following  year  conducted 
the  Jefferson  ian  newspaper,  a  journal  intend- 
ed to  educate  the  people  upon  the  question  as 
to  the  propriety  of  donating  swamp  lands  to 
aid  in  the  construction  of  railways,  a  mission 
which  it  ultimately  accomplished.  In  the 
meantime,  he  studied  law  with  the  Hon.  Will- 
iam H.  Bissell,  and  later  under  the  supervision 
of  Judge  Scales.  While  conducting  the  Jeff'er- 
sonian,  he  was  occupied  also  in  practicing  law, 
meeting  with  much  success.  At  the  end  of  fif- 
teen months,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the 
newspaper  and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to 
the  increasing  calls  of  his  profession.  In  18G2, 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  served  prominently  and  ably 
with  that  body  until  its  dissolution.  He  was 
while  thus  engaged  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
of  Revision  and  Adjustment,  and  while  officiat- 
ing in  this  capacitj'  elicited  the  praise  and  en- 
comiums of  all  concerned,  and   was  especially 


complimented  for  the  raasterlv  manner  in  which 
bills  were  revised  and  adjusted,  and  redeemed 
from  bareness  by  the  elegant  language  in  which 
they  were  expressed.  In  1873,  he  was  elected 
Judge  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Judicial  District, 
which  position  he  held  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  21,  1881.  He  was  al- 
ways associated  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  was  one  of  its  most  esteemed  supporters. 
His  skill  and  judgment  as  a  legal  practitioner 
and  as  an  expounder  and  definer  of  the  law 
was  unimpeachable.  He  enjoyed  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  entire  bar,  and  was  high- 
I3'  commended  for  the  fairness  and  soundness 
of  his  decisions.  He  was  married.  May  22, 
1851,  to  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  the  late  Gov. 
Anderson,  of  Illinois,  whose  history  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Tanner  was 
born  on  the  11th  of  April,  1831,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  and  is  now  residing  in  the  city  of 
Mt.  Vernon.  She  is  the  mother  of  the  follow- 
ing children  :  Allen  C,  our  subject;  Winona, 
wife  of  R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks,  Mary,  Blanche  and 
Neil.  Allen  C.  Tanner,  whose  name  heads  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  Au- 
gust 4,  1854.  He  was  educated  in  the  Union 
School  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Champaign  University 
of  Illinois,  and  the  Christian  Brothers'  College 
of  St.  Louis.  At  eighteen  j-ears  of  age,  imme- 
diatelj'  after  leaving  school,  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  W. 
Duff  Green,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  but  at  the  end  of 
two  months  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his 
study  on  account  of  poor  health,  and  immedi- 
ately started  West  to  Colorado  and  spent  a 
considerable  time  in  fishing  and  hunting,  and 
afterward  went  North  to  Minnesota,  where  he 
remained  thus  engaged  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  and  in  1874  returned  home  to  Mt.  Ver- 
non. He  immediately  engaged  with  Circuit 
Clerk  Bogan  and  remained  in  his  employ  un- 
til, December  14, 1880,  he  was  appointed  Coun- 
ty Clerk  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  was  elected  to 
the  same  office  in  the  fall  of  1882,  for  a  term  of 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


37 


four  years.  Mr.  Tanner,  like  his  father,  is  an 
active  worker  for  the  Democratic  party.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  orders  I.  0.  0.  F.  and 
A.  0.  U.  W.  He  was  married,  on  the  28tii  of 
September,  1880,  to  Miss  Mabel  W.  Pace,  who 
has  borne  him  one  child,  Florence. 

HON.  GEORGE  H.  VARNELL  was  born 
in  Georgetown,  D.  C,  February  2,  1833,  the 
second  child  in  a  familj-  of  ten  children  of 
George  W.  and  Mary  iVnn  (Gibson)  Varnell. 
George  W.  Varnell  was  a  native  of  Alexandria, 
Va.,  born  in  1808,  and  Mary  Ann  Gibson, 
born  in  St.  Mary's  County,  near  Leonardstown, 
Md.,  in  1813  ;  she  died  in  1854,  leaving  her 
husband  and  the  fiither  of  her  ten  children  a 
citizen  of  Georgetown,  where  he  now  is  spend- 
ing the  evening  of  his  green  old  age,  residing 
in  the  same  house  where  he  has  spent  the  past 
forty  years  of  his  life.  In  early  life,  he  was  a 
hard-working  brick  mason,  and  worked  and 
struggled  hard  for  his  large  young  family.  For 
some  j'ears  now,  he  has  retired  from  the  active 
business  of  life,  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of 
his  earl}'  labors,  and  the  loving  care  of  his 
children  and  friends.  The  childhood  of  Hon. 
George  H.  Varnell  was  spent  in  Georgetown, 
where  he  passed  through  the  various  phases  of 
infancy,  and  when  old  enough  did  "  with  shin- 
ing face  trudge  unwillingly  to  school " — to  the 
Benevolent  Catholic  School — but  at  the  prema- 
ture age  of  thirteen  years  this  childhood  was 
cut  short,  and  he  found  himself  launched  upon 
a  rather  selBsh  world  and  forced  to  enter  upon 
the  great  struggle  for  existence — a  mere  child 
taking  up  the  cast-down  gauntlet,  and  in  steady- 
eyed  confidence  entering  the  lists  where  every 
hour  for  so  many  thousands  of  j-ears  have 
gone  down  in  despair  and  gloom  so  many  and 
such  strong,  well-developed  men — dashed  to 
pieces  upon  the  rocks  of  strife  warring  with 
their  fellow-men.  He  embarked  on  his  career 
in  life  as  a  mule-driver  for  a  canal  boat  on  the 
Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Canal,  and  worked  at  the 
same  for  two  years.     He  then  went  to  Wash- 


ington, and  there  spent  his  first  week  walking 
the  streets  and  asking  for  an  apprenticeship  at 
some  trade,  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  above- 
named  time  his  ambition  was  rewarded  by 
being  taken  as  an  apprentice  to  Harvey  & 
Hay,  house  and  sign  painters.  He  was  bound 
to  this  firm  for  a  term  of  three  3-ears,  and 
faithfull}'  served  it  out,  not  losing  a  day,  and 
even  remained  one  month  longer  tlian  his 
allotted  time  to  benefit  himself  He  then  bor- 
rowed $25,  which  enabled  him  to  buy  a  small 
stock  of  brushes,  paints,  etc.,  for  the  purpose  of 
opening  a  business  of  his  own.  He  worked  in 
this  way  diligently  for  ten  years,  from  the  first 
getting  all  the  work  he  could  do;  in  fact, 
very  soon  began  to  hire  assistants  and  widen 
his  business,  and  soon  was  enabled  to  take  con- 
tracts, and  rapidly  rose  to  the  position  of  chief 
workman  and  contractor  in  the  eity,  until  he 
secured  the  work  of  painting  the  public  buihl- 
ings,  and  often  had  a  hundred  men  in  his 
employ.  In  this  time,  his  untiring  industry 
was  rewarded  with  a  net  profit  of  $75,000, 
when  he  closed  up  his  business  and  turned  his 
face  westward  and  came  to  Illinois,  arriving  in 
Mt.  Vernon,  his  present  home,  October  20, 
1861.  On  his  arrival  here  he  completed  his 
arrangements  to  study  law,  and  immediately 
entered  the  office  of  Tanner  &  Casey.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  subsequently,  and  after 
being  engaged  to  defend  two  cases,  and  after 
having  painted  his  own  sign,  which  he  never 
hung  up,  he  became  dissatisfied  with  his  pro- 
fession and  gave  it  up,  determined  to  engage  in 
a  more  active  business  that  would  be  more 
adapted  to  his  ambitious  life.  He  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  in  Mt.  Vernon,  which  he 
continued  for  five  years,  and  from  its  com- 
mencement began  erecting  some  of  the  most 
substantial  buildings — business  houses,  mills, 
residences  and  manufacturing  establishments, 
which  now  stand  as  a  monument  to  his  memory, 
showing  how  much  he  has  done  to  beautify  and 
improve  the  city.     Among  these  edifices  might 


38 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


be  mentioned  the  large  mill  of  Hobbs  &  Sons, 
and  the  Continental  Hotel,  which  was  built  at  a 
cost  of  130,000.  Daring  the  war,  he  also  car- 
ried on  mercantile  establishments  in  Cairo  and 
McLeausboro,  and  was  also  engaged  in  farming 
and  conducted  a  large  tanner}'.  In  the  twenty 
j'ears'  sta_v  in  this  county,  he  has  bought  several 
thousand  acres  of  wild  land,  and,  after  making- 
all  modern  improvements,  would  sell  again, 
and  it  might  be  said  to  his  honor  that  in  this 
way  he  has  undoubtedly  done  more  to  improve 
Jefferson  County  than  any  other  one  man.  He 
now  owns  000  acres  of  land,  one  of  the  model 
farms  of  the  county,  which  is  located  within 
one  mile  from  the  limits  of  Mt.  Vernon.  At 
the  time  when  the  St.  Louis  &  Southeastern 
Railroad  was  talked  of  intersecting  this  por- 
tion of  Southern  Illinois,  he  became  one  of  the 
most  active  workers  toward  the  enterprise 
a  nd  besides  using  his  money  freely,  he  made 
many  enthusiastic  speeches  at  points  between 
St.  Louis  and  Shawneetown,  which  at  once 
caused  the  people  to  wake  up  to  the  impor- 
tance of  sucli  an  enLerprise,  and  he  was  suc- 
cessful in  his  object.  He  has  also  been  en- 
gaged extensively  in  the  lumber  and  saw-mill 
business,  and  during  the  last  ten  years  he  has 
furnished  different  Western  railroad  companies 
with  timbers  and  ties.  During  the  summer 
months  of  1882,  he  furnished  over  2,000  car- 
loads of  ties  and  timbers  for  railroad  compa- 
nies ;  being  well  experienced  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness, he  has  made  it  a  financial  success.  For 
all  he  has  been  engaged  so  extensively  in  busi- 
ness, he  has  found  time  to  serve  his  people  in 
several  different  positions  of  trust.  He  was 
Trustee  of  Jit.  Vernon  for  a  number  of  years 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors;  Super- 
intendent of  the  County  Almshouse,  and  the 
manner  in  which  this  institution  was  con- 
ducted under  his  management  brought  to  him 
great  credit ;  Mayor  of  the  city  for  four  con- 
secutive terms,  and,  in  1882,  was  elected  to  his 
present  office,  to  the  General  Assembly.     He 


has  been  President  of  different  associations,  one 
of  which  was  the  Jefferson  County  Fair  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  now  an  active  member  of  the 
orders,  L  0.  0.  F.,  K.  of  H.  and  K.  &  L.  of  H. 
He  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  charitable 
enterprises,  and  has  donated  largely  to  the 
building  of  man}'  of  the  churches  of  the 
county.  He  was  married,  on  the  18th  of  No- 
vember, 1852,  to  Miss  Susan  S.  Bogan  (see 
history  of  John  S.  Bogan).  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  eleven  children,  of  whom  the 
following  are  now  living :  Mrs.  Anna  (Frank) 
Patton,  born  July  25,  1857;  George  L.,  born 
June  19,  1859;  John  G.,  born  April  9,  1862; 
Mary  Nellie,  born  June  7,  1865;  Daisy,  born 
March  3,  1874,  and  Elbert  Leo,  born  December 
15,  1877.  In  politics,  he  has  been  a  consistent 
Democrat,  yet  he  has  never  forfeited  the  respect 
nor  confidence  of  even  his  most  earnest  politi- 
cal adversaries.  His  broad  and  just  benevo- 
lence and  liberal  charity  have  shed  their  bless- 
ings upon  his  fellow-man,  his  prudent  foresight 
and  active,  liberal  business  transactions  have 
immeasurably  benefitted  the  county,  and  his 
whole  life  work  has  helped  mankind  in  that 
great  human  contest  where  fate  is  on  one  side 
and  fortune  on  the  other.  He  has  won  the 
goal,  and  the  "  well  done  thou  faithful  servant " 
is  stained  with  no  shadow  of  a  dishonored  life, 
is  blistered  with  no  tear  of  widow  or  orphan. 
An  inactive  or  uneventful  life  may  easily  drift 
with  the  current  and  attract  neither  attention 
nor  temptation,  and  to  sa}'  of  it  when  it  is  over 
that  it  was  steered  successfuUj'  between  Sc^ylla 
and  Char3'bdis,  is  but  a  commonplace  that  is 
idle  and  means  but  little,  but  when  we  look 
back  over  a  great  and  active  life,  one  that  has 
stood  in  the  foreground,  breasting  life's  rudest 
storms  and  attracting  the  attention  of  the  most 
cunning  tempter,  and  3-et  has  never  fallen, 
never  faltered,  but  has  gone  onward  and  up- 
ward, carrying  the  feeble,  sustaining  the  weary 
and  faint-hearted,  feeding  the  hungry,  clothing 
the  naked,  aud  winning  life's  chiefest  victories. 


MOUNT  VERNOX  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


39 


We  have  a  picture — a  biosrrapliical  sketch,  so 
to  speak,  worth}*  the  study  and  contemplation 
of  the  youths  of  the  country,  where  they  may 
read  the  most  valnalilc  lesson  of  their  lives. 
Such  we  esteem  the  story  of  the  Hon.  (Jeorge 
H.  Varnell's  life,  and  we  give  it  to  the  world, 
only  too  briefly,  as  a  most  valuable  paragraph 
in  the  history  of  Jefferson  County. 

G.  F.  M.  WARD,  clothier  and  gents'  fur- 
nisher, Mount  Vernon.  The  successful  man 
is  he  who  chooses  his  life-work  with  ref- 
erence to  his  native  ability  and  tastes.  The 
men  who  fail  in  their  calling  are  not  men  with- 
out ability  ;  often  they  are  men  of  brilliant 
genius,  but  they  are  the\-  who  have  turned  the 
current  of  their  life  force  into  a  wrong  channel. 
Mr.  Ward  is  a  successful  business  man.  His 
success  has  followed  his  work  naturally  as  ef- 
fect follows  cause.  His  early  tastes  inclined 
him  toward  a  mercantile  life.  He  cherished 
this  feeling  till  it  became  inwrought  in  the 
very  fiber  of  his  being,  so  that  when  he  began 
active  life  he  had  little  to  decide  ;  the  atmos- 
phere of  mercantile  life  has  become  his  native 
element.  Our  subject  was  born  in  Harrington, 
Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  on  October  11,  1854,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Lucy  A.  (Todd)  Ward. 
The  father  is  a  native  of  Waterbury,  Conn., 
and  is  a  farmer  Ijy  occupation.  In  1858,  he 
came  to  Illinois,  and  first  settled  near  Carbon- 
dale.  He  is  at  present  living  near  Duquoin- 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
is  still  living.  To  her  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Elmira  (deceased),  Julius  H.,  Will- 
iam D.  (both  in  business  in  Duquoin,  111.). 
George  T.  M.,  John  N.  (deceased),  and  Samuel 
(a  merchant  in  Carbondale).  The  education  of 
our  subject  was  received  principally  in  the 
schools  of  Carbondale.  When  young,  he  lent 
an  assisting  hand  on  his  father's  farm.  On 
April  7,  1874,  he  commenced  clerking  for  M. 
Goldman,  at  Carbondale.  He  remained  with 
this  gentleman  until  May  10,  1875,  and  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  John  Hayden,  and 


put  in  operation  the  Carbondale  Marble  Works. 
In  August,  1S75,  he,  however,  sold  out  his  in- 
terest in  that  concern  and  came  to  Duquoin, 
where  he  clerked  for  Joseph  Solomon,  until  his 
arrival  in  Mount  Vernon,  on  August  1,  1879. 
In  this  city  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
employer,  and  opened  a  clothing  house  under 
the  firm  name  of  Ward  &  Solomo^i.  This  firm 
continued  in  operation  until  January  1,  1883, 
when  the  firm  dissolved  by  mutual  agreement, 
and  since  then  our  subject  has  carried  on  the 
business  alone,  and  at  present  has  in  stock  one 
of  the  most  complete  assortments  of  gents'  fur- 
nishing goods  in  the  city.  In  Duquoin,  111., 
on  June  2,  1880,  Mr.  Ward  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Pope.  This  ladj'  was  born  July 
31,  1857,  in  Franklin  County,  111.,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Pope,  of  Duquoin.  Two 
children  have  blessed  this  union — Todd  P.,  born 
February  16,  1881,  and  Leota,  born  September 
4,  1882.  Mrs.  Ward  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  of  Duquoin.  Mr.  Ward  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  13,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and 
Jefferson  Encampment,  No.  91.  He  at  present 
represents  the  Third  Ward  in  the  Mount  Ver- 
non Common  Council.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

JOEL  F.  WATSON,  capitalist.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  Pendleton  County,  Ky.,  on 
the  26th  of  JIarch,  1821.  His  father,  John  W. 
Watson,  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in 
1771.  He  was  removed  by  his  parents  to  Vir- 
ginia when  a  small  bo}',  and  was  there  reared. 
He  studieil  medicine,  and  was  a  graduate  of 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He  married  in 
Virginia,  and,  in  1811,  removed  to  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.,  and  soon  after  to  Pendleton 
County  of  the  same  State.  After  about  ten 
j'ears,  he  turned  his  face  Westward  and  came 
to  Illinois,  arriving  in  Mount  Vernon  in  Novem- 
ber, 1821.  His  journey  was  made  overland, 
with  a  two-horse  wagon,  which  carried  his 
family  and  all  of  his  earthly  possessions.  He 
settled  on  a  farm  known  as  Mulbcrrv  Hill,  and 


40 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


the  following  year  (1822)  bought  land  one-half 
mile  north  of  Mount  Vernon,  on  the  Vaudalia 
road,  where  he  remained  and  managed  his 
farm,  in  connection  with  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fession, until  he  died,  which  sad  event  occurred 
June  3, 1845.  He  was  the  first  physician  of  the 
county,  and  his  ride  extended  over  a  great  por- 
tion of  this  part  of  the  State.  He  often  made 
rides  of  fifty  and  one  hundred  miles,  on  horse- 
back, in  one  day.  In  1828,  he  was  called  on 
a  professional  visit  to  Williamson  County,  and, 
from  the  long  ride,  his  horse  became  exhausted 
and  died  on  his  arrival  at  his  journey's  end,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  borrow  a  horse  to  get  back 
to  his  home.  He  was  of  Welsh  descent,  a 
Democrat  politically,  and  a  man  of  unswerving 
honesty  and  integrity.  His  wife,  Frances  (Pace) 
Watson,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1785,  and  died 
in  this  county  on  the  3d  of  March,  1845.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Joel 
F.  Watson,  our  subject,  is  the  only  surviving 
child.  He  was  brought  to  the  county  by  his 
parents  when  an  infant,  and  was  here  reared 
on  his  father's  farm.  His  education  was  lim- 
ited to  the  subscription  schools  of  that  early 
day.  supplemented  by  one  term  in  the  Mount 
Vernon  Academy.  In  1842,  he  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  common  schools  of  Franklin 
County,  and,  in  1843,  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  County  Clerk  of  Jefferson  County,  and  held 
the  office  for  fourteen  consecutive  years.  In 
1849,  in  conjunction  with  his  official  duties,  he 
engaged  in  merchandising  in  Mount  Vernon 
on  a  small  scale,  as  his  capital  at  that  time  was 
small ;  he  was  engaged  in  this  business  most 
of  the  time  until  1876,  when  he  retired  from 
active  business.  He  is  the  owner  of  large  tracts 
of  land,  and,  at  the  present  day,  is  undoubtedly 
the  wealthiest  man  of  the  county.  He  com- 
menced life  a  poor  bo^',  and  now,  in  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  he  is  surrounded  with  those 
comforts,  and  enjoys  those  pleasures  that  are 
ever  the  result  of  honest^-,  industry  and  econ- 
omy.    .He  was  married,  on  the  2d  of  January, 


1849,  to  Sarah  M.  Taylor,  a  native  of  Pike 
County,  111.  She  died  in  March,  1859,  leaving 
four  children  as  the  result  of  their  union.  Of 
these,  Walter,  Howard  and  Albert  are  now 
living,  and  all  enterprising  young  men.  In  De- 
cember, 1860,  he  married  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Page. 
He  and  wife  are  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  or- 
der of  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics. 

S.  H.  WATSON,  dealer  in  agricultural  im- 
plements. Mount  Vernon.  From  one  of  the 
oldest  families  in  this  county  the  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch  is  descended. 
He  was  born  here  November  5,  1838,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Rankin) 
Watson.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject.  Dr. 
John  W.  Watson,  was  born  in  Maryland  in 
1791,  and  was  removed  to  Virginia  at  an  early 
day  by  his  parents  ;  he  was  educated  in  that 
State,  then  read  for  a  physician,  graduated  from 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  and  practiced 
medicine  the  rest  of  his  life.  About  1803,  he 
married  Frances  Pace,  and  to  them  the  father 
of  our  subject  was  born  in  1805.  In  1811,  the 
grandfather  with  his  family  moved  to  Bourbon 
County,  Ky.,  but  soon  after  moved  to  Pendle- 
ton County,  same  State,  where  the  famil}'  lived 
until  1821,  when  he  started  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, 111.  His  journey  was  made  overland  in  a 
two-horse  wagon,  which  contained  his  family 
and  all  of  his  earthly  possessions  ;  they  camped 
out  nights,  and  experienced  great  fear  from  the 
wild  animals.  Arriving  in  this  county,  the 
Doctor  first  settled  on  a  farm  on  what  is  called 
the  "  Mulberry  Hill,"  where  he  resided  one  year 
and  then  removed  to  a  farm  on  the  Vaudalia 
road,  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Mt.  Vernon. 
Here  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years,  aud,  in 
connection  with  the  management  of  his  farm, 
be  followed  his  profession.  He  was  the  first 
physician  in  the  county,  and  was  kept  very 
busy,  his  practice  extending  over  this  as  well 
as  adjoining  counties,  and   he  was  obliged  to 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


41 


make  on  horseback  a  trip  of  from  50  to  100 
miles  long.     On  June  3,  1845,  he  departed  this 
life,  and  left  an  example  worthy  of  imitation 
by  the  coming  generation.     He  was  of  Welsh 
descent,  and  was  a  man  of  unswerving  honesty 
and  integrity.     The  father  of  our  subject  grew 
up  to  manhood  in  this  count}%  receiving  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  subscription  schools.     In  1827, 
he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  M.  Rankin.     In 
his  3'outh,  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter 
and  made  that  his  occupation  tiirough  life.    He 
served  as  Justice  of  the   Peace  in   this  county 
for  twenty-four  j-ears  in   succession,  and  also 
served  one  term  as  County  Treasurer.     He  was 
an  upright  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and 
was  one  of  the   pillars  of  the  organization  in 
Mt.  Vernon,  having  been  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  church.     In  politics,  he  was  a  Democrat, 
as  his  father  had   been  before  him.     He  died 
September  26,   1860,  and  was  buried  by  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  to  her  were  born  nine  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  now  living.     Our  subject  was 
educated   partially  in   Mt.  Vernon,  and  at  the 
age  of   ten  he  went  to  St.  Louis,   and  there 
clerked  until  he  was  eighteen  ;  he  then  came  to 
Tamaroa,  III.,  and  there  clerked  until  1860,  and 
then  came  to   Mt.  Vernon.      Here  he  clerked 
until  the  summer  of  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  Fortieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Com- 
pany G.     Entering  as  private,  he  served  first 
as  Quartermaster  Sergeant ;  then,   on  April  li 
1862,  was  elected  Second  Lieutenant,  and  was 
next  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant.     On  Janu- 
ary 26, 1863,  and  while  serving  in  that  capacity 
he  was  detailed  to  act  as  Aid  on  the  staff  of  the 
General  commanding.     On  March  5,   1864,  he 
was  promoted  to  the  Captainc}',  and  afterward 
was  appointed  Inspector  of  the  brigade,  which 
position   he  held   until   the  close  of  tlie  war. 
He  participated   in  many  thrilling  scenes  and 
famous  battles,  among  which  were  the  battles 
of   Shiloh,   capture  of   Vicksburg,   Knoxville, 


Mission  Ridge,  Jackson  (Miss.),  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea.  After 
the  war,  he  returned  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  embarked  in  the  clothing  business. 
He  followed  that  for  about  a  year  and  a  half 
and  then  went  to  Ashley,  Washington  County, 
where  he  resided  about  eleven  years.  In  that 
place,  his  principal  business  was  dealing  in 
stock,  also  running  an  agricultural  implement 
store.  In  1879,  he  returned  to  Mt.  Vernon, 
and  opened  an  implement  store  here.  This  he 
still  carries  on,  having  on  hand  besides  a  full 
stock  of  farm  machinery,  wagons,  buggies, 
pianos  and  organs.  Mr.  Watson  was  married 
in  Mt.  Vernon,  on  October  1,  1860,  to  Anna  A. 
Goetschius.  This  lady  is  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  D.  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Tucker)  Goetschius,  who  were  natives  of 
New  York.  The  result  of  this  union  was  Fred 
P.,  born  July  22.  1805,  and  Harry  W.,  born 
December  16,  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  are 
both  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Subject  is 
a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  fraternity  of 
Mt.  Vernon.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  is  at  present  Chairman  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee. 

WALTER  WATSON,  M.  D.,  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  on  the  14th  of  May,  1851,  in 
Mt.  Vernon,  111.,  and  is  the  oldest  of  three  chil- 
dren born  to  Joel  F.  and  Sarah  M.  (Taylor) 
Watson.  He  was  educated  in  the  High  Schools 
of  Mt.  Vernon,  supplemented  by  a  four  years' 
course  in  the  McKendrce  College,  Lebanon, 
111.,  graduating  from  that  institution  with  hon- 
ors in  June,  1872.  Returning  home,  he  imme- 
diately began  reading  medicine  in  the  office  of 
Dr.  W.  Duff  Green,  of  Mt,  Vernon,  111.,  and  in 
September  of  the  same  year  entered  Ohio  Med- 
ical College  at  Cincinnati,  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
March,  1875.  At  this  time  ho  was  successful 
in  winning  a  prize  of  $50,  which  was  ofl'ered 
for  the  one  most  successful  in  the  examination 


42 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


in  ophthalmology.  After  his  examination,  he 
entered  a  competitive  examination  for  the  po- 
sition of  resident  pli3-sidan  of  the  Gootl  Samar- 
itan Hospital  of  Cincinnati.  Being  successful, 
he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  that  position  and  continued  the  same  for 
one  year.  In  1876,  he  was  elected  to  fill  the 
chair  of  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy  in  the  col- 
lege where  he  graduated.  In  1877,  on  account 
of  the  failing  health  of  his  father  and  the  im- 
portance of  being  with  him  to  attend  to  his 
business,  he  resigned  his  position  and  returned 
home  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. During  1877-78,  he  was  practicing  in 
partnership  with  Dr.  Green,  but  since  that  time 
he  has  practiced  by  himself.  He  was  married 
in  September,  188U,  to  Miss  Nettie  Margaret 
Johnson,  of  Champaign,  III,  and  a  daughter  of 
George  W.  and  Margaret  G.  (Lawder)  Johnson. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
Margaret.  Dr.  Watson  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, a  member  of  the  A.  P.  &  A.  M.  and  K.  of 
H.,  and  is  State  Medical  Examiner  for  the 
latter. 

ALBERT  WATSON,  lawyer,  Mt.  Vernon, 
is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  sons  born 
to  Joel  F.  and  Sarah  M.  (Taylor)  Watson, 
whose  historj-  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
He  was  born  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Jefferson  Co.,  111., 
on  the  15th  of  April,  1857.  He  attended  the 
schools  of  Mt.  Vernon  and  the  McKendree  Col- 
lege at  Lebanon,  111.,  graduating  from  the  lat- 
ter place  with  honors  in  1876.  He  then  began 
teaching  school  and  continued  the  same  for 
two  years,  when  he  began  reading  law  under 
the  perceptorship  of  C.  H.  Patton,  Esq.,  and 
passed  his  examination  in  July,  1880,  receiving 
his  admittance  to  tiie  bar  in  September  of  the 
same  year.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  in  part- 
nership with  Mr.  C.  H.  Patton.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Mt.  Vernon  on  the  12th  of  August,  1880, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Way,  a  native  of  Washington 


County,  111.,  and  a  daughter  of  Newton  E.  and 
Lizzie  H.  (Heaton)  Way,  both  natives  of  Ohio, 
the  former  deceased  and  the  latter  resides  in  Mt. 
Vernon.  They  have  been  blessed  with  one 
child,  Marena. 

T.  E.  WESTCOTT,  dry  goods  merchant,  Mt. 
Vernon.  One  of  the  most  prominent  dr}-  goods 
merchants  of  Mt.  Vei-non  is  the  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  Mr.  Westcott 
is  a  native  of  this  county,  being  born  here 
March  4,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Teli- 
hat  (Downer)  Westcott.  Tiie  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  David  Westcott,  was  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  and  came  West  when  a  young  man  and 
settled  in  Ohio.  There  he  married  Margaret  S- 
Willis,  who  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  To  them 
the  father  of  our  subject  was   born,  June  12, 

1826.  In  1888,  the  grandparents  came  to  this 
county,  and  settled  in  the  south  part  of  it. 
There  the  father  grew  to  manhood  and  married 
Telitha    Downer,   who  was    born  August    22, 

1827,  in  Vermont.  The  result  of  this  union 
was  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Thomas  E.,  Sarah  M.  (wife  of  a  Mr. 
Dare),  James  and  George.  The  father  is  at 
present  following  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  In 
his  life  he  has  held  many  responsible  oflSces, 
among  which  are  that  of  Sheriff,  Treasurer, 
Assessor,  and  Commissioner  of  Highways.  In 
politics,  he  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat.  The 
common  schools  of  Jefferson  Count}-  afforded 
our  subject  his  means  of  education,  and  when 
not  in  school  when  a  youth  he  would  assist  his 
father  in  running  the  old  homestead.  He  com- 
menced life  for  himself  as  a  clerk  in  Ashley, 
and  remained  in  that  town  twelve  years,  and 
finally  he  came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  and  in  this  city 
he  clerked  for  two  years,  and  then  in  company 
with  his  uncle,  W.  B.  Westcott,  he  opened  a 
general  store.  At  present,  he  carries  a  com- 
plete stock  of  drj'  goods,  groceries,  and  boots 
and  shoes.  In  McLeansboro,  111.,  Mr.  Westcott 
was  wedded  to  Miss  Nannie  Shoemaker.  This 
lady  was  born  April  1,  1847,  and  is  a  daughter 


MOUNT  VERNON  CITY  AND  TOWNSHIP. 


43 


of  Joshua  and  Artiiuissa  (Maukling)  Shoe- 
maker. This  marriage  has  resulted  in  six  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Freddie  L.,  Bertram  E.,  Robert  L., 
\V^alter,  Clarence  and  Tliomas  E.  Mrs.  West- 
cott  is  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Vernon  M.  E. 
Church.  Jlr.  Wcstcott  is  a  member  of  the  A., 
F.  &  A.  M.  fraternity  and  in  politics  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

W.  N.  WHITE,  State's  Attornej-,  Mt.  Vernon. 
It  is  an  encouraging  phase  of  our  present  age 
that  the  prizes  of  honest  work  and  vigorous 
energy'  are  open  to  all,  and  that  the  3'oung  man 
ma}'  win  the  highest  emoluments  equall}'  with 
the  man  of  long  and  varied  experience.  Mr. 
White,  thongii  but  a  young  man,  has  risen  to  a 
high  rank  in  his  profession,  and  sustains  a  rep- 
utation worthy  only  of  the  truest  ability.  He 
was  born  on  tlie  17th  of  October,  185(5,  near 
Mt.  Vernon,  in  Jetl'erson  Count\',  111.  His  ear- 
ly life  was  passed  on  a  farm .  but,  unlike  many 
whose  boyhood  is  thus  spent,  he  so  economized 
his  time  and  improved  his  opportunities  as  to 
gain  a  knowledge  of  a  wide  range  of  studies. 
He  began  the  study  of  law  in  1876,  with  Green 
&  Carpenter,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  February,  1879,  having  passed  his 
examination  before  the  Appellate  Court.  He 
immediatelj'  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, and  has  continued  the  same  with 
marked  success.  In  November,  1880,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  State's  Attorney,  and  is 
now  filling  the  same  office  with  tiic  approval 
and  satisfaction  of  all.  In  Mt.  Vernon,  May 
26, 1881,  he  married  Miss  Laura  Casey,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  K.  and  Anna  L.  Case}',  both  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Wliite  is  an  active  member  of  the 
orders  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  •'  Iron  Hall,"  and  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  politics. 

ROBERT  A.  D.  WILBANKS,  Clerk  of  Ap- 
pellate Court,  Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  III,  June  23,  1846.  His  grand- 
father, Daniel  Wilbanks,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  and  emigrated  from  South  Carolina 
to  Illinois  in  about  1820,  and   settled  on  Tur- 


key Hill  in  St.  Clair  County.  Being  a  practical 
survcj'or,  he  was  employed  to  survc}"  lands  iu 
that  county.  In  1824,  on  account  of  being  af- 
flicted with  malarial  chills  in  St.  Clair  County, 
he  removed  with  his  ftimily  to  Jeti'erson  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  and  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie  Town- 
ship, Our  subject's  father,  R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks, 
was  born  iu  South  Carolina  in  1805,  and  was 
there  reared  and  educated.  He  came  to  Illi- 
nois with  his  parents,  and  while  residing  in  St. 
Clair  County  was  employed  to  carry  the  mail 
from  Belleville  to  Metropolis,  making  the  trip 
on  horseback.  Soon  after  coming  to  Jefl'erson 
County,  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  father  purchased 
most  of  the  home  farm,  and  subsequently  be- 
came the  largest  land-owner  of  the  county. 
In  1828,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Ham,  who  bore 
him  the  following  children :  Thomas  J.  (de- 
ceased), Nancy,  widow  of  Robert  E.  Yost,  she 
resides  in  Cairo,  111.;  Judith  Ann,  who  married 
William  K.  Parisli,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Venson  S.  Benson,  of  McLeausboro;  Marj', 
who  married  C.  C.  Campbell,  a  lawyer,  both 
deceased.  He  married  a  second  time,  Madaline 
(Ariugton)  Wilbanks,  a  native  of  Ballard  Coun- 
ty, Ky.,  who  died  in  Benton,  111.,  April  1  :J, 
1849.  This  union  was  blessed  with  two  chil- 
dren— Sarah  Illinois,  wife  of  Judge  M.  C. 
Crawford,  of  Jonesboro,  111.,  and  Robert,  our 
subject.  Mr.  Wilbanks  was  an  enterprising 
man,  a  kind,  indulgent  father,  and  his  taking 
away  by  death  July  7,  1847,  was  mourned  by 
all.  He  had  represented  his  district  in  the 
State  Senate,  and  had  held  many  of  the  county 
offices;  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  though  he 
took  no  active  part. 

WILLIAM  T.  WILLIAMS,  Sr.,  minister  and 
farmer,  P.  0.  Mt.  Vernon,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  Ky.,  May  29,  1810,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  Williams,  deceased,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Our  subject  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  attended  a  subscription  school.  He 
came  to  this  count}-   iu   1840,    where   he    has 


u 


BlOGRAPHICAl.: 


since  resided.  He  was  married  to  Mary  A.  D. 
Westcott  September  10,  1840,  and  has  had 
four  children,  three  living — John  D.,  School 
Superintendent  of  this  county  ;  William  T., 
Jr.,  present  County  Surveyor  of  Jefferson 
Count}",  and  Mary  A.  Morrison.  Mr.  Williams 
owns  forty -eight  acres  of  land  and  resides  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  Section  18.  He  is  a 
minister  in  the  Christian  Church,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  has  senred  for  fifty  years.  He  has 
always  been  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Master's 
cause,  and  has  given  thousands  of  dollars  to 
promote  the  cause. 

ELISHA  R.  WILLIAMS,  brick-mason.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Hamilton  County.  111., 
October  20,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Wylie  Will- 
iams, of  Hamilton  County,  111.,  and  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  Our  subject  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  February,  1882.  He 
manufactures  brick  and  also  raises  a  crop  each 
j'ear.  He  served  three  years  in  the  late  war, 
in  Companj-  A,  Eighty-seventh  Regiment  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantrj-,  and  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Vicksburg,  Wilson's  Hill,  Saline 
Cross  Roads,  Pleasant  Hill  and  others.  Mr. 
Williams  was  married,  December  27,  1858,  to 
Mary  Daily,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, 
seven  living — Alice  L.,  Elisha  M.,  Emily  R., 
Mahala  D.,  Celia  J.,  Elnora  and  Zora  Z.  Mrs. 
Williams  died  June  2,  1879.  He  again  mar- 
ried, September  14,  18S0;  this  time  to  Margaret 
J.  Gordon,  by  whom  he  has  had  two  children, 
one  living,  IMary  E.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  United  Workmen  socie- 
ties, and  the^  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Williams' 
father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
and  helped  to  drive  the  Indians  out  of  the 
northern  part  of  Illinois.  He  was  tomahawked 
in  the  right  arm  during  that  campaign,  not  far 
from  Vandalia,  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Car- 
lough's  Grove,  and  now  draws  a  pension. 

DAVID  H.  WISE,  merchant.  Mount  Vernon. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 


was  born  September  20,  1846,  in  Hungarj-, 
and  is  a  son  of  Lefko  and  Amalia  Wise. 
Both  the  mother  and  father  are  still  liv- 
ing in  Hungary  ;  the  father  is  a  hotel- keeper. 
To  the  mother  have  been  born  seven  children, 
who  are  now  living.  Our  subject  was  educated 
in  the  Hungarian  language.  When  thirteen 
j'ears  old,  he  went  to  Pesth,  the  capital  of  that 
province,  and  there  remained  about  five  years, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  tailor.  In  1865, 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  first  settled 
in  Tennessee.  In  that  State  he  first  made  his 
start,  carrying  his  goods  on  his  back,  and  selling 
them  from  house  to  house.  After  four  years 
of  traveling,  he  became  tired  of  wandering,  and 
obtained  a  situation  as  salesman  in  Uniontown, 
Ala.,  with  the  firm  of  Edler  Brothers.  After  a 
residence  of  three  years  in  that  city,  he  went 
to  Yazoo  Citj',  Miss.,  where  he  opened  a  gen- 
eral store.  In  1874,  he  sold  out  his  stock  of 
goods  and  went  to  Europe.  After  six  mouths 
sojourning  in  that  country,  he  returned  to  the 
United  States,  and  came  direct  to  Jlount  Ver- 
non. In  this  city  he  opened  a  clothing  store, 
in  which  he  still  engages,  now  carrying  a  verj- 
fine  stock  of  clothing  and  gents'  furnishing 
goods.  Mr.  Wise  was  joined  in  matrimony,  in 
Duquoin,  in  1876,  to  Miss  Augusta  Hammer. 
This  lady  was  born,  in  1860,  in  Prussia,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  Hammer.  She  is  the 
mother  of  three  children,  viz.:  Morris,  born 
December,  1877  ;  Joseph,  born  January,  1879, 
and  Rosa  M.,  born  May,  1881.  Our  subject  is 
a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Democrat.  The  youngest  child, 
Rosa  M.,  was  burnt  with  concentrated  Ij^e  when 
one  year  old,  and  exacth-  one  year  from  that 
day  she  broke  her  left  arm.  Mr.  Wise  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

HENRY  WLECKE,  proprietor  of  Central 
Hotel,  Mount  Vernon,  was  born  June  5,  1837, 
in  Hanover,  Germany.  His  father,  Ernst  H. 
Wlecke,  was  also  a  native  of  Hanover,  a  car- 
penter   b\-  occupation ;    he  died,  in    1865,  in 


PENDLETON  TOAVNSHIP. 


45 


Washington  County,  111.  His  father,  Ernst 
Wlecke,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  and  died  in  Hanover,  where  he  was  a 
tailor  by  occupation.  The  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject  was  a  native  of  Sweden,  and  came 
to  Germany  as  a  soldier  under  their  beloved 
leader,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  King  of  Sweden, 
who  was  a  Protestant,  and  came  to  Germany  to 
assist  his  brethren  against  the  Catholics  in  the 
thirty  years'  war.  Even  after  his  death,  at 
Lutzen,  the  Swedes  stayed  in  Germany,  and 
many  stayed  after  the  war,  marrying  in  that 
country.  Among  them  was  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, Maria  H.  (Wultf)  Wlecke,  was  a  native  of 
Hanover,  born  April,  1797.  She  died  Novem- 
ber 20,  1882,  in  Washington  County,  111.  She 
was  the  mother  of  two  children,  viz.  :  Henry 
and  Mary  Wlecke.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  a  woman  who  was  only  known  to  be  loved 
by  all.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  place 
of  his  birth,  and,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  father.  He  worked 
on  the  farm  till  18G7,  when  he  kept  a  saloon  in 


Hoyleton.  Washington  County,  111,  serving  as 
Constable  at  the  same  time.  He  finally  re- 
moved to  Okawville,  where  he  entered  the  gen- 
eral merchandising  business,  and  continued  it 
till  he  came  to  Mount  Vernon,  in  1881,  where 
he  now  keeps  the  Central  Hotel.  Our  subject 
was  joined  in  matrimony,  January  31,  1861,  to 
Miss  Wilmina  Rolling,  a  native  of  West  Far- 
ling,  Alswede,  by  Lubke.  She  was  a  resident 
of  St.  Louis  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She 
was  born  July  25,  1836,  3'et  living,  the  mother 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  now  living, 
viz.:  Mary,  born  August  2,1863;  Caroline, 
born  April  8,  1866 ;  Fred,  born  January  26, 
1868  ;  Anna,  September  16,  1869,  and 
Lizzie,  born  May  18,  1872.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wlecke  are  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Church.  Mr.  Wlecke  has,  by  dint  of  hard  toil 
and  perseverance,  succeeded  in  gaining  enough 
of  this  world's  goods  to  make  him  comfortable, 
and  he  enjoj-s  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  In  politics,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 


PENDLETON    TOWITSHIP. 


CHARLES  A.  BAKER,  operator,  Belle 
Rive,  was  born  August  19,  1853,  in  Benning- 
ton, 111.,  son  of  AViUaim  H.  Baker,  a  native 
of  Boston,  Mass.,  whore  he  was  a  merchant. 
He  came  West  about  1852.  and  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  till  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1858.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Emily  Moore  Baker,  a  native  of 
Ohio.  She  is  yet  living,  and  the  wife  of 
John  Robinson.  She  is  the  mother  of  five 
children,  viz.,  Chai-les  A.  (our  subject"),  Mary 
Harvej',  Effie  Seely,  Louella  Robinson  and 
Lunetta  (deceased).  Our  subject  was  educat- 
ed at  Olney,  111.,  where  he  also  clerked  in  a 


grocery  store  for  three  years.  In  1872,  he 
went  to  Madisouville,  Ohio,  where  he  learned 
telegraphy,  and  seciu'ed  a  position  on  the 
Louisville  &  Nashville  Railroad,  working 
at  Dahlgren,  New  Memphis  and  Belle  Rive, 
where  he  is  now  following  his  occupation, 
also  acting  in  the  capacity  of  station  agent, 
filling  the  office  with  tact  and  ability.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
Belle  Eive  Lodge,  No.  696;  also  Good  Tem- 
plars. In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  In  the  spring  of  1883, 
the  people  honored  hiin  by  electing  him  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Belle  Rive. 


46 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


AMOS  B.  BARRETT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Belle 
Rive.  This  gentleman  is  another  type  of  our 
self-made,  enterprising  men.  He  came  to 
this  county  in  18-10,  with  his  father,  Joshua 
P.  Barrett,  -who  was  a  native  of  Illinois.  He 
was  a  tanner  by  trade  in  early  life.  He  died 
in  Mount  Vernon  in  1852,  being  retired  from 
active  life.  His  father,  Thomas  Barrett,  was 
a  native  of  Hagerstown,  Md.  He  was  of 
English  descent.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Priscilla  Long,  was  born  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood that  her  husband  was.  She  died  in 
1879.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  Long, 
born  August  9,  1756,  near  Mount  Vernon, 
the  old  home  of  George  Washington.  He 
died  in  1850,  in  Mount  Vernon,  111.,  aged 
ninety- four  years;  also  of  English  descent. 
He  was  a  brave  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  espouse  the 
cause  of  the  Colonies,  and  fought  through 
the  whole  conflict.  He  participated  in  many 
thrilling  scenes  and  battles,  among  others 
that  of  Brandywine  and  Germantown.  He 
was  one  of  Gen.  George  Washington's  body 
guard.  He  was  the  father  of  twenty-six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  twenty-two  reached  maturity. 
Thirteen  with  his  first  wife.  Eleanor  Ford,  and 
thirteen  with  his  second  wife.  Elizabeth 
Thomas,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Thomas,  of 
Baltimore,  Md  ,  a  very  noted  family,  filling 
then  and  now  some  of  the  most  important, 
offices  in  the  Sta+e,  one  of  them  having  been 
Governor  of  Maryland.  Mrs.  Priscilla  Bar- 
rett was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  who 
reached  maturity,  viz.,  Hiram  G.  (deceased), 
Julia  A.  T.,  Eliza  H.,  Amos  B.,  Cyrus  A., 
Horace  C.  (deceased)  and  Mary  E.  Our  sub- 
ject was  educated  at  Mount  Vernon.  In  early 
life  he  farmed,  taught  school  one  year,  and 
after  marriage  farmed  again  till  1859,  when 
he  again  moved  to  Mount  Vernon,  where  he 
was  appointed  Postmaster  in  1861,  filling 
the   office    four   years,  when    he  resigned  in 


favor  of  a  crippled  Union  soldier;  after 
which  he  went  to  merchandising  till  1877, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  of  200  acres  near 
Belle  Rive,  where  he  now  resides,  owning 
now  260  acres  of  fine  land.  He  was  married, 
April  11,  1852,  to  Helen  M.  Eldridge,  born 
February  22,  1830,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Sopronia  (Hinman) 
Eldridge.  She  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, viz.,  Martha  C,  wife  of  L.  C.  Thomp- 
son: Charles  W.,  he  married  Nellie  B  Fos- 
ter, daughter  of  Judge  J.  Foster;  Mary  J., 
wife  of  George  W.  Meyers,  a  miller  by  occu- 
pation. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barrett  are  religiously 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Mr.  Barrett  is  a  member  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.  fraternity,  Marion  Lodge,  No.  13. 
He  has  filled  minor  ofiices,  and  was  elected 
to  the  Twenty-ninth  General  Assembly  by 
the  Republican  party,  filling  the  office  with 
tact  and  ability.  In  politics,  he  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party,, 
and  is  the  only  one  living  of  the  six  men 
who  organized  the  Republican  party  in  this 
county  in  1856. 

J.  W.  BROUGHER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Op- 
dyke,  was  born  October  17, 1827,  in  Jennings 
County,  Ind.,  son  of  Jacob  Brougher,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  a  farmer;  he  died  in 
Indiana,  and  was  well  known  as  an  indus- 
trious, well-doing  man.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Isabella  Foutz,  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Louis 
and  Sarah  Foutz,  natives  of  South  Carolina, 
and  was  the  mother  of  nine  children;  she 
died  in  Indiana.  Our  subject  was  educated 
in  Jennings  County,  in  the  old-fashioned 
pioneer  subscription  schools.  He  has  farmed 
all  his  life.  In  1859,  he  came  to  Jefferson 
County,  and  here  owns  310  acres  of  land. 
He  is  no  office-seeker,  and  in  politics  he  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  His 
wife,  Nancy  Hilton,  born  in  Indiana,  daugh- 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


47 


ter  of  James  Hilton,  is  the  mother  of  two 
children,  now  living,  viz.,  Alvin  L.,  born 
September  22,  1860;  Jacob  C,  born  July  28, 
1864.  Mrs.  Brougher  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  believes  in  no  par- 
ticular church,  but  believes  it  right  to  do  to 
others  as  he  would  have  them  do  to  him. 

RUSSELL  BROWN,  farmer,  P.O.  Opdyke, 
was  born  June  9,  1824,  in  Genesee  County, 
N.  Y.,  son  of  Samuel  Brown,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont. He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
lived  twelve  years  in  this  county,  but  is  now 
living  in  Fulton  County,  111.  His  father, 
Thomas  Brown,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey. 
His  four  brothers  were  soldiers  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  of  whom  three  were  killed — 
one  at  the  battle  of  Yorktown.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Mary  E.  (Buit)  Brown,  was 
born  in  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.  She  was  the 
mother  of  a  large  family,  of  whom  eight  chil- 
dren are  now  living.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated but  little  in  early  life.  He  came  to 
Illinois  one  year  after  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
He  lived  in  Tazewell  County  till  1851,  when 
he  came  to  Jefferson  County,  where  he  has 
farmed  ever  since.  In  the  summer  of  1861, 
h°  enlisted  in  the  Forty- fourth  Illinois  Regi- 
ment Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  I,  as  jiri- 
vate,  and  after  standing  guard  one  night  he 
was  promoted  to  Fourth  Sergeant;  after  a 
few  days  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant; 
for  two  years  he  was  Quartermaster.  He 
served  three  years  and  two  months,  being 
mustered  out  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  He  participated 
pated  in  many  thrilling  scenes  and  famoas 
battles,  viz.,  PeiTyville,  Ky.,  Pea  Ridge,  Ark., 
Stone  River,  Ch  iekamauga,  MissionfRidge,  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  others.  After  tht  war, 
he  came  home  and  went  to  farming.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  September  22,  1853,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Bennett,  born  August  4,  1836, 
in  this  county,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Nancy 
(Myett)  Bennett,  both  natives  of  Tennessee. 


They  came  here  in  a  very  early  day,  and  were 
highly  esteemed  people.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  four  children  now  living,  viz., 
Shelby  C,  born  March  4,  1855;  his  twin 
brother.  William  O.,  being  deceased;  Thomas 
E.,  born  October  12,  1857;  Estella  C,  de- 
ceased; Gideon  S.,  born  November  18,  1865, 
and  Rodia  C,  born  July  4,  1868.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  He  has  200  acres  of  land,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Republican.  He  is  an  A. , 
F.  &  A.  M.,  also  an  L  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been 
Township  Collector  and  Supervisor  for  many 
years. 

JOHN  E.  CALHOUN,  mechanic  and  rail- 
road engineer,  Opdyke.  Among  the  self-made 
and  enterprising  men  on  Long  Prairie,  we 
must  count  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
He  was  born  May  24,  1830,  in  Chittendon 
County,  Vt.  His  father,  Samuel  Calhoun,  was 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  died  at  Oplain 
River,  eight  miles  west  of  Chicago,  supposed 
to  have  been  murdered,  about  the  year  1833. 
He  was  a  self-made,  energetic  man.  His 
father,  Samuel  Calhoun,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of 
New  England.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Luthera  Farnsworth,  a  finely  educated  lady 
and  teacher,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  yet 
living  near  Chicago,  and  the  mother  of  eight 
childi'en — of  whom  our  subject  is  the  only 
one  living.  Her  parents,  Josiah  and  Judith 
(Lynde)  Farnsworth,  were  wealthy  and  high- 
ly respected  people;  they  were  natives  of  New 
Hampshire  and  Connecticut,  but  died  in  Ver- 
mont. Our  subject  was  educated  at  Maria 
Four  Corners,  Essex  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  early  life 
he  clerked  and  farmed,  and  then  learned  the 
machinist  trade  at  Rutland,  Vt.  This  trade 
he  followed  from  1848  to  1873;  then  left  it 
four  years  to  follow  milling;,  farming  and 
selling  goods.  In  1878,  he  sold  out,  and 
again  followed  his  trade  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  followed  farming  on  account  of  in- 


48 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


cipient    locomotor    ataxia.      He    has   dealt 
largely    in    real    estato    for  the   last  twenty 
years,  owning    at    present    nearly  600  acres, 
having  owned  at  times  1,600    acres    of  land 
in    different    States.     Mr.  Calhoun  was  mar- 
ried twice.    His  first  wife,  Fannie  Peas,  died 
in    1856.     His   present   wife,    Ellen    (Dow) 
Calhoun,  was    born    February    23,  1842,    in 
Governeur,  N.  Y.     She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
D.  and   Charlotte  (Hawley)  Dow,  natiyes    of 
Vermont,  and  is  the  mother  of  four  children, 
viz.,  John  E.,  Jr.,  born    November    3,  1859; 
Fannie  D.,  born  December  26,  1861;    Char- 
lotte L.,  born   October  2,  1863,  and    Samuel 
T.,  born  January  4,  1878.     Our  subject  is  a 
member  of    the    Masonic    fraternity,  being  a 
Royal  Arch;  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F. ;  also   a  mem- 
ber of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engi- 
neers.     In  politics,  he  is  a  high   tariff   man, 
or  Henry  Clay    Whig.     While    engineering, 
he  has  tilled  the  positions  of  Master  Mechanic 
for  years,  and   the   last  two  years  was  Loco- 
motive Inspector  for  the  United  States  Roll- 
ing Stock  Company. 

JESSE  M.  CATRON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Belle 
Rive,  was  born  May  7,  1860,  in  this  county. 
We  count  Mr.  Catron  among  our  thrifty 
young  farmers  on  Long  Prairie.  He  is  a 
son  of  Jonathan  Catron,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  died  in  Greencastle,  near  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  while  a  soldier  in  the  late  war.  He 
went  to  the  war  with  the  regiment  raised  in 
Jefferson  County  to  protect  the  stars  and 
stripes.  He  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  good 
citizen,  participating  in  many  thrilling  scenes 
and  battles.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Martha  Moore,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee; 
she  is  yet  living,  thewifeof  William  Richard- 
son. Our  subject  was  educated  in  this  coun- 
ty. In  1872,  he  went  to  Kansas,  living  there 
till  September,  1880,  when  he  returned  to 
his  native  county,    where   he  now  cultivates 


his  farm  of  181  acres.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  February  15,  1883,  to  Miss  Mary 
Ellen  Green,  born  March  2,  1866,  in  this 
county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Wiley  and 
Minerva  (Flint)  Green.  Mrs.  Catron  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  CatroD 
is  identitied,  politically,  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

L.  D.  DAVENPORT,  dealer  in  lumber 
and  farm  implements,  Belle  Rive,  born  No- 
vember 14,  1838,  in  Indiana,  son  of  Edmund 
Davenport,  of  English  descent,  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  farmed.  He  came  to  Jeffer- 
son County  in  about  1835;  he  farmed  till  his 
death,  which  occurred  iu  1848.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Mary  Davis  Davenport,  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  died  in  this  county, 
leaving  seven  children,  viz. ,  Thomas,  Sarah 
J.,  William,  Serena,  Edmund,  Lorenzo  Dow 
(our  subject),  Martin,  Lydia  C.  and  Eliza;  of 
whom  Sarah  J.,  Thomas  and  Edmund  are  de- 
ceased. Our  subject  went  to  school  mostly 
in  Jefferson  County.  In  early  life  he  farmed, 
and  then  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  which 
he  followed  twenty-tive  yeai's.  In  1882,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  William  Hunter, 
and  engaged  altogether  in  the  lumber  and 
agricultural  implement  business,  having,  pre- 
vious to  that  time,  been  engaged  in  various 
occupations.  He  was  married  twice.  His 
first  wife,  Mary  C.  Estes,  died    October    27. 

1873,  leaving  live  children,  viz..  Minnie  E., 
born  January  11,  1863;  Nellie  T.,  born  De- 
cember 16,  1866;  Mary  M.,  born  June  8, 
1869;  Josie  C,  born  November  2,  1870; 
Lydia  C,  born  September  29,  1873.  His 
second  wife,  Louisa  S.  (Bunnell)  Davenport, 
born  March  12,  1851,  in  Ohio,  daughter  of 
Jessie  and  Julia  F.  (Stratton)  Bunnell.  He 
was  married  to  his  second  wife  December  24, 

1874.  She  is  the  mother  of  three  childr(!n, 
viz.,  Jessie,  deceased;  Otis,  born  December 
26,  1878,  and  Evaline,  born  March  11,  1881. 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


49 


Mr.  Davenport  is  an  A. ,  F.  &  A.  M.     In  pol  - 

itics,  he  is  a  Republican 

JOHN  ESTES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Opdyke  was 
born  May  28,  1S2(),  in  Osage  County,  Mo. , 
soil  of  John  Estes,  Sr.,  farmer,  a  native  of 
Tennessee;  he  died  in  Missouri.  His  father 
was  also  called  John  Estes,  and  lived  to  be 
one  hundi-ed  and  one  years  old.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Dicy  Jordan,  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  She  died  here,  and  was  the  mother 
of  ten  children,  of  whom  only  five  are  now 
living.  Oui-  subject  was  reared  in  this  coun- 
ty, being  brought  here  by  his  mother  in  1838, 
and  has  been  identified  with  the  county  most 
of  the  time.  He  was  married,  in  Hamilton 
County,  111. — where  he  also  lived  four  years 
— to  Caroline  Irvin,  born  in  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty, daughter  of  llunyon  and  Harriet  (Allen) 
Irvin,  and  is  the  mother  of  live  children,  viz. : 
\Mlliam  H.,  Sarah  F.,  Runyon  I.,  James  W., 
Delbert  ] .  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Estes  are  members 
of  the  Methodi.st  Episcopal  Church.  He  has 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Opdyke 
Lodge,  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  No.   308. 

JAMES  W.  ESTES,  merchant,  Opdyke, 
This  gentleman  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  our 
old  settlers.  He  was  born  January  7,  1856, 
in  Hamilton  County,  111.,  son  of  John  Estes, 
a  native  of  Missouri.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Caroline  Estes,  is  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, and  the  mother  of  live  children.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  J  t'fferson  County,  where  he  farmed  in  ear- 
ly life,  and  in  1874,  he,  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Runyon  J.,  started  a  general 
store  in  Opdyke,  continuing  in  it  till  1882, 
when  they  started  a  hardware  store.  Our 
subject  was  joined  in  matrimony,  March  24, 
1880,  in  Opdyke.  to  Miss  Rosie  L.  Jones, 
born  June  22,  1857,  in  Indiana.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  George  D.  Jones,  deceased,  and 
is  the    mother    of    two  children,  viz.,  Harry, 


born  January  20,  1881,  and  Otto,  born  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1883.  Mr.  Estes  is  identitied  with 
the  Democratic  party  in  politics. 

JUDGE  JARED  FOSTER,  Belle  Rive, 
was  born  January  25,  1807,  in  Ontario  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y. ,  son  of  Jonathan  Foster,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
in  New  York.  His  father.  Jonathan  Foster, 
Sr.,  was  of  English  descent.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Elizabeth  (Wright)  Foster, 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  She  died  in 
New  York.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living,  viz., 
Riley  Foster,  of  Indianapolis,  Ind. ,  and  our 
subject,  who  was  educated  in  Indiana,  study 
ing  law  with  William  A.  Bullock,  attorney  at 
law.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  learned  and 
followed  the  trade  of  millwright,  mostly  till 
he  came  to  Jefferson  County  in  18(J1.  Here 
he  farmed  principally,  and  yet  owns  almost 
four  hundred  acres  of  good  land.  He  was  a 
magistrate  for  many  years  in  Indiana.  In 
1873,  he  was  elected  County  Judge  in  Jefler- 
son  County,  filling  the  office  with  tact  and 
ability  for  four  years.  He  is  now  principal- 
ly retired  from  active  life,  and  enjoys  the 
quiet  of  his  comfortable  country  residence, 
as  well  as  the  esteem  of  all  his  fellow-men. 
He  has  been  married  four  times.  His  first 
wife,  Polly  Branhan,  was  the  mother  of  two 
children,  now  living,  viz.,  Jonathan  and 
Mary  E.  Marsh.  His  second  wife,  Jane 
Branhan,  a  sister  to  his  first  wife,  was  the 
mother  of  Lucy  Cornelius.  His  third  wife, 
Jane  Sweet,  was  the  mother  of  Eli  Leavett. 
His  present  wife,  Orpha  Ann  Denison,  is  a 
native  of  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  She  is  a 
daugliter  of  Daniel  and  Orpha  (Sweet)  Den- 
ison. She  is  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
living,  Denison,  CHark  and  Cornelia  W.,  de 
ceased;  Alice  Metz,  Frank  E.,  Emily  Tucker, 
Nellie  Y.,  Barrett  and  Marcus  C.  Judge 
Foster  and  wife  and   five  children  are  mem- 

D 


6U 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


bers  of  the  Christian  Church.  He  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  and  also  an  I,  O.  O.  F.,  in  high 
standing  in  both  orders.  In  pulitics,  he  has 
always  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  Mr.  Daniel  Denison  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  but  reared  in  Vermont,  and  his 
wife,  Orpha  Sweet,  was  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island. 

GEORGE  W.  GARRISON,  teacher.  Belle 
Rive.  We  take  great  pleasure,  in  wi-iting 
the  history  of  Jefferson  County,  to  record  in 
the  list  of  young,  intelligent  men,  him  whoso 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born  August 
4,  1847,  in  Hamilton  County,  111.,  son  of 
Jefferson  Garrison,  a  native  of  Northwestern 
Virginia,  of  Scotch  descent.  He  was  a  farm- 
er and  merchant  by  occupation,  a  well-known 
and  prominent  man  in  that  country.  He 
came  to  Hamilton  County  in  1830,  where  he 
died  in  1874.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Francis  Drew  Garrison,  a  native]of  North 
Carolina,  but  reared  in  Indiana.  She  was  of 
Eaglish  desceat,  aad  the  mDcher  of  seven 
children,  viz.,  Mastin  E.,  deceased;  Caleb, 
John,  Thomas  J.,  all  farmers;  George  W., 
our  subject;  Elizabeth  Busk  and  Sarah 
McGolgan,  now  resident  of  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory. Our  subject  was  educated  in  Bloom- 
ington  and  Southern  Illinois  College,  then 
located  at  Carboadale.  After  his  school  days 
were  over,  he  commenced  to  teach  school,  and 
devoted  all  his  time  to  his  profession  till 
1878,  when  he  opened  a  lumber  and  general 
agricultural  house  in  McLeansboro;  contin- 
ued it  till  the  fall  of  1880,  when  he  became 
Principal  of  the  McLeansboro  School,  with 
six  assistant  teaohers.  In  February,  1882, 
he  came  to  Belle  Rive,  where  he  took  charge 
of  the  schools,  and  is  yet  its  Principal.  Our 
subject  was  joined  in  matrimony,  October  2, 
1872,  in  McLeansboro.  III. ,  to  Miss  Letha  E. 
Baily,  daughter  of  Gephart  and  Elizabeth 
(White)  Baily,   he  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 


many, she  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Letha 
E.  Garrison  was  born  December  26,  1851,  in 
Hamilton  County,  111.  She  is  the  mother  of 
one  little  boy — Chalon,  born  March  18,1882. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrison  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
A.,  F,  &  A.  M.,  Belle  Rive  Lodge,  No.  696, 
and  also  an  I.  O.  O.  F.,  McLeansboro  Lodge, 
No.  191.  In  politics,  he  is  identiiied  with 
the  Democratic  party. 

S.  F.  GRIMES,  merchant,  Belle  Rive,  born 
January  26,  18:38,  in  Gibson  Couaty,  Ind.,  son 
of  William  H.  Grimes,  born  1801,  a  native  of 
Frankfort,  Ky.  He  diel  February  21,  1883, 
in  Wayne  County,  111.  Ho  was  a  house  car- 
penter by  occupation,  coming  to  Wayne  Coun- 
ty in  1850,  and  his  father,  Steven  Grimes,  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  Florida 
war  and  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  fam 
ous  51s  an  Indian  lighter,  and  was  scalped  and 
tomahawked,  but  survived,  although  he  lost 
his  eyesight.  He  died  at  a  ripe  old  age  near 
McLeansboro,  III.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  was  a  native  of  Lexington, 
Ky.,  was  born  1811;  she  died  1872,  in 
Wayne  County,  111.  She  was  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  five  are  umv  liv- 
ing, viz.,  Mary  A,  Jewell,  Martha  Milluer, 
Steven  F.  (our  subject),  William  VV.  and 
Robert  O.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
different  counties  in  Illinois  and  Indiana. 
He  farmed  in  early  life;  worked  at  the  print- 
er's trade  one  year;  then  studied  medicine 
three  years,  and  then,  September  15,  1861, 
he  enlisted  as  private  in  the  Forty- eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  I;  was 
commissioned  as  Second  Lieutenant,  and 
after  the  battle  of  Shiloh  was  promoted  to 
First  Lieutenant;  he  was  wounded,  and  after 
his  recovery  was  promoted  to  Captain  of  Com- 
pany A,  serving  in  that  capacity  till  after  the 
battle  of  Ft.  McAllister,  where  he  was  wound 
ed  a  second  time;    and  finally,  at  Savannah, 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


51 


Ga.,  was  honorably  discharged  and  returned 
home.  He  participated  in  many  thrilling 
Bcenes  and  famous  battles,  among  others, 
those  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Vicksburg, 
Jackson,  Miss.,  Mission  Ridge,  with  Gen. 
Sherman  in  his  world-famed  "  march  to  the 
sea,"  and  the  battles  which  occurred  in  that 
march  and  after  reaching  the  coast.  Our 
subject  has  been  merchandising  ever  since 
the  war,  keeping  a  general  store  in  Piatt 
County,  111.:  at  Spring  Garden,  this  county, 
where  he  moved  in  1866;  stayed  there  till 
the  spring  of  1873,  when  he  came  to  Belle 
Rive,  where  he  now  keeps  a  general  store. 
He  is  a  man  that  stands  high  in  the  commu- 
nity in  which  hs  lives.  He  is  an  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  also  an  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  no 
politician,  and  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 
Our  subject  married  Miss  Laura  A.  Hoskin- 
son,  born  January  26,  1847,  in  Mount  Cariuol, 
111.,  daughter  of  William  W.  and  Emeline 
(Geddis)  Hoskinson,  both  natives  of  Ohio. 
This  union  was  blest  with  three  children, 
viz.,  Florence  B.,  born  ^November  2Q,  1864; 
Minnie  M.,  born  December  2,  1867,  and  Lora 
A.,  born  January  '^6,  1873.  Mrs.  Laura 
Grimes  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 

S.  C.  GUTHRIE,  druggist.  Belle  Rive, 
born  May  16,  1858,  in  Adams  County,  Ohio. 
We  count  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
among  our  most  wide-awake  and  intelligent 
young  business  men.  He  is  a  son  of  James 
Guthrie,  a  native  of  Virginia,  boru  1801,  who 
died  here  in  187-1;  he  was  a  shoe  maker  by 
occupation,  but  followed  farming  here.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Sarah  Huff,  born  in 
1825  in  Ohio,  is  yet  living,  and  the  mother 
of  six  children  now  living,  viz.,  Marion  D., 
John  E. ,  Emmerson  L.,  Sebastian  C,  Frank 
S.,  Louella.  Our  subject  received  a  common 
school  education  in  this  county.  At  the  age 
of   fifteen,  he    entered    R.    J.   Eaton's    drutf 


store,  where  he  clerked  about  six  years,  when 
he  took  stock  in  the  store  and  continued  the 
business  himself,  being  the  successor  of  Dr. 
R.  J.  Eaton.  He  keeps  the  only  drug  store 
in  Belle  Rive.  He  is  Township  Clerk,  hav- 
ing been  elected  twice.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  February  26,  1880,  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Grant,  born  November  7,  1861,  in  Pen- 
dleton Township.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
William  M.  Grant,  a  native  of  Illinois,  where 
he  was  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Guthrie  is 
the  mother  of  one  little  girl— -Lela  Anna, 
born  June  30,  1881.  Mrs.  Guthrie  is  relig- 
iously connected  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  Mr.  Guthrie  is  a  member  of 
theA.,F.  &  A.  M.  fratornity.  Belle  Rive 
Lodge,  No.  696.  In  politics,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

ORLANDO  M.  D.  HAM,  farmer.  P.  O. 
Opdyke.  was  born  July  4,  1840,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.  His  father,  James  Ham,  was 
born  1805,  in  Kentucky;  he  died  in  1845 
He  was  classed  among  our  best  citizens.  His 
father,  Moses  Ham,  was  also  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky. James  Ham  followed  farming,  tan- 
ning and  merchandising  as  his  occupation. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Frances  T.  Crisel, 
a  native  of  Gallatin  County,  111.,  was  born 
February  8,  1817.  Her  parents,  Henry  and 
Sally  (Truss)  Crisel,  were  natives  of  North 
Carolina.  Our  subject  has  one  brother  liv- 
ing— Christopher  C. ,  who  is  connected  with 
the  Mount  Vernon  National  Bank.  Mr.  Ham 
early  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  at 
present  owns  160  acres  of  good  land.  He 
was  joined  in  matrimony,  February  10,  1862, 
in  this  county,  to  Marinda  E.  Goodner,  who 
was  born  June  28,  1838,  in  Washington 
County,  III.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Elijah 
Goodner.  and  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren, viz.,  Charles  R.,  born  November  22, 
1862;  Orley  T..  born  January  18,  1868,  and 
Ulah  Duve,  infant  girl,    deceased.     Mr.  and 


52 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Mrs.  Ham  and  childi-en  are  esteemed  by  the 
community  in  which  they  live.  They  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Ml-.  Ham  holds  the  office  of  Township  Collec- 
tor, and  in  politics  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

THOMAS  G.  HOLLAND,  farmer  and 
stockman,  P.  O.  Belle  Rive.  This  gentle- 
man is  one  of  our  old  settlers  and  self-made 
men,  who  have  made  their  way  up  in  the 
world  by  hard  work  and  perseverance.  He 
was  born  October  6,  1814,  in  South  Carolina. 
His  father  was  Hugh  Holland,  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  where  he  farmed.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  with  a  good  rec- 
ord as  a  brave  soldier.  He  never  came  home, 
and  was  numbered  among  the  missing  heroes. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Priscilla 
Brown,  a  native  of  Richmond,  Va.  Her 
father,  Austin  Brown,  was  a  silversmith  by  oc- 
cupation and  a  native  of  Scotland.  She  was 
married  a  second  time,  to  J.  Eowyear,  a  shoe 
maker,  who  was  the  father  of  two  children, 
of  whom  William  Bowyear  is  now  living  in 
Missouri.  Our  subject  only  went  to  the  old- 
fashioned  subscription  schools  of  Tennessee 
about  twelve  months.  He  has  been  with 
strangers  all  his  early  life,  having  to  work 
on  the  farm  for  his  living,  and  for  very  small 
wages.  He  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111., 
in  the  spring  of  1837,  working  for  small 
wages,  till  he  was  married,  July  23,  1840,  to 
Armilda  Goodrich,  born  June  20,  1820.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Calender  Good- 
rich. Mrs.  Holland  reared  ten  childi-en,  viz., 
Callie  A.  Dixon,  a  widow  lady;  Mary,  wife 
of  I,  M.  Casey;  Priscilla,  wife  of  Thomas  J. 
Smith,  John  G.,  who  married  Hattie  Baker; 
Minnie,  wife  of  J.  H.  Wheeler,  M.  D. ; 
Douglas,  married  Nettie  Kirkpatrick:  India 
Viola,  wife  of  C.  J.  Riddle;  Laura,  William 
St.  Clair  and  Thomas  G.  are  deceased.  Af- 
ter Mr.  Holland    got   married,  he  settled  on 


Government  land.  He  was  poor  in  purse, 
but  rich  in  muscle  and  perseverance.  After 
raising  nine  crops,  he  sold  his  claim,  and  then 
moved  to  Moore's  Prairie,  and  there  bought 
an  improvement  and  deeded  160  acres  of  land 
with  a  Mexican  land  warrant,  and  then  com- 
menced to  farm  and  raise  stock  in  earnest, 
with  good  success.  He  has  now  a  good  fann 
of  240  acres  in  this  county,  having  deeded 
his  son  120  acres  of  land.  He  also  owns 
forty  acres  of  timber  land  in  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty. Mr.  Holland  has  been  elected  twice  as 
Township  Supervisor,  and  also  filled  minor 
offices.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holland  are  religiously 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chm-ch.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
is  a  stockholder,  and  at  present  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  Mount  Vernon  National  Bank. 
W.  A.  HUGHEY,  physician.  Belle  Rive. 
Among  oiu-  medical  men  in  this  county  we 
are  proud  to  record  him  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch.  He  was  born  March  9,  1836,  in 
Crittenden  County,  Ky.,  sou  of  John  R. 
Hughey,  a  native  of  Virginia,  a  farmer.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1869,  and  is  yet  liv- 
ing here,  having  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventy  years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is 
Polly  Ann  (Crider)  Hughey,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky; she  is  yet  living,  and  the  mother  of 
nine  children.  Our  subject  is  principally 
self-educated,  receiving  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  Kentucky.  At  the  age  of  twenty -one, 
he  commenced  to  read  medicine  with  his  un- 
cle, Dr.  C.  M.  Hughey.  After  reading  two 
years,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  Wayne  County,  111.  He  came  to  this 
county  in  1857,  and  has  been  here  most  of 
the  time  since.  He  is  yet  following  his  pro- 
fession in  Belle  Rive,  in  September,  1861, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-eighth  Regiment  Il- 
linois Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  F,  serv- 
ing three  years  and  three  months.  He  par- 
ticipated in    many  thrilling    battles,    among 


PENDLETON  T0"\VN8HIP. 


53 


others  that  of  Ft.  Donelsou,  Jackson,  Mission 
Ridge,  Atlanta  and  others.  The  Doctor 
taught  one  term  of  school  after  the  war,  and 
then  farmed  one  year  and  finally  tooli  up  the 
medical  profession.  He  was  married,  in  1859, 
to  Lois  Smith,  a  native  of  this  county,  born 
November,  1840.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  viz.,  Rosa  V.,  Isaac  A.,  Thomas  L. 
M.,  Sarah  B.  (deceased"!,  John  S. .  Lenora  L., 
Joanna  M.  and  Benjamin  F.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hughey  are  religiously  connected  with  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Chm-oh.  He  is  a 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  H.  HUNTER,  lumber  and 
farm  implement  dealei".  Belle  Rive,  born 
June  5,  1846,  in'jRush  County,  lud.,  sou  of 
William  Hunter,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  a 
farmer;  he  died  in  1878  in  this  county.  His 
father  was  John  Hunter,  a  native  of  County 
Donegal,  Ireland.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Elizabeth  Kirk,  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, yet  living,  and  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  are  now  living,  viz. : 
David  S.,  and  William  H.,  our  subject,  who 
received  a  common  school  education  in  Taze- 
well County,  111.,  and  attended  one  year  at 
the  Vermillion  Institute,  Ohio.  In  early 
life,  he  farmed  till  he  was  seventeen  years 
old,  when  he  enlisted,  March  12,  1864,  in  the 
Ninety-fourth  Illinois  Volunteers,  Company 
I;  served  as  a  private  in  that  company  till 
June,  1805,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Thirty-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Company  G.  and  was  promoted  Corporal  of 
the  Color  Guard.  He  was  not  discharged 
till  May  81),  1866.  He  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Fort  Morgan.  Ala..  Franklin  Creek, 
Miss. .  Spanish  Fort,  Ala.  After  he  fame  home, 
he  farmed  and  taught  school.  In  April,  1881, 
he  came  to  Belle  Rive,  where  ht'  has  been  in 
the  Itimber  and  harness  businesses,  and  is 
now  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  farm  imple- 
ment   business,    in    partnership    with    L.  D. 


Davenport.  Our  subject  was  marri  d,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1871,  to  Miss  Olive  H.  Rotramol.  born 
December  29,  1852,  daughter  of  David  and 
Mary  (Myres)  Rotramel.  She  is  the  mother 
of  two  children,  viz.,  Harry  (deceased)  and 
Fred,  born  May  7,  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hun- 
ter are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  an 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  I.  O.  G.  T.  and  O.  I.  H.j 
has  been  Assessor  of  Moore's  Prairie  Town 
ship,  and  in  politics  is  idoutilied  with  the 
Reptiblican  party 

WILLIAM  A."  JONES,  merchant,  Opdyke. 
This  gentleman  represents  one  of  the 
Jones  families  who  came  here  when  the 
southwest  part  of  Jefferson  County  was  a 
wilderness.  He  was  one  of  that  class  who 
helped,  by  his  industry  and  perseverance,  to 
make  out  of  a  wildei'ness  a  beautiful  and 
productive  country.  He  was  born  May  10, 
1810,  in  Virginia,  but  was  reared  principally 
in  Indiana.  He  was  a  farmer  and  merchant 
in  Indiana,  and  in  1858  moved  to  this  coun- 
ty, where  he  tilled  the  soil  for  about  fottrteen 
years,  breaking  np  the  very  soil  on  which  the 
village  of  Opdyke  now  stands,  having  built 
the  first  substantial  frame  house  on  this 
prairie.  Al)"ut  ten  years  ago,  he  again  em- 
barked in  the  mercantile  business,  which  he 
now  follows.  He  was  joined  in  matrimony 
to  Sarah  Ann  Conner,  a  nutive  of  Ohio,  but 
reared  in  Indiana.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Willoughby  and  Rachel  (Johnson)  Conner, 
and  is  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
four  are  now  living,  viz. ;  George  W^.  and 
James  W.  are  twins  (they  were  born  July  3, 
1830,  both  are  married  and  mechanics  by  oc- 
cupation); Alanson  C.  (born  January  10, 
1844,  and  is  married  to  Martha  Foster,  a 
grand  daughter  of  Judge  Foster,  and  the 
mother  of  four  children,  viz.:  Melnotte,  born 
November  18,  1876;  Pearl  M.,  born  June, 
1878;  Augusta,  born  June    1880,  and  Roval 


54 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


H.,  born  1882);  Mary  Maria  Jones  (who  is 
yet  living  with  her  parents).  The  father  of 
our  subject,  George  Jones,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Ho  came 
to  Indiana  in  1816,  and  died  there  in  his 
seventy -fifth  year.  The  mother  of  our  sub 
ject,  Prudence  Keith  Jones,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia;  she  died  in  Indiana,  and  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  seven  sous  and 
one  daughter.  All  the  boys  have  been  res- 
idents of  this  county.  Our  subject  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chui-ch,  of  which  he  is  also  a  local  minister. 
He  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  and  in  politics  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  County  Board  who  built  the  court 
house.  He  has  been  no  office-seeker  nor  pol- 
itician. 

MRS.  SAEAH  J.  JONES,  Opdyke,  was 
born  July  29,  1821.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Brougher,  who  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  but  was  reared  in  Indiana,  where 
he  died  July  23,  1853.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Isabella  Foutz,  was  born  in  1804,  in 
North  Carolina;  she  died  August  23,  1879, 
in  Jennings  County,  Ind.,  and  was  the  moth- 
er of  nine  children.  Her  parents.  Lewis  and 
Sarah  Dougan,  were  natives  of  North  Car- 
olina, but  reared  a  large  family  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Jones  went  to 
school  in  Jennings  County,  Ind.  She  was 
married  in  1841,  in  Indiana,  to  George  D. 
Jones,  born  May  12,  1821.  in  Indiana,  dying 
May  14,  1879.  He  was  a  son  of  George  and 
Prudence  Jones,  of  Virginia.  George  D. 
Jones,  deceased,  was  a  man  of  considerable 
intelliffence.  He  was  identified  with  the 
affairs  of  the  county  to  a  great  extent,  acting 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years;  also 
was  Notary  Public,  and  tilling  many  minor 
offices.  Among  the  secret  societies  he  was 
well-known.  The  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.  fraternity 
counted    him  among  her   active  members,  as 


did  also  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  Commencing  with 
small  means,  he  accumulated  wealth.  The 
family  lost  in  him  a  true  husband  and  a  good 
father,  and  the  county  an  exemplary  citizen. 
He  was  the  father  of  seven  children  now 
living,  viz..  Lewis  E.,  Silas  W,,  Jacob  B. , 
Saral]  C  (the  widow  of  A.  J.  Wilkerson), 
Rosa  (wife  of  James  Estea),  Isaac  X.,  Clem- 
ent L  V.  (born  July  25,  1863).  Our  subject 
has  a  farm  of  165  acres  of  good  land,  left 
her  by  her  industrious  husband.  Mrs.  Jones 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Chui'ch.  Her  husband  was  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Epicopal  Church  (South). 
He  came  here  in  1865. 

ALONZO  JONES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Opdyke, 
was  born  December  24,  1843,  in  Jennings 
County,  Ind..  son  of  Jonathan  C.  Jones,  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  a  farmer.  He  died  in 
1878,  in  this  county,  to  which  he  had  come 
in  1858.  He  was  a  wide  awake,  intelligent 
farmer,  and  has  set  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation.  He  was  prominently  connected 
with  tha  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 
In  politics,  he  was  Democratic.  His  father 
was  George  W.  Jones,  a  native  of  Virginia. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Delilah  Keller, 
was  a  native  of  Indiana.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  Keller,  from  New  Jersey,  of 
German  descent.  She  is  yet  living,  and  the 
mother  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  oiu  sub- 
ject is  the  oldest.  He  was  educated  in  In- 
diana and  Illinois.  He  has  now  a  farm  of 
136  acres,  which  he  keeps  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  was  married,  November  19, 
1875,  to  Miss  Ellen  Newby.  born  September 
28,  1847,  in  Jefferson  County.  111.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Hezekiah  B.  and  Nancy  (Brown) 
Newby,  he  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and 
she  a  native  of  Tennessee.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  two  children  now  living,  viz., 
Curran  N.,  born  August  14,  1878,  and  Rado, 
born    November    1,    1881.      Mr.  Jones    is    a 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


55 


member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Moore's  Prairie 
Lodge,  No.  397.  In  politics,  be  is  identified 
with  tiie  Democratic  party. 

J.  D.  JONES,  merchant,  Opdyke.  born 
May  22,  1846,  in  Jennings  County,  Ind.,  son 
of  James  K.  Jones,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He 
was  a  farmer,  principally,  and  is  yet  living 
in  Mount,  Vernon.  His  father,  George  Jones, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Hannah  S.  (Kellar)  Jones,  was  born 
in  1819  in  Indiana.  She  died  in  1874  in  this 
county.  She  was  of  German  descent,  and 
the  mother  of  five  children  now  living,  viz., 
Isabelle  D.  Stonemetz,  Mary  L.  Stratton, 
Jesse  D.,  Frederick  C.  and  Virginia  H.  Our 
subject  was  educated  principally  in  Mount 
Vernon.  In  early  life  he  tilled  the  soil.  In 
1878,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Opdyke,  where  he  now  keeps  a  general 
store.  Our  subject  was  joined  in  matrimony, 
October  24,  1869,  to  Sarah  F.  Estes,  born 
May  1,  1854,  daughter  of  John  and  Caroline 
(Irvin)  Estes.  She  is  the  mother  of  four 
childi-en,  viz.,  Carrie  A.,  born  September  21, 
1870;  Nellie  J.,  deceased;  John  K.,  born 
November  8,  1875;  Jessie  R.,  born  October 
4,  1877.  Mrs.  Jones  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Jones 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  fraternity, 
Moore's  Prairie  Lodgo,  No.  397.  In  politics, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

F.  C.  JONES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Opdyke, 
This  gentleman  is  a  member  of  the  Jones 
family,  who  settled  in  this  part  of  the  county 
in  an  early  day,  and  who  have  done  much  for 
the  advancement  of  education  and  the  gen- 
eral prosperity  of  the  country.  He  was  born 
March  15,  1848,  in  Jennings  County,  Ind., 
son  of  James  K.  and  Hannah  S.  (Keller) 
Jones.  Our  subject  received  his  education 
partly  in  Indiana,  and  the  rest  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  where  he  follows  farming,  own- 
ing sixtv  acres  of  good  land,  which  hb  keeps 


in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony  twice.  His  first  wife, 
Ella  A.  Brittin,  died,  leaving  five  children— 
Myrta  I.,  Jesse  M.,  Anna  A.;  Sophia  and 
Freddie  are  deceased.  His  present  wife, 
Mrs.  Catharine  J.  Wood,  was  born  in  1851, 
in  Columbus,  Ind.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
James  McEndree,  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
She  is  the  mother  of  two  children— James 
and  Flora  Wood.  Mrs.  Jones  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  Mr. 
Jones  is  religiously  connected  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  In  politics,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

JESSE  LAIRD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Belle  Rive. 
This  gentleman  is  one  of  our  self-made  and 
most  enterprising  and  successful  men  in  Jef- 
ferson County.  He  started  in  life  without  a 
dollar  and  without  an  education.  Yet,  eleven 
years  after  he  started  he  had  accumulated 
$20,000.  He  is  not  known  for  style,  but  for 
solid  business  qualities.  He  was  born  April 
7,  1825,  in  Macon  County,  N.  C,  son  of  David 
Laird,  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  died  in  this 
county,  to  which  he  had  come  in  about  1837. 
He  was  a  farmer.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Elizabeth  fTumbleson)  Laird,  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina.  She  di-ed  here.  She 
was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
three  are  now  living — Samuel,  of  Ottawa, 
Kan. ;  Nancy  Cotield  and  Jesse.  Our  sub- 
ject went  to  school  only  about  three  months, 
to  the  old- fashioned  subscription  school.  He 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  till  he  had 
reached  his  majority,  when  he  went  to  the 
American  bottoms,  where  he  worked  for  Blair 
&  McLean;  finally  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
where  he  bought  hogs  and  drove  them  to  St. 
Louis,  where  he  sold  them.  Getting  an  in- 
sight in  the  stock  business,  he  devoted  his 
whole  attention  to'  it,  and  amassed  quite  a 
fortune.  He  was  the  most  successful  stock- 
man  in  this  county  in  his  day,  and  to-day 


56 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


owns  280  acres  of  good  land.  He  is,  to  a 
great  extent,  connected  with  the  railroad  his- 
tory of  Jefferson  County.  Our  subject  was 
married  June  IS,  1S5G,  in  this  county,  to 
Miss  Martha  J.  Goodmer,  born  November  18, 
1828,  near  Belleville.  St.  Clair  County.  111. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Mary  (Gore) 
Goodmer.  Mrs.  Martha  Laird  is  the  mother 
of  six  children — an  infant  daughter  (de- 
ceased; Clara  L..  born  Febraary  23.  1859. 
wife  of  Dell  Guthrie,  of  Belle  Kive;  Samuel 
T.,  born  July  11.  1861;  Sarah  A.,  wife  of  a 
A.  Shields:  Flora  R.  bom  July  23.  1866. 
she  died  October  10,  1SS2;  Cora  E.,  born 
February  9.  1868.  Mi-,  and  Mrs.  Laird  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chmch, 
of  which  he  was  once  a  local  preacher  for 
two  years. 

JACOB  METZ.  farmer.  P.  O.  Opdyke. 
This  gentleman  was  born  June  19.  1849,  in 
Davton,  Ohio,  son  of  Jacob  Metz.  Sr. .  a  na- 
tive of  Hessen,  Germany,  where  he  was  a 
weaver  in  silk  and  satin,  and  after  coming  to 
the  United  States  he  followed  carpet  weaving 
for  about  twenty-three  years,  but  for  the  last 
twenty-live  years  has  followed  farming  in 
Warrick  County,  Ind.  The  mother  of  our 
subject.  Anna  Fischbach,  was  a  native  of 
German}  ;  she  died  in  1856,  in  Dayton,  Ohio. 
She  was  the  mother  of  six  childi'en  now  liv- 
ing— Henry.  Belle,  Matilda,  Julius,  Jacob 
and  Emma.  Our  subject  attended  school 
mainly  in  Indiana:  also  took  a  commercial 
course  at  Evansville,  fitting  himself  for  the 
mercantile  business,  of  which  he  followed 
various  branches  in  Evansville,  Ind.  In  1874, 
he  came  to  Belle  Eive.  111.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  and  saw  mill  business 
till  1878,  when  he  was  married  and  settled 
down  on  a  farm,  where  he  is  considered  a 
practical  farmer.  September  26,  1877,  at 
the  residence  of  Judge  Foster,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  Foster,  who  was  horn  June  9, 


1855.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  children 
now  living — Harry  Foster,  born  September 
22.  1880.  and  Ruby  Nell,  born  September 
24,  1SS2.  Ml-.  Metz  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  his  wife  is 
religiously  connected  with  the  Christain 
Church.  He  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist,  and  in 
politics  he  is  connected  with  the  Republican 
party. 

ED  MILLER,  physician.  This  gentle- 
man, who  may  be  counted  among  our  wide- 
awake physicians,  was  born  August  16, 
1847,  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  son  of  John 
W.  Miller,  a  native  of  Ohio,  where  he  was 
a  carpenter.  He  is  now  in  the  fumittu-e 
business  in  Belle  Rive,  and  his  father.  John 
J.  Miller,  a  farmer  and  miller  by  occupation. 
The  mother  of  our  subject.  Harriet  N. 
Dodridge  Miller,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
daughter  of  Enoch  and  Elizabeth  (Miller) 
Dodridge,  He  a  native  of  Virginia,  a 
saddler,  and  she  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
born  1820,  in  Lawrence  County,  and  died 
January  7,  1880.  She  was  the  mother  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living 
— John  E. ,  Dr.  Merritte  S.  and  Edward,  our 
subject  Dr.  Miller  received  his  primary 
education  in  bis  native  county  He  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  till  he  was  eighteen  years 
old:  he  then  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
three  years,  and  then  kept  a  drug  store  in 
partnership  with  his  brother.  Dr.  Merritte 
Miller,  in  Mt.  Yernon.  At  the  end  of  two 
yeai-s,  they  sold  out  to  Ed  Shephai-d,  and  both 
went  to  Kansas,  where  they  remained  about 
two  yeai-s.  In  1871.  he  returned  to  Jefferson 
County,  where  he  read  medicine  with  Dr. 
Eaton,  and  the  following  year  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  graduating  in  February,  1878, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Belle  Eive,  where 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  noble  pro- 
fession.    He  is  yet  following  it,  enjoying  the 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


57 


esteem  and  confidence  of  the  people.  He  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  August  8,  1876,  in 
Opdyke,  to  Miss  Anna  J.  Barbee,  born  June 
17, 1858,  in  this  county,  daughter  of  William 
and  America  (Harshbargerj  Barbee.  She  is 
the  mother  of  two  children — Walter  F.,  de- 
ceased, and  Lizzie  A.,  born  July  24,  1878. 
Dr.  Miller  is  an  active  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  Belle  Bive  Lodge,  No.  696, 
also  a  member  of  the  O.  I.  H.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party. 

M.    Y.    B.   MONTGOMERY,     physician, 
Opdyke.      This   gentleman    is    a    native    of 
Ohio,  being  bom  near   Cincinnati  March   4, 
1837,    on    the    day   President    Manin    Van 
Buren  was  inaugurated,  and  whose  initials  he 
bears.     His  father.    Alexander  Montgomery, 
was    a  native   of    New    Jersey,    of    Scotch 
descent;  he  was  a  farmer,  and  died    in  this 
county,  to  which  he  had  come  in  May.  1869. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,   Catharine   (Jag- 
gers)    Montgomery,    was    a    native   of   New 
Jersey.     She  was  also  of  Scotch  descent,  and 
the  mother  of  twelve  children;  she    died   in 
this  county.     Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of 
the  twelve  children,  who  are  all  living  and 
married  except   one.     He   was   educated   in 
Indiana,    and  received    his   medical    educa- 
tion in  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at   Cincin- 
nati.     Dr.    Montgomery    followed   his    pro- 
fession two  years    in  Indiana,    and  then   in 
1863.  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111. ,  settling 
near   Lvnehburg.   and  in   1870  removed   to 
Opdyke,  where  he  now  follows  his  profession, 
enjoying   the   esteem    of    the   people.      The 
Doctor  was  joined    in    matrimony.  April  25, 
1861,  in  Jennings    County.    Ind..    to    Miss 
Serena  P.  Jones,  born   January  8,    184U,   in 
Jennings  Countv.  daughter  of  David  C.   and 
Susan  C.  (Prather)  Jones,   he  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  she  a  native  of  Indiana.      Mrs.  Dr. 
Montgomery  is  the  mother  of  two  children 
now  living — George  W.,  bom  May  10,  1866, 


and  Lena  L.,  born   March    7,    1869.       Dr. 
Montgomerj'  is  an  A.  F.  <ic  A.  M.,  also  an   L 
O.  O.  F.     He  owns  a  tine  farm  of  160  acres 
near  Opdyka      In    politics,    he   has    always 
been   identified  with   the  Democratic  party. 
W.   H.   POOLE,   merchant,  Opdyke,    was 
b.)rn  May    10,    1842,  in  Robertson  County. 
Term.,  son  of  William    Poole,    a   native  of 
that  State,  a   farmer  by  occupation,  who  is 
now   living  at  Mount  Vernon.      His    father, 
Ephraim  Poole,  was  a  miller.    The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  a  descendant  of   the   Cham- 
bless  family.      She  was  the  mother  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  nine  boys  are  now  living. 
Our  subject   was    educated    in   Montgomery 
County.  Tenn.     At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he 
left  Montgomery  County,  and  came  to  Wash- 
ington County,   111.;   this   was  in    1866;   be 
ran  a  grocery  store  there  one  year,  then  sold 
out  and  came  to  Jefferson  County,   where  he 
ran    a   wagon   shop   in  Mount   Vernon   for 
about  twelve  years,  and  then  came  to  Opdyke, 
where  he  ran  a  wagon  shop    till    the  fall  of 
1880,  when   he  engaged    in  the   mercantile 
business  with  J.  C.  Tucker,  keeping  a  general 
store   till  July.   1883,  when   he   bought  his 
partner  out  and  continued  in   the   business 
himself,  keeping  a    large  and  good  stock  of 
oroods  and  doing  a  cash  business.     Our  sub- 
ject was  married,  August  15,  1867,  in  Mount 
Vernon,    111.,    to  Miss  Amelia  V.    Davison, 
born  May  3,  1851,  in  Jefi'erson  County,  111., 
daughter  of  Hardin  Davison,  and  is  the  mother 
of  five  children — Faimie  E.,    Gertie,  Edith, 
Judson  C.  and  Ida.      Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poole  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party. 

JAMES  W.  RENTCHLER,  merchant,  Op- 
dyke. was  bom  Octol)er  22.  1856,  at  Hams 
Grove,  Jefi'erson  County,  son  of  John  Rentch- 
ler,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  died  in  this  county,  to  which  he 


58 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


had  come  about  1852.  His  father,  Jacob 
Rentchler,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  of  German  descent.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Lucy  J.  (Adams)  Rentchler,  was  a 
native  of  Jeflferson  County.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Adams,  a  native 
of  the  South.  She  is  yet  living  and 
the  mother  of  eight  children — John  D., 
James  W.,  William  D.,  Ella  E.,  Clara 
A. ,  are  from  her  first  husband.  Her  second 
husband,  W.  A.  Keller,  was  the  father  of 
Mary,  Lulu  and  Charles.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Belleville,  111.  In 
early  life  he  farmed.  He  afterward  worked 
for  his  uncles,  D.  &  H.  Rentchler.  in  the 
manufacture  of  agricultui'al  implements.  He 
afterward  became  cashier  of  the  St.  Louis 
Bridge  &  Tunnel  Company.  January  1, 
1882,  he  came  to  Opdyke,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business,  in  company  with 
D.  D.  Smith.  He  was  married  December 
22,  1880,  to  Miss  Flora  D.  Kerr,  born  July 
6,  1859,  in  Edinbui-gh.  Scotland.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (McDonald)  Kerr. 
Mr.  Rentchler  is  a  member  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  "  Alpha  Council."  In 
politics,  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican 
party. 

W.  R.  ROSS,  physician,  Belle  Rive.  Of 
the  wide-awake  physicians  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, who  are  a  benefit  to  the  human  race,  we 
count  him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch. 
He  was  born  June  11,  1855,  in  Jefferson 
County,  Penn. ,  son  of  James  M.  Ross,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  an  architect  by  oc- 
cupation, which  he  yet  follows,  though  quite 
aged.  He  was  the  builder  of  the  Grand 
Pacific  Hotel,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  His 
father  came  from  Scotland.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  Mary  (Herrin)  Ross,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  is  also  living,  and  the 
mother  of  five  children — Maggie  B.  Hop- 
kins: John  H. ,   deceased;    William  R. ,  our 


subject;  Samuel  M.  and  James  B.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  Marietta,  Ohio;  he 
received  his  medical  education  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  and  Mary- 
land Women's  Hospital,  at  Baltimore.  Af- 
ter he  graduated,  he  came  to  Wayne 
County,  111.,  settling  on  Long  Prairie; 
practiced  there  two  and  a  half  years,  and 
then  came  to  Belle  Rive,  where  he  now  fol- 
lows his  profession.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony  September  13,  1882,  in  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  to  Miss  Jennie  M.  Thomas,  a 
native  of  New  York  State,  born  February  23, 
1861,  daughter  of  Ephraim  P.  and  Saphora 
(Shepard)  Thomas.  He  is  of  Welsh  descent 
and  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  she 
also  a  native  of  New  York  State.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ross  afe  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Arm- 
strong County  Medical  Society.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Republican. 

HENRY  A.  SHIELDS,  section  boss.  Belle 
Rive.  This  gentleman  was  born  December 
18,  1851,  in  Pittsbm-gh.  Penn,,  son  of  Hen- 
ry C.  Shields,  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was  a 
soldier  the  best  part  of  his  life  while  in  Ire- 
land, occupying  the  office  of  Lieutenant  in 
the  same  regiment  in  which  his  father,  Maj. 
Henry  Shields,  served  all  his  life,  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  Crimea  war  and  also  in  the 
Sepoy  insurrection  in  India.  Lieut.  H. 
C.  Shields  came  to  the  United  States  in 
aboiit  1851,  but  was  drowned  in  the  Ohio 
River  in  1852,  while  on  his  way  to  Ciucin- 
nali.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Minnie 
(Shute),  a  native  of  Ireland,  died  in  1879  in 
Louisville,  Ky.  She  was  married  a  second 
time  to  Charles  Moore,  and  was  the  mother 
of  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living 
— Chai'les,  Lewis,  A\' alter,  Lizzie,  Albert,  and 
Emma.  Our  subject  was  the  only  child  from 
the  first  marriage;  he  received  five  weeks' 
schooling  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  but  by  reading 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


59 


has  acquired  a  large  fund  of  useful  knowledge. 
In  early  life  he  worked  in  a  tobacco  factory 
in  Louisville,  Ky.  From  1869  to  1S73,  he 
worked  at  railroading,  and  then  entered  the 
regular  United  States  Army,  serving  till 
1878,  when  he  again  took  to  railroading,  com- 
ing to  Belle  Rive  in  1879.  He  has  charge 
of  a  section.  He  is  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school.  Mr.  Shields  was  mar- 
ried, December  31,  1879,  in  Belle  Rive,  to 
Sarah  Alma  Laird,  daughter  of  Jesse  Laird. 
She  is  the  mother  of  Henry  L.  Shields.  Oiu- 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  also  an  I.  O.  G.  T.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

JACOB  STONEMETZ,  physician,  Opdyke. 
Among  our  wide-awake  physicians  in  this 
county  we  are  proud  to  recorji  him  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born  May 
13.  1825,  in  Montgomery  Couuty,  N.  Y.  His 
father,  John  Stonemetz,  was  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  1796,  where  he  farmed  till  his 
death,  which  occurred  October  12,  1865. 
His  father  was  born  in  Germany.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Leah  Dingman  Stone- 
metz, was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  1797. 
She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living,  viz.,  Mary  Nel- 
son, Eliza  Moore,  James  M.  and  Jacob.  The 
following  are  deceased:  Philip,  John,  Han- 
nah Rector.  Gitty  Freeman  and  Catharine. 
Mrs.  Leah  Stonemetz  died  August  29,  1861. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Jefferson 
County,  Ind..  and  graduated  at  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati.  Having  pre- 
vious to  this  read  medicine  with  Dr.  John 
H.  Reynolds,  of  Wirt,  Ind..  Dr.  Stonemetz 
commenced  to  practice  at  Azalia,  Bartholo- 
mew Co.,  Ind.  After  one  year,  he  returned 
to  North  Vernon,  Ind.,  and  vicinity,  where 
he  remained  ten  years,  and  then,  in  1859, 
emigrated  to  Moore's  Prairie,  in  Jefferson 
County,     where    he    yet    follows    his    pro- 


fession, enjoying  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-men.  He  built  the  first  house 
in  Opdyke,  and  is,  therefore,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  iu  this  town.  Dr.  Stonemetz  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  August  4,  1852, in  Jen- 
nings County,  Ind.,  to  Lucinda  J.  Wilson, 
born  April  29,  1833,  in  Jennings  County, 
Ind.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Chapman)  Wilson,  he  a  native  of 
West  Virginia  and  a  merchant  by  occupa- 
tion, and  she  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.- 
Mrs.  Stonemetz  was  the  mother  of  five 
children,  viz.,  Alice  C,  born  May  25,  1853, 
wife  of  Andrew  J.  Cook;  William  E.  and 
Elva  M.,  deceased;  Guy  Nelson,  born  March 
8,  1863;  and  Leah  M.,  born  February  26, 
1868.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Stonemetz  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  also  been  an  I.  O. 
O.  F.  for  thirty  years.  In  politics,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Republic  in  party. 

LEWIS  CAJIPBELL  WATERS,  Belle 
Rive,  was  born  May  17,  1850.  His  father, 
Moses  Waters,  a  farmer  by  trade,  was  bor  n 
in  Wilkes  County,  N.  C. ,  in  1806,  from 
which  State  he  emigrated  with  his  father. 
Isaac  Waters,  to  Tennessee,  where  he  re 
mained  until  1834:,  the  year  from  which 
dates  his  location  in  Jefierson  County,  111. 
Soon  after  hiy  arrival  at  the  last-named  place, 
he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Campbell, 
daughter  of  Scotch  parents,  her  father,  Dou- 
gald  Campbell,  being  a  descendant  of  the 
famous  Campbell  family  of  Scotland.  This 
union  was  the  result  of  six  children — Eliza- 
beth, John  C,  Isaac  N.,  George  W.,  Lewis 
C.  and  William  D.  Waters.  Of  these,  the 
first  two  died  at  the  ages  of  three  and  five 
years  respectively.  The  remaining  four — ex- 
cept Isaac  N.,  who  now  resides  in  Southern 
Kansas — are  at  present  residents  of  this 
county.  But  few  of  the  early  settlers  of  this 
county  did  more  to  encourage    the    cause    of 


60 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


education  in  their  respective  localities  than 
Moses  Waters.  With  him  the  student  was 
always  a  welcome  guest.  He  died  at  his  farm 
residence,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  present 
site  of  Belle  Rive,  111.,  February  14,  1875, 
in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  his 
wife,  Elizabeth,  having  departed  this  life 
March  ^10,  1864.  George  W.,  now  one  of 
Jeflferson  County's  most  experienced  teachers 
divides  his  time  alternately  between  his  pro- 
fession and  farm.  W.  D.  Waters,  the  young- 
est of  the  family,  is  a  man  of  liberal  educa- 
tion, having  studied  three  or  four  different 
languages,  including  the  German,  which 
language  he  speaks  with  ease  and  fluency. 
The  last  six  years  of  his  life  have  been  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  medicine,  upon  the 
practice  of  which  profession  he  expects  soon 
to  enter.  Lewis  C.  Waters,  the  true  subject 
of  this  sketch,  is  next  youngest  of  the  f  ami  - 
ly.  His  father  sent  him  to  the  district  school 
uutil  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  by  which 
time  he  had  completed  the  common  school 
branches,  including  the  elements  of  algebra. 
During  the  winter  of  1870,  he  was  engaged 
in  the  business  of  teaching,  and  thus  earned 
sufficient  means  to  defray  his  expenses  at  the 
select  school  of  Prof.  John  TiuTeutine,  who 
afterward  founded  the  Entield  High  School. 
Here  his  time  was  devoted  to  the  study  of 
the  elements  of  the  natural  sciences  and 
higher  algebra.  In  1873,  he  entered  Ewing 
College,  where  he  spent  several  terms,  teach- 
ing at  intervals  to  defray  exj)enses.  In  the 
spring  of  1876,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of 
the  law  wi^h  Judge  T.  B.  Stelle,  of  Hamil- 
ton County,  as  his  precej)tor.  August  30, 
1877,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hettie  E. 
Vance,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  T.  M.  Vance,  of 
Franklin  County,  111.,  the  result  of  which 
marriage  is  two  daughters — Lottie  and 
Maud,  aged  respectively  four  and  two  years. 
The  year  following  his  marriage,  Mr,  Waters 


resided  in  the  village  of  Belle  Rive,  contin- 
uing his  legal  studies  with  the  Hon.  T.  S. 
Casey,  now  Presiding  Judge,  as  his  precep- 
tor. It  was  here  he  first  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  the  fall  of 
1879,  he  removed  to  Benton,  Franklin  County, 
this  State, where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  the  law  till  January,  1883,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of  1880.  He  now 
resides  with  his  family  at  Belle  Rive,  111., 
and  is  numbered  with  the  bar  of  his  native 
county.  His  energies  in  the  future  will 
chiefly  be  devoted  to  the  study  and  practice 
of  criminal  jurisprudence. 

Q,  A.  WliiBANKS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Belle 
Rive.  Of  the  many  men  in  the  county  who 
are  descendants  of  the  old  pioneers,  and  who 
have  given  strength,  stamina  and  prosperity 
to  their  immediate  neighborhood,  we  count 
him  whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was 
born  in  February,  1825,  in  St  Glair  County, 
III.  His  father,  Joseph  Wilbanks,  a  native 
of  South  Carolina,  he  came  here  about  1825, 
in  company  with  his  father,  Daniel  Wil- 
banks, who  was  a  mechanic  by  occupation. 
He  settled  on  Moore's  Prairie,  fourteen  miles 
southeast  of  Mount  Vernon,  where  he  died. 
Joseph  Wilbanks  died  in  South  Carolina, 
where  he  had  gone  on  account  of  his  health. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Candace  Picker 
incr,  is  well  remembered  by  many  old  settlers 
as  one  of  the  noblest  women  in  this  county. 
She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz., 
John,  Luke,  Quiney  A.  and  Margaret  (de- 
ceased). Her  second  husband,  S.  H.  Ander- 
son, was  the  father  of  five  children,  viz., 
William  B.  Anderson,  our  present  County 
Judge;  Sarah,  the  widow  of  Judge  T.  B. 
Tanner;  Dewitt  C.  Anderson;  Nebraska,  de- 
ceased, former  wife  of  R.  A.  D.  Wilbanks, 
and  Edward  Anderson,  deceased.  Our  sub- 
ject was  educated  in  our  old-fashioned  log 
house  subscription  schools,  and  in  early  life 


PENDLETON  TOWNSHIP. 


61 


tilled  the  soil  on  his  uncle,  R.  A.  D.  Wil- 
banks,  Sr.'s  farm.  After  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  he  went  to  the  Mexican  war  with 
the  Third  Illinois  Regiment,  Capt.  Hicks, 
of  Company  H,  After  one  year's  servioe,  he 
returned  to  Moore's  Prairie,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  and  farm- 
ing, with  splendid  success,  which  is  the  sure 
result  ot  honesty,  industry  and  frugality. 
Since  1873,  he  has  been  identitied  with  Belle 
Rive,  then  a  mere  station  on  the  L.  &  N. 
Railroad.  In  January,  1883,  he  sold  out  his 
mercantile  interest,  and  now  devotes  all  his 
attention  to  farming,  owning  150  acres  of 
good  land.  He  is  an  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  pol- 
itics is  a  Democrat.  He  also  served  one 
term  as  Township  Supervisor.  He  has  been 
married  twice.  His  first  wife,  Hester  Wilkey, 
died  in  1861.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
Wilkey. and  was  the  mother  of  Eldorado  C, 
deceased;  William  H.,  born  December  3, 
1851,  he  married  Josie  Parks,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Texas;  Douglas  P.,  deceased; 
and  Sallie  N.,  born  July  30,  1856,  wife  of 
Dr.  R.  J.  Eaton.  His  present  wife,  Mary 
Riddle,  born  June  28.  1850,  in  Hamilton 
County,  111.,  is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Harriett  (Ivriu)  Riddle.  Her  grandfather, 
Abraham  Ii-vin,  was  a  native  of  New  York. 
He  came  to  Illinois  about  the  time  it  became 
a  State.  Mrs.  Wilbanks  is  the  mother  of 
three  children,  viz.,  Lena,  born  December  8, 
1872;  Robert  E.  J.,  born  February  3,  1875, 
and  Lottie  Lee.  born  July  2,  1879.  Mrs. 
Wilbanks  is  religiously  connected  with  the 
Christian  Church. 

PATRICK  WILLIAMSON,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Belle  Rive,  was  born  August  14,  1829,  in 
Wayne  County.  111.  His  father,  Henry  Will- 
iamson, was  born  in  North  Carolina,  but  died 
in  this  county,  a  true  type  of  our  old  pio- 
neers. The  mother  of  our  subject,  Nancy 
(Nothen)    Williamson,  was     the    mother    of 


nine  children.  Our  subject  came  to  this 
county  when  quite  young.  He  never  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  an  education  and  followed 
farming  for  a  livelihood.  He  was  joined  in 
matrimony  to  Sarah  Ann  Dow,  a  native  of 
Illinois.  She  is  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren, viz. ,  David  H. ,  Joel,  Lewis,  Charley, 
Ella  M.  and  Albert.  Mr.  Williamson  lives 
on  his  farm  of  240  acres  of  land.  He  is  no 
more  a  young  man,  and  although  life's  em- 
bers are  burning  low, he  yet,  with  a  youthful 
heart,  loves  to  recall  the  days  of  the  old 
pioneers.  In  political  matters,  he  is  connect- 
ed with  the  Democratic  party. 

J  .W.  WRIGHT,  merchant,  Belle  Rive, 
born  September  20,  1849,  in  Hamilton  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  son  of  James  H.  Wright,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  an  active,  energetic  man.  He 
came  to  Hamilton  County  in  an  early  day, 
and  there  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  and 
milling  business.  He  is  yet  living,  in  the 
Black  Hills,  where  he  is  now  mining.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  Elizabeth  Webb, 
a  native  of  Kentucky.  She  died  in  April, 
1882,  near  McLeansboro,  Hamilton  Co.,  111. 
She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  six  are  now  living,  viz.,  Thomas  B.,  a 
large  and  wealthy  business  man  in  McLeans- 
boro, 111. ;  James  H. ,  of  Chicago;  Andrew  J., 
a  farmer  in  Hamilton  County;  Mary  E.,  Ar- 
minta  Smith,  and  Joseph  W. ,  our  subject. 
Sallie  C,  Henrietta  and  Eliza  J.  are  de 
ceased.  Oui-  subject  was  principally  educat- 
ed in  McLeansboro,  111.  In  early  life  he 
clerked  for  his  father  in  the  mill  and  store. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business  on  his  own  account,  keep- 
ing a  grocery  and  dry  goods  store  in  Belle 
Rive,  to  which  place  he  had  come  in  1873. 
He  is  yet  engaged  in  the  same  business,  and 
is  also  the  principal  grain  dealer  of  Jefferson 
County.  He  is  now  Superintendent  of  Con- 
struction of  the  T.  T.  &.  R.  G.  Railroad,  and 


62 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


also  General  Contractor  of  timbers  on  this 
division.  He  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  is  no  office  seeker  nor  politi- 
cian. He  was  married,  October  6,  1871,  in 
Hamilton  County,  111.,  to  Miss  Artemesia 
Maulding.  born  September  7,  1852,  in  Ham- 
ilton County,  111.,  daughter   of    Jarrett   and 


Julia  (Hall)  Maulding;  they  were  very  old 
settlers.  Mrs.  Wright  is  the  mother  of  two 
children  now  living,  viz.,  Commodore,  born 
January  1,  1874;  Edward,  born  March  6, 
1878.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  are  both  relig- 
iously connected  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 


SHILOH    TOWNSHIP. 


TOBIAS  K.  BUCK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Blair  County,  Penn., 
June  13,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham 
Buck,  a  native  of  Juniata  County,  Penn. 
Our  subject  was  raised  on  the  farm  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Ogle 
County,  111.,  where  the  family  removed 
in  1842.  He  was  married,  November  27, 
1863,  to  Maggie  M.  Miller,  a  daughter  of 
Otho  D.  Miller.  They  have  had  eight  chil- 
dren, seven  living— Otho  M.,  Alma  E., 
Walter  S. ,  Hattie  D. ,  Grace,  William  and 
Gay  lord  W.  Mr.  Buck  came  to  this  county 
in  December,  1877,  and  now  owns  eighty 
acres  of  land;  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing. 

CLINTON  M.  CASEY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mount  Vernon,  is  a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and 
Harriet  (Maxey)  Casey,  whose  history  ap- 
pears in  another  part  of  this  work,  and  was 
born  near  his  present  residence  on  the  14th 
of  December,  1821.  His  early  life  was  spent 
at  home,  receiving  the  benefits  of  the  sub- 
scription schools  of  the  period,  and  assisting 
to  till  the  soil  of  his  father's  farm.  When 
he  was  of  age,  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account,  at  which  he  is  still  actively  en- 
gaged. He  is  the  owner  of  525  acres  of  well 
improved  land,  upon  which  he  has  a  good 
home.      In  1864,  he  responded  to  the  call  of 


his  country  and  enlisted  in  Company  G  of 
the  Second  Infantry,  and  served  nine  months 
and  was  in  the  battle  of  Wise's  Cross  Roads. 
He  was  married,  November  16,  1845,  to  Miss 
Artemisia,  daughter  of  Thomas  L.  and  Ag- 
nes Harrel.  He  is  a  native  of  Gallatin 
County,  111.,  and  she  of  Kentucky.  They 
died  in  Missouri,  he  September  5,  1831,  she 
August  15,  1831.  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Casey  have 
three  children  living,  viz.,  Thomas  Alexan- 
der, Lucy  J.  Gaddis  and  McKendree  Ames. 
Also  three  sons  and  three  daughters  dead, 
three  of  whom  passed  away  almost  at  the 
same  time.  Mr.  Casey  is  Republican  in  pol- 
itics and  has  held  different  offices  in  the 
county.  For  seven  years  he  was  Revenue 
Assessor  of  this  county  for  the  Government. 
JAMES  H.  CLAYBOURN,  saw  mill, 
Woodlawn,  was  born  in  Rome  Township, 
Jefferson  County,  III.,  April  27,  1843,  and 
was  a  son  of  William  D.  and  Frances  A. 
(Haulker)  Claybourn.  They  were  both  na- 
tives of  Tennessee,  the  father  of  Knox  Coun- 
ty, the  mother  of  DeKalb  County,  where  the 
marriage  was  solemnized.  In  1838  or  1839, 
they  came  to  Gallatin  County,  then  to  this 
count)-,  where  the  father  still  resides  and 
gives  his  attention  to  farming.  The  result 
of  this  marriage  was  eight  sons  and  six 
daughters,  and   of    this   number  eleven    are 


SHILOH  TOWNSHIP. 


63 


now  living.  The  mother  died  in  1863,  and 
the  father  was  again  married,  and  has  since 
had  two  childi'en.  During  his  life,  our  sub- 
ject has  made  this  county  his  home  most  of 
the  time,  except  for  a  two  years'  residence  in 
Franklin  County.  He  was  reared  on  the 
farm,  but  has  given  the  most  of  his  attention 
to  other  business  pursuits.  Has  been  en- 
gaged principally  in  saw  and  grist  milling  ; 
is  at  present  engaged  in  saw-milling,  in 
partnership  with  J.  V.  Bruce,  at  Woodlawn. 
The  mill  is  fitted  with  a  fifteen-horse-power 
engine,  a  sixty-inch  saw  and  a  capacity  for 
6,000  feet  per  day.  The  firm  also  rune  a 
thresher  and  engine  in  the  summer.  Mr. 
Claybourn  was  married  in  Shiloh  Township 
in  November,  1865,  to  Miss  Polly  A.  Yan- 
dell.  She  was  born  in  this  county,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  Yandell,  deceased.  The 
result  of  this  union  was  one  child,  Mrs  A. 
V.  I.  Lacy.  This  Mrs.  Claybourn  died  in 
December,  1866,  and  in  August,  1867,  he 
was  again  married  to  Miss  H.  A.  Maxey,  a 
daughter  of  King  Maxey,  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  this  part  of  the  county.  This 
union  resulted  in  seven  children,  six  of  whom 
are  now  living,  viz.,  Eva  M.,  Alma  B. ,  Nora 
M.,  Orley  F.,  Bertie  M.  and  LIbby  F.  May 
9,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C  of  the 
Twenty-second  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  but  soon  afterward  re-cn'isted  in 
the  First  Illinois  Cavalry,  Company  H,  un- 
der Capt.  Noleman,  of  Centralia.  He  served 
one  year  with  this  company,  when  they  were 
mustered  out.  He  again  enlisted,  this  time 
in  the  Eightieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Company  H,  and  served  until  July,  1864, 
when  he  was  wounded,  and  in  September  of 
the  same  year  was  transferred  to  Company  C, 
Eighth  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  with  head- 
quarters at  Chicago.  There  he  remained  on 
duty  until  July,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered 
out.      In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


WILLIAM  COLEMAN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mounc  Vernon,  was  born  in  Delaware  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  September  15,  1844.  Is  the  son  of 
Valentine  and  Mary  (Worline)  Coleman.  He 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  she  in  Ohio.  He 
is  still  Jiving  and  resides  in  this  county. 
To  them  six  children  were  born,  three  of 
whom  still  survive,  viz.,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Shultz  and  Mrs.  Isabelle^Strattan,  both  of 
Marion  County,  Ohio,  and  our  subject.  In 
1855,  our  subject  was  brought  to  Stark 
County,  111,  and  two  years  later  to  this 
county,  where  his  father  settled  on  the  pres- 
ent farm.'which  contains  123  acres,  our  sub- 
ject having  charge  of  the  same.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  such  has  been  his  occu- 
pation during  life.  December  9,  1869,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Maria  Pettit,  daughter 
of  Windsor  and  Nancy  (Burger)  Pettit.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Coleman  have  two  children  living 
and  one  dead,  viz.,  Luetta,  Effie,  and  Es- 
tella  (deceased).  In  politics,  Mr.  Coleman  is 
Republican,  but  in  local  elections  votes  for 
the  man. 

JAMES  R.  DRIVER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  was  born  in  Wilson  County, 
Tenn.,  February  21,  1881,  to  John  and 
Mary  (Campbell)  Driver.  He  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina  and  she  of  Virginia;  they 
emigrated  from  Tennessee  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  1841.  He,  born  in  1809,  died  in 
1863;  she,  born  in  1809,  died  in  September, 
1852.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, f oui- of  whom  are  now  living.  Our  sub- 
ject was  brought  to  the  county  by  his  par- 
ents in  1841,,  and  since  that  time  has  princi- 
pally resided  in  the  county.  He  commenced 
his  eareer  in  life  in  the  saw  mill  business, 
and  continued  the  same  for  twenty-seven 
years,  operating  mills  in  Jefferson,  Chris- 
tian, Alexander  and  tlnion  Counties  during 
different  periods.  In  1878,  he  began  farm- 
ing, at  which  he  is  actively  engaged,   and  is 


64 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


the  owner  of  335  acres  of  good  land.  In 
response  to  the  call  of  the  country  for  volun- 
teers of  the  late  civil  war  in  1861,  he  en- 
listed on  the  10th  of  December,  in  Company 
C  of  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  Col.  Toler  and  Oapt.  Moss.  In  Sep- 
tember, he  was  discharged  on  account  of 
physical  disability,  having  been  injured  in 
the  back.  In  August,  1852,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Matilda  C.  Allen,  who  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1858,  leaving  four  children,  of  whom 
John  M.  is  still  living.  He  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time,  October  10,  1860,  to 
Mrs.  Evaline  Pate,  widow  of  Lewis  Pate, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Roberts.  Mr.  Driver 
is  a  wide-awake,  public- spirited  citizen,  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  as 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  sixteen  years.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Mr.  Driver's  son  was  born  February  10, 
1857,  was  educated  for  the  ministry,  and  for 
five  years  has  been  thus  engaged,  now  being 
pastor  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Boston. 

JOHN  L.  FERGERSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mount  Vernon,  was  born  in  Sumner  Coun- 
ty, Tenn.,  June  23,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of 
James  E.  and  Anna  (Ventress)  Fergerson. 
The  father  was  born  in  tliis  county,  but 
when  a  small  boy  he  went  to  Tennessee, 
where  he  remained  until  1851,  when  he 
again  returned  to  this  county,  where  he  has 
since  given  his  attention  to  farming  and  the 
mercantile  profession.  He  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Mount  Vernon.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  died 
there  prior  to  her  husband's  removal  to  this 
county.  Our  subject  received  his  education 
principally  in  the  schools  of  this  county, 
and  has  since  that  time  given  his  attention  to 
farming.  He  now  owns  160  acres,  most  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  It  is  the  same 
farm  that  was  settled  by  Rev.  Rhodam  Allen. 


Mr.  Fergerson  was  married,  March  29,  1869, 

to  Miss  Rose  Moss,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  L. 
Moss.  The  result  of  this  union  was  five 
children — Lena,  Charles,  Minnie,  Homer  and 
Flora.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fergerson  are  both 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

S.  B.  GILBERT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wood- 
lawn,  was  born  in  this  county,  February  25, 
1841,  and  was  a  son  of  Eli  and  Lucy  (Fair- 
child)  Gilbert.  The  father  was  born  March 
2,  180y,  in  Waterbury,  Vt.,  the  mother 
June  10,  1805,  in  Preston,  Mass.  The  twain 
came  to  this  county  in  1839,  where  they 
lived  until  their  death,  which  occurred  Janu- 
ary 20,  1878,  both  dying  on  the  same  day. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
to  them  were  born  live  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, and  of  that  number  five  are  now  living. 
Our  subject  has  made  this  county  his  resi- 
dence all  his  life.  His  education  was  of  the 
common  school  character,  and  since  then  he 
has  been  engaged  in  farming,  now  having  a 
farm  of  100  acres.  He  also  deals  in]  stock. 
In  the  spring  of  1865,  he  entered  the  service, 
enlisting  in  the  Forty-ninth  Regular  {Infan- 
try, Col.  Moore,  Company  G.  Oar  subject 
was  stationed  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Gil- 
bert was  married  in  1862,  to  Mary  A.  Right- 
nowar,  a  native  of  this  county,  andja  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Rightnowar,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  this  county.  The  result  of 
this  marriage  has  been  ten  children,  nine  of 
whom  are  now  living— James  H.,  David  P., 
Mary  E.,- Martha  A.,  Hiram  E.,  Robert  H., 
LucyM. ,  Lavina  J.,  Ida  E.  and  ^William 
I.  Samuel  B.  is  the  one  deceased.  Our 
subject  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of 
Mount  Vernon,  No.  31,  and  has  acted  as 
repre.sentative  of  this  organization  to  the 
Grand  Lodge.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat; 
has  served  his  county  and  township  in  nu- 


SHILOH    TOAVNSHIP. 


65 


merous  offices, among  which  are  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  Constable,  Supervisor  and  Assessor. 

C.  B,  HARPER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn. , 
May  11,  1821.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Bracket)  Harper.  They  were  from 
Virginia  and  Tennessee,  moving  there  after 
their  marriage.  In  1S31,  they  moved  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  our 
subject.  He  was  born  December  25,  1773, 
and  died  December  11,  1875,  being  nearly 
one  hundred  and  two  years  of  age.  She 
died  some  years  before  at  the  age  of  about 
eighty  years.  Both  retained  perfect  health 
and  their  mental  faculties  till  their  final 
sickness.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  our  subject  being  the  youngest,  and 
only  one  now  living.  Om-  subject  was  reared 
in  this  county,  and  in  the  pioneer  style,  his 
father,  having  settled  on  an  improved  farm, 
and  entering  Government  land.  Our  subject 
in  early  life  attended  school  in  the  rude 
schoolhouses  of  the  day,  and  when  embark- 
ing in  life  for  himself,  he  chose  the  same  oc- 
cupation as  his  father — that  of  farming — 
and  has  continued  in  the  same  business  all 
his  life  on  his  present  farm,  which  contains 
140  acres,  and  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, with  good  farm  buildings.  He  was 
married  in  this  county,  October  22,  1843,  to 
Miss  Matilda  Bateman.  She  was  bora  here 
October  21,  1823.  daughter  of  Asahel  and 
Millie  Bateman.  They  were  both  of  Ten- 
nessee, coming  here  at  an  early  date  —1819 
— her  mother  being  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Lew- 
is Johnson.  Mr.  Bateman  died  about  1848, 
and  his  widow  January,  1883,  at  over  eighty 
sis  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper 
have  live  children,  living,  viz,,  Isabelle, 
Mary  J.,  Thomas  B.,  Mattie  and  C.  M,  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Epi.scopal  Church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


HENRY  J.  HOLTSCLAW,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mount  Vernon,  was  bom  in  Barren  County, 
Ky.,  June  27,  1815,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
and  Ehoda  (Brooksher)  Holtsclaw,  the  latter 
a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  the  former  of 
North  Carolina,  and  his  father,  Henry  Holts- 
claw,  was  a  genuine  Pennsylvania  Dutch- 
man, who  emigrated  to  North  Carolina  and 
thence  to  Kentucky.  In  1827,  both  he  and 
his  son  (father  of  our  subject)  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  in  this  township,  where  both 
died,  the  latter  in  1831  or  1832,  and  his  wife 
about  the  year  1860.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  only  three  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing— Mrs,  Margaret  Booth,  near  Centralia, 
111.:  Richard  J.,  residing  in  Xenia,  Clay 
County;  'and  our  subject.  Mr.  Holtsclaw 
was  left  to  battle  for  himself  at  an  early  age, 
his  father  dying  soon  after  his  removal  to 
Illinois,  and  leaving  hi.s  wife  with  a  large 
family  of  children.  He  had  but  few  chances 
for  receiving  an  education,  as  he  says  it  was 
"  root  little  pig  or  die. "  But  by  the  most 
persevering  industry  he  won  his  way  in  the 
world,  and  after  helping  his  mother  to  rear 
the  younger  children,  he  commenced  to  work 
for  himself.  He  owns  the  old  homestead, 
upon  which  the  third  generation  of  the  fam- 
ily now  lives.  It  embraces  360  acres  of 
land,  well  improved  and  in  a  fine  state  of 
cultivaiion.  Indeed,  it  is  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  the  count.y,  and  probtibly  the  finest 
barn  in  the  county  is  on  it.  Mr.  Holtsclaw's 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  blood  shows  in  this,  as 
it  is  a  maxim  with  them,  that  "  a  good  barn 
will  soon  pay  for  a  residence,  but  a  fine  res- 
idence will  not  pay  for  a  bam."  He  was 
married,  in  1859,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  John- 
son, a  daughter  of  Rev.  Lewis  Johnson,  an 
early  pioneer  of  Jefferson  County.  They 
have  four  children— Martha  Ann,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  John  Henry  and  Ida  A.,  all  of 
whom  are  living.     He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 


66 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


bers  of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mr.  Holtsclaw 
has  never  sought  office,  but  takes  an  active 
interest  in  politics,  as  all  patriotic  citizens 
should,  and  is  a  Democrat  of  the  Jackson 
school.  He  has  a  great  veneration  for  that 
old  hero  of  New  Orleans,  under  whom  his 
father  served  as  a  soldier.  Mr.  Holtsclaw 
came  here  a  small  bo3','when  the  country  was 
new  and  wild,  and  game  of  all  kinds  was 
plenty.  He  is  an  old  man  now,  and  has 
seen  the  country  improved  and  civilized  and 
the  wilderness  made  to  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose.  For  more  than  fifty  years  he 
has  lived  upon  one  place,  and  by  his  own 
hard  work  has  gathered  plenty  around  him, 
and  now  in  his  old  age  he  is  prepared  to  live 
at  his  ease. 

THOMAS  C.  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mount  Vernon,  was  born  in  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  June  14,  1827,  and  is  the  son  of 
James  Johnson,  Sr.  (deceased),  who  came 
■with  the  Maxeys  and  Caseys  from  Tennessee 
in  1818,  and  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  His 
wife  was  Clarissa  Maxey.  They  were  the 
parents  of  fifteen  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
early  schools  of  this  county,  and  assisted  in 
developing  the  resources  of  the  country. 
January  14,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.  Frost,  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Frost.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  eight 
children,  seven  of  whom  still  survive,  viz., 
Mary  E.,  Eliza  C,  Laura  A.,  John  S. ,  Alice 
A.,  Lucy  J.,  Sarah  E.  and  Joseph  M.  (de- 
ceased). Mr.  Johnson's  farm  contains  nine- 
ty acres  of  well  improved  land,  good  farm 
buildings,  etc.  He  and  family  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Chiirch;  in  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Democrat 

JEHU  G.  D.  MAXEY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Moimt  Vernon,  the  youngest  son  of  William 
Maxey  (deceased),  was  born  in  Sumner 
County,  Tenn.,    March  16,   IS  14,    and  came 


to  this  county  with  his  parents  in  May,  1818, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Fifty- two  years 
of  this  time  he  has  spent  on  the  farm  he  now 
occupies,  which  is  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  Section  12.  He  attended  a  subscription 
school,  the  first  in  Jefferson  County,  in  a  log 
cabin,  dirt  floor,  clapboard  roof,  with  a  log 
left  out  and  with  nothing  in  the  opening  for 
a  window.  He  was  married,  January  12, 
1832,  to  Mary  A.  Bruce,  a  daughter  of  Azariah 
B.  and  Martha  Bruce.  They  had  but  one 
child — James  Henry — (deceased).  Mr.  Max- 
ey owns  154  acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is  a 
/  worthy  Methodist,  of  which  church  he  has 
been  a  member  since  a  boy,  and  has  been  a 
licensed  exhorter  in  the  church  since  1841. 
He  has  been  President  of  the  Pioneer  Asso- 
ciation of  Jefferson  County  for  the  past 
twelve  years.  Mr.  Maxey  spent  much  of  his 
time  for  twenty  years  in  hunting.  Has  shot 
many  a  deer  standing  in  his  saddle;  shot 
deer  running  |and  his  horse  running  also  at 
full  speed. 

THOxVIAS  L.  MOSS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon.  Among  the  more  active,  upright 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Shiloh  Pre- 
cinct who  have,  by  their  honesty,  industry 
and  indomitable  energy,  carved  out  a  suc- 
cessful career,  is  Mr.  Thomas  L.  Moss, 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch.  He  was  born 
in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  on  the  30th  of  No- 
vember, 1823.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  farm,  experiencing  all  of  a  pioneer's  life 
and  receiving  such  an  education  as  the  log 
schoolhouses  of  the  period  afforded.  Arriv- 
ing at  his  majority,  he  embarke:!  on  his  ca- 
reer in  life  as  a  farmer  upon  his  own  ac- 
count, with  a  farm  of  forty  acres  of  unim- 
proved land.  He  still  resides  on  the  same 
farm,  but  by  hard  work  and  close  economy, 
he  has  been  able  to  make  the  necessary  im- 
provements and  to  add  to  it    until    now    he 


SHILOH  TOWNSHIP. 


67 


owns  l.(H)0  acres  of  well  improved  land, 
upon  wliich  he  has  a  large  and  commodious 
residence,  which  was  erected  from  his  own 
designs.  He  was  married  in  this  county. 
September  27,  1842,  to  Miss  Sarah  Brock,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  born  June  7,  1824.  Her 
parents,  Tarlton  F.  and  Susan  (Antrobus) 
Brock,  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  early 
settlers  of  Missouri.  She  is  the  mother  of 
the  following  children:  Thaddeus  C,  Ma- 
hala  A.,  Rose,  Lafayette  B.,  AValter  D.,  Ella 
and  Elaah,  all  of  whom  are  married  except 
the  youngest  child,  and  are  all  residents  of 
Jefferson  County  except  Thaddeus  C,  who 
resides  in  Missouri.  Since  their  marriage, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moss  have  been  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  in 
politics,  his  sympathies  are  in  accord  with 
the  views  of  the  Rejiublican  party,  and  he 
has  held  numerous  offices  of  the  county. 
Ransom  Moss,  his  father,  was  a  liative  of 
Virginia,  where  he  was  raised  and  educated, 
and  where,  when  a  young  man,  he  removed 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  was  married.  He 
emigrated  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Jefiferson 
County  in  1819,  and  here  engaged  actively 
in  farming  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  2d  of  August,  1835.  His 
first  wife  was  Charlotte  Clark,  who  bore  him 
two  children,  a  son  now  residing  in  Ashley, 
111.,  and  a  daughter,  who  married  Hon. 
Washington  Ewing,  a  native  of  Rensselaer 
County,  Ky.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife  Anna  Johnson  (subject's  mother),  a 
daughter  of  Rev.  Lewis  Johnson,  an  early 
settler  of  the  county,  who  came  in  1819. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  eight  children, 
of  whom  four  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Moss  is 
still  living,  and  is  the  widow  of  James 
Latham,  by  whom  she  had  one  child,  S.  D. 
Latham,  a  resident  of  Mount  Vernon. 

HON.  JOHN  R.  MOSS,  farmer  and  breed- 


er of  thoroughbred  stock,  P.  O.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  May  13.  1830,  in  Jefferson 
County,  son  of  Ransom  Moss  (deceased). 
(See  sketch  of  Thomas  L.  Moss.)  Our  sub- 
ject was  educated  in  this  county,  and  has 
made  farming  and  stock-raising  his  occupa- 
tion. His  farm  contains  250  acres  of  land, 
and  his  homestead  is  that  which  was  first 
settled  by  ex- Gov.  Zadok  Casey,  and  is 
known  as  the  Redbud  Hill  Stock  Farm.  In 
1879,  Mr.  Moss  imported  the  first  sheep 
ever  brought  to  this  county,  at  that  time 
bringing  them  from  Canada — foiu-  ewes  and 
one  buck  of  the  Cotswold  breed.  He  now  is 
engaged  in  raising  thoroughbred  short-horn 
and  Jersey  cattle,  Berkshire  swine  and  Cots- 
wold sheep  His  son,  Angus  Moss,  is  also 
a  breeder  of  thoroughbred  cattle,  having  one 

]  of  the  finest  herds  of  shorthorn  cattle  in 
Southern  Illinois.  January  30,  1853,  Mr. 
Moss  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Par- 
melia  C.  Allen,  daughter  of  Rev.  George  W. 
Allen  (deceased),  and  grand -daughter  of 
Rev.  Rhodam  Allen.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  six  children,  viz.,  Angus, 
Hannah  H.,  Adda  M.,  Anna  E.,  Harry  C. 
and  Graces.  October  10,  1801,  Mr.  Moss 
enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country  in 
Company  C,  Sixtieth  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
was  made  Captain  of  the  company.  On  ac- 
count of  physical  disability,  he  was  dis- 
charged in  1803,  and  was  appointed  Deputy 
Provost  Marshal  for  the  Eleventh  District, 
and  in  this  capacity  served  till  the  close  of 
the  war.  Capt.  Moss  served  in  the  fhirt}'- 
tirst  General  Assembly  of  the  Illinois  Legis- 

I  lature,  having  been  elected  by  the  In- 
dependents, in  1878,  but  when  neces- 
sary CO  operated  with  the  Republicans,  to 
which  party  he  belongs,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  furthering  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party  in  this  district.      He  is  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Eoyal  Templar  of  Temperance  and  a  strong 
Prohibitionist,  and  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

J.  H.  PAYNE,  merchant,  Woodlawn,  is  a 
native  of  Jefferson  County  111.,  born  Octo- 
ber 27,  1837,  to  Josef)h  and  Harriet  (Stan- 
ford) Payne,  both  natives  of  Tennessee,  virho 
emigrated  from  Smith  County  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Jefferson  County  in  1835,  where 
they  engaged  in  farming  till  the  time  of 
their  death.  They  were  the  jiarents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  three  are  now  living,  viz., 
J.  H.,  Essex  and  J.  T.  Our  subject  spent 
his  early  life  at  home,  assisting  to  till  the 
soil  of  his  father's  farm,  and  during  the  win- 
ter mimths  attending  the  common  schools. 
Arriving  at  his  majority,  he  embarked  upon 
his  career  in  life  as  a  farmer,  and  continued 
the  same  uninterruptedly  until  1874,  wlien 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  at 
which  he  is  at  present  engaged,  doing  a  large 
and  thriving  trade  at  the  town  of  Woodlawn, 
and  where  he  and  his  partner,  Mr.  Sharp, 
buy  the  most  of  the  grain  and  general  prod- 
uce of  the  surrounding  country.  He  was 
married,  on  the  2d  of  November,  1862,  to 
Miss  Mary  Webb,  a  native  of  the  county  and 
a  daughter  of  Bennett  Webb,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  the  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Payne 
are  members,  he  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  (South),  and  she  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  Like 
his  partner,  Mr.  Payne  is  a  self-made  man, 
who  depends  upon  his  own  resources  for  a 
livelihood. 

J.  N.  PETTIT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  Crawford  County,  Penn., 
April  22,  1844,  a  sou  of  Windsor  and 
Ann  Eliza  (Burger)  Pettit.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Crawford  County,  Penn.,  and 
the  mother  of  New  York.  The  former  is 
still  living,  but  the  mother  died  in  this  coun- 
ty March  27,  1882.     Of  the  family  there  are 


three  sons  and  five  daughters  now  living. 
In  1846,  our  subject's  parents  came  to  Illi- 
t  nois,  and  in  a  few  years  after  removed  to 
j  Iowa,  where  subject  received  his  education, 
!  There  he  also  remained  until  August  15, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
Twenty-seventh  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry. 
A  part  of  the  Second  Brigade  of  the  Second 
Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  Gen. 
A.  J.  Smith  commanding.  He  was  in  the 
battles  of  Nashville,  Red  River  expedition 
and  others  of  less  importance.  He  was  dis- 
charged at  the  close  of  the  war,  after  having 
been  out  three  years,  less  six  days.  At  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  came  to  this  county, 
where  he  has  since  given  his  attention  to 
farming.  He  now  owns  a  farm  of  forty- 
nine  acres.  Mr.  Pettit  was  married,  Febru- 
ary 14,  1869,  to  Miss  Eliza  C.  Johnson,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Frost)  John- 
son, both  of  whom  are  now  residents  of  this 
township.  This  union  resulted  in  three  chil- 
dren— Mary  F.,  Charles  A.  and  Thomas  W. 
Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  in  p)olitics  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

SHERWOOD  PIERCY,  physician,  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Greene  County,  111., 
April  1, 1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Anderson  and 
Catherine  (Lasator)  Piercy.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  she  of  South  Carolina,  but 
died  in  this  county  at  an  advanced  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living,  our  subject  being 
the  youngest  of  the  six.  In  about  1844,  they 
came  to  this  township,  and  here  our  subject 
was  reared  and  educated.  At  about  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years,  he  began  reading  medi- 
cine under  Dr.  Peavler,  of  Mount  Vernon, 
and  then  with  Drs.  Green  &  Peavler,  con- 
tinuing with  them  for  about  four  years.  In 
1806,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Belle  Prairie  City,  Hamilton  County,  and 


Sllll.On  TOWNSHIP. 


69 


remained  till  1879,  when,  on  account  of  ill 
health,  he  had  to  leave,  so  puvcliased  the 
present  farm,  but  gives  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession  and  has  built  up  a 
good  business.  He  was  married  in  August, 
1861.  to  Miss  Maiy  F.  Mangrum.  She  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  but  came  to  this  county 
when  small.  Dr.  and  ilrs.  Piercy  have  five 
children  living  and  one  dead,  viz.,  Lovona 
E.,  Lovina  C,  John  Anderson  (deceased),  W. 
Duff,  Annie  Jane"  and  Cora  Agnes.  Dr. 
Piercy  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity. He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat.  During  the  civil  war,  he  saw 
some  active  service,  enlisting  in  1861  in 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry. 

JOHN  A.  REED,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wood- 
lawn,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  111., 
September  10,  1842.  son  of  Bird  and  Emily 
(Piper)  Reed.  They  both  were  natives  of. 
Tennessee,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1839, 
and  died  here — she  September  24,  1872,  he 
December  13,  1878.  They  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  eleven  of  whom  still 
survive.  Our  subject  obtained  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  this  county,  and 
his  occupation  has  been  various,  but  mostly 
that  of  farming  and  stock-dealing.  His 
present  farm  contains  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  September  1, 
1863,  he  was  first  married  to  Miss  Eliza  E., 
youngest  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Sophia 
Hicks.  Mrs.  Reed  died  September  23,  1S82. 
Seven  children  were  the  result  of  this  union, 
four  of  whom  still  survive,  viz.,  Cora,  Min- 
nie, Fannie  and  Joseph  Carl.  Mr.  Reed  was 
again  married.  Ho  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  in- 
itiated into  the  Marion  Lodge  June  7,  1875. 
Now  is  a  member  of  Woodlawn  Lodge,  No. 
522,  and  has  held  all   the  offices  and  repre- 


sented his  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  In 
polities,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held  var- 
ious township  offices — Assessor,  Collector, 
etc..  and  for  years  has  been  Chairman  of  the 
Democratic  Central  Committee  of  the  town- 
ship. In  1861,  he  entered  the  sei-vice,  Com- 
pany I,  Sixty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Col.  Taylor,  and  served  in  the  East 
till  discharged. 

LEWIS  S.  SEWARD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
this  State,  April  28,  1845,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  C.  Seward,  of  Montgomery  County. 
Our  subject  was  raised  on  the  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools;  he  has  always 
been  a  farmer.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  quite  small,  and  he  was  brought  here 
and  raised  by  his  grandparents.  Mr.  Seward 
was  married,  July  21,  1878,  to  Margaret 
Frost,  a  daughter  of  Newton  L.  Frost,  of 
this  township.  They  have  one  child — Lill- 
ian— a  bright  little  girl  of  four  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Seward  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Seward  owns 
eighty  acres  of  valuable  land. 

J.  F.  SHARP,  merchant,  Woodlawn,  was 
born  in  Gibson  County,  Ind.,  October  19, 
1823,  to  Micajah  and  Nancy  (Wright)  Sharp, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Maryland  and 
early  settlers  of  Kentucky,  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  where  they  remained  to 
the  time  of  their  death.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker, but  followed  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing during  the  principal  part  of  his  life. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  our 
subject  being  the  only  living  child.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  county, 
and,  arriving  at  his  majority  there,  engaged 
in  farming  until  1873,  when  ho  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  at  Woodlawn,  his  present 
residence,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  Their  stock  comprises  a  general 
line  of  merchandise,  and  they  do   a   $25,000 


70 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


business  aaaually.  la  connectioQ  with  this 
business,  the  firm  of  Payne  &  Sharp  do  a 
general  grain  business  and  also  handle  rail- 
road ties.  Mr.  Sharp  was  married  in  Gib- 
son, Ind.,  October  25,  1847,  to  Miss  Marga- 
ret A.  Yorkers,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania; 
the  )-esult  of  this  union  is  one  child.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  a  Republican  politically.  He  is  a 
self-made  man  in  every  respect,  being  left  an 
orphan  when  quite  young;  he  has  by  his  hon- 
esty, industry  and  economy,  accumulated  his 
property  and  the  worthy  name  he  bears. 

WILLIAM    SIDES,    blacksmith,    Wood- 
lawn.       The  subject  of  this   sketch  was  born 
in  1842  in  Cape  Girardeau  County,  Mo.,  sou 
of  Samuel  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Sides.      He 
was  a  farmer,  who  was  born  in  North   Caro- 
lina, came  to  Cape   Girardeau  County,  Mo., 
and  then  to  LTnion  County,  111. ,    where    he 
died.      She  was  a  native  of  Cape  Girardeau 
County,  Mo.,  and  died  in  Union  County,  111. 
They  were    the  parents    of    eight    children, 
only  two  of  whom  are  now   living,   viz.,    Sa- 
pora  Ann,  wife  of  Jacob  Reynolds,    and  our 
subject,      William  Sides  was  left  an    orphan 
at  nine  years  of  age,  and  from  that   time  he 
was  thrown    among   strangers.       He    gained 
such  an  education  as  the  circumstances  would 
permit,  having  the   opportunities  of  attend- 
ing school  but  about  six  months.     In  early 
life,  he  worked  on  a  farm,  but  when  he  grew 
older   he    commenced    learning    the    black- 
smith's  trade.       Although    still    a    boy,    he 
wished  to  defend  the  stars  and  stripes  when 
the  rebellion  broke  out,   so  in  June,    1862, 
he  enlisted   at  Ashley,  111.,  in  the  Sixteenth 
Illinois     Volunteer    Cavalry,    and    partici- 
pated in  numerous  engagements,  among  which 
was  the  battle  at  Jonesville,  Lee  Co.,  Va. , 
and  there   was    taken   prisoner,  January   3, 
1864.      For  nearly  fourteen  months  he  suf- 


fered untold  miseries  in  Southern  prison 
pens,  being  at  Belle  Isle,  Andersonville,  Ga., 
Charleston,  S.  C,  Florence,  S.  C,  and  final- 
ly Richmond,  Va.  At  Charleston,  they 
were  put  under  fire  while  the  Federals  were 
shelling  the  city.  February  14,  1865,  he 
was  exchanged,  but  was  taken  sick  and  laid 
in  the  hospital  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Finally, 
when  able,  he  returned  to  Ashley  on  fur- 
lough, and  in  June,  1865,  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment. August  17,  1865,  was  mustered  out 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.  After  returning  to  Ash- 
ley, he  completed  his  trade  of  blacksmith, 
and  remained  there  till  June,  1867,  when  he 
came  to  Jefferson  County,  and  in  1870  set- 
tled in  Woodlawn,  his  being  the  third  fam- 
ily in  the  village.  Mr.  Sides  has  a  large 
shop  in  Woodlawn,  and  is  partner  in  the  flour- 
ing mill. here.  He  deals  in  grain,  agricult- 
ural implements,  etc.  Mr.  Sides  is  a  self- 
made  man,  and  through  his  personal  integ- 
•rity  has  made  a  name  respected  and  honored 
by  his  many  acquaintances.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  activity,  but  his  labor  hero  has 
had  its  reward —coming  here  with  only  $2.50 
in  money,  and  now  having  amassed  a  prop- 
erty of  upward  of  $20,000.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.  March  18,  1863, 
near  Ashley,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy 
E.  Eubank.  She  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  111.,  daughter  of  Spencer  3.  and 
Sallie  (White)  Eubank.  This  union  has  re 
suited  in  seven  children,  viz.,  Adria  0.scar, 
Samuel  Wiley  (deceased),  Albert,  Ollie,  Adda 
and  Edda,  twins,  and  William,  the  youngest. 
Mrs.  Sides  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 

JOHN  T.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn., 
November  2,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
Smith  (deceased),  a  native  of  Clark  County, 
Va.,  who  brought  his  family  to  this  county  in 
1829.     Here  our  subject   was  brought  up  in 


SHILOH  TOWNSHIP. 


71 


a  thinly  settled  country,  where  there  was 
plenty  of  game,  shooting  deer  from  their 
door.  He  attended  a  subscription  school, 
taught  in  a  log  cabin,  with  slab  seats  and 
greased  paper  over  a  crack  in  the  wall  for  a 
window.  He  married  Polly,  daughter  of 
Green  Casey,  in  18G7.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren— Eugene  and  Walter  N.  Mrs.  Smith 
was  born  in  this  county;  both  are  Method- 
ists. Mr.  Smith  was  School  Trustee  for  four 
years.     He  now  owns  223  acres  of  land. 

J.  C.  TYLER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount  Ver- 
non, is  a   native   of    Jefferson   County,  111., 
born    on    the   28th   of    March,    l82y.      His 
father,  James    H.    Tyler,    was    a   native   of 
Sumner  County,  Tenn.,  and  was  one  of   the 
early  settlers  of  this  county.     He   died  here 
in  the  spring  of  1877,  having  been  a  resident 
of    the   county    for    about  sixty  years.     His 
wife,  Catht-rine  (Casey)  Tyler,  is  one    of  the 
oldest  living  settlers  of  the  county.    She  was 
born  December  15,  1809,  and  is   the   mother 
of  live  children,  of  whom  two  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  now  living.      Our  subject  was 
raised  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools.     He  is  one  of  the  successful   farm- 
ers of  Jefferson  Count}-,  and  is  the  owner  of 
165  acres    of  good  laud.     He   was  married, 
October  30,    1850,  to  Miss  Martha  H.  Max- 
ey,  who  has  borne  him   six   children,    all  of 
whom  are  dead  except  Ida  M.      Mr.  Tyler  is 
now   serving   his   third   term    as    Township 
Supervisor.      He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
an  active  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.   and 
I.  O.  O.  F,,  and,  with  his  wife,   unites   With 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

JOSEPH  V.  WARD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  is  a  native  of  Lawrence  .County, 
Ohio,  and  was  born  April  7,  1832.  His 
father,  William  Ward  (deceased),  was  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland  and  came  to  this  county 
with  his  family  in  1844.  Our  subject  at- 
tended the  old-fashioned  subscription  school. 


taught  in  a  log  cabin  with  split-pole  seats, 
puncheon  floor,  a  log  out  for  window  and  a 
stick  and  clay  chimney.  He  was  married, 
November  4,  1852,  to  Nancy  Hales,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hales.  They  had  seven 
children  born  to  them,  of  whom  live  are  liv- 
ing, viz.,  William  T.,  James  W.,  John  H., 
Joseph  M.  and  Hiram  Ulyssea.  Mr.  Ward 
was  a  soldier  of  Uncle  Sam  in  the  late  war, 
in  Company  C,  Sixtieth  Regiment  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Gen.  Morgan  and 
Col.  Anderson.  He  served  in  this  capacity 
for  two  years,  and  was  Sergeant  eighteen 
months  in  Company  H,  First  United  States 
Engineers.  He  was  hurt  at  Chattanooga  by 
a  falling  timber  when  assisting  to  erect  a 
magazine  He  now  draws  a  pension  in  con- 
sequence of  said  injury.  Mr.  Ward  owns 
102  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is  a  Meth- 
odist and  a  Mason.  For  the  past  six  years 
he  has  filled  the  office  of  Highway  Commis- 
sioner. 

DR.  J.  H.  WATSON,  Woodlawn  Among 
the  able  practitioners  of  Materia  Medico,  in 
Shiloh  Township  is  Dr.  J.  H.  Watson,  whose 
name  heads  this  brief  biography.  He  is  a 
native  of  the  county,  born  July  31,  1846, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth  M. 
(Rankin)  Watson.  The  father  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  occupation,  and  in  his  latter  years 
gave  his  attention  to  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  at  Mount  Vernon.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  son  of  Dr.  Watson,  a 
native  of  England,  who  first  settled  in  Vir- 
ginia and  afterward  in  Jefferson  County, 
111.  She.  is  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
now  living,  our  subject  being  the  youngest 
child.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
city  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  where  he  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Green.  He  afterward  at- 
tended medical  lectures  in  Cincinnati  and  St. 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Louis,  and  graduated  from  the  medical  col- 
lege of  the  latter  place  in  1880.  He  first 
began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1867  in 
Dunklin  County,  Mo,  In  1868,  he  returned 
to  his  native  county  and  located  in  Wood- 
lawn,  where  he  has  since  remained,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Colorado. 
He  was  married  in  Woodlawn  in  1S70,  to 
Miss  Melissa,  daughter  of  William  Wood, 
for  whom  the  town  of  Woodlawn  was  named. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  the  follow- 
ing children:  Elizabeth  Neva  and  Thomas 
Bertrand.  The  Doctor  is  an  enterprising, 
public-spirited  citizen,  and  is  an  honor  to 
the  profession  to  which  he  is  devoted.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M. ,  and  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

W.  C.  WEBB,  farmer,  P.  O.  Woodlawn, 
was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  October 
27,  1830,  son  of  Bennett  and  Martha  (Hall) 
Webb.  They  were  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina, but  came  to  Tennessee  when  young, 
and  in  1844  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111., 
where  they  died.  Of  their  family  of  ten 
children,  seven  still  survive.  Our  subject's 
opportunities  for  an  education  were  very 
limited.  His  occupation  has  always  been 
that  of  farming.  In  January,  1872,  he  was 
married  to  INIiss  Mary  Frost,  daughter  of 
Newton  Frost  and  grand-daughter  of  Dr. 
Frost,  an  early  settler  of  the  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Webb  have  two  children,  viz.,  Wil- 
ford  Bennett  and  Newton  Eldridge.  j\Ir. 
Webb's  farm  contains  320  acres,  about  200 
in  cultivation.  For  twenty  years  he  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  He  holds  to  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  has  held  different 
offices  of  the  township.  Mr.  Webb  is  one  of 
the  successfiil  farmers  of  Shiloh  Township, 
and  has  made  his  success  through  his  own 
efforts. 


WILLIAM  WEATHERFOED,  farmer,  P. 
O.  Woodlawn,  was  born  in  White  County, 
Tenn.,  April  15,  1832,  son  of  James  and 
Rebecca  Weatherford, natives  of  South  Caro- 
lina, who  came  to  this  county  in  1856  from 
Tennessee.  She  died  when  our  subject  was 
small,  he  March  5,  1875.  Our  subject  was 
reared  in  Tennessee,  and  his  life  has  been 
spent  in  different  places  and  engaged  in  var- 
ious business  pursuits.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  lived  in  Mount  Vernon  and  in  Col- 
orado, etc.  In  the  fall  of  1866,  he  bought 
his  present  farm  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  M.  C.  His  brother  died  in  1876, 
and  onr  subject  has  since  piu'chased  the  en- 
tire farm  of  240  acres.  He  did  not  remain 
on  the  farm  all  the  time  till  1880;  now,  how- 
ever, he  gives  his  entire  attention  to  it.  Mr. 
Weatherford  is  not  a  member  of  any  society, 
but  is  always  ready  to  aid  the  furtherance  of 
any  good  enterprise.  In  politics,  he  asso- 
ciates   with    the    Republican    party. 

JOHN  N.  WHITE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
June  11,  1831,  to  Warner  and  Elizabeth 
(Daniel)  White.  He  was  born  in  Virginia 
May  21,  1801,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
his  native  State.  Upon  reaching  his  matur- 
ity, ho  removed  to  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married  lo  the  mother  of  om* 
subject  in  1831.  For  some  time  he  was  en- 
gaged at  his  trade  of  shoe-maker,  but  soon 
after  marriage  began  farming,  and  has  fol- 
lowed the  same  since.  In  the  spring  of 
1843,  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  this 
county  and  now  resides  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
moved  soon  after  coming  to  the  county.  In 
politics,,  he  is  Republican,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  an  active  and  liberal  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  is  the  son 
of  Warren  White,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  Pilgrims  who  came  in  the  Mayflower.   The 


WEBBER    TOWNSHIP. 


73 


mother  of  our  subject,  who  also  is  still  livinc;, 
was  born  January  14,  1811,  in  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Daniel,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  settled  in  Brown  County,  Ohio, 
when  reaching  manhood.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Warren  White  six  children  were  born,  five 
of  whom  still  siu'vive,  viz.,  our  subject,  Will- 
iam, Sarah  (widow  of  Charles  H.  Maxey), 
Eobert  and  James.  Our  subject  remained 
on  the  farm  till  about  1849,  when  he  began 
working  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  has  fol- 
lowed the  same  for  many  years  since.  In 
1854,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  H.  Max- 
ey, who  was  born  in  Jefferson  County  in 
1837,  and  is  the    mother   of    two  children — 


Warner  N.  and  Lora  E.  In  JaTuiary,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Fii-st  Illinois 
Cavalry,  under  command  of  Capt.  Noleman, 
of  Centralia.  In  July  of  the  same  year,  he 
was  mustered  out.  In  August,  1862,  be 
again  enlisted  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  in  that  till  in  the  spring  of  1863,  when 
he  was  mustered  out.  While  in  the  service, 
he  received  a  wound  in  the  ankle  while  mak- 
ing a  charge,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  still 
suffer.s.  After  returning  from  the  service, 
he  anjain  engaged  at  his  trade,  but  in  1876 
began  farming,  at  which  occupation  he  is  now 
engaged.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


WEBBER   TOW^N^SHIP. 


WILLIA.^I  T.  ADAMS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Blu- 
ford.  This  gentleman  is  one  of  those  self- 
made,  energetic  men  who  have  worked  their 
way  up  in  the  world  by  hard  work  and  perse- 
verance. He  was  born  June  22,  1826,  in  this 
county.  His  father,  Willoughby  W.  Adams, 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  reared  in 
Alabama,  who  died  in  Jefferson  Countj',  111., 
where  he  was  classed  among  the  most  liighly 
respected  citizens.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Jane  (Tunstel)  Adams,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, who  died  in  this  county.  Our  subject 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Jeffer- 
son Count}-,  and  there  married  Harriet  A. 
Wright,  born  April  1.5,  1832,  in  Kentucky, 
daughter  of  Kobert  S.  Wright,  a  native  of  that 
State.  Her  mother,  Rachel  Davis,  was  also  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  twelve  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now 
living — Robert  W.,  born  July  12, 1852  ;  George 
W.  born  November  1,  1854;  Lydia  F.,  born 
November  4,  1856  (wife  of  William  Nation,  and 


the  mother  of  four  children — Oliver  R.,  Lula 
L.,  Julia  A.,  Lizzie  B.,  deceased,  Thomas  J., 
born  May  24,  1859  ;  Charles  H.,  born  May  7, 
186.3;  John  Q..  born  July  31,  1865;  Nancy 
M.,  born  January  7,  1868  ;  Jacob  D.,  born  No- 
vember 31,  1873.  Mrs.  Adams  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  has  one  little  girl 
adopted,  Minna  M.,  born  May  17,  1878.  Mr. 
Adams  has  a  farm  of  320  acres.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Democrat. 

CHRISTOPHER  BROOKMAN,  farmer,  P. 
0.  Pigeon,  was  Ijorn  in  Pulaski  County,  Va. 
The  records  were  burned  when  he  was  quite 
small,  and  the  date  of  his  birth  is  not  certainly 
known.  He  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Clinton  Count}-,  111.,  in  infanoj',  and  to  this 
county  when  about  twelve  years  old,  where  he 
has  since  lived.  Married,  in  1858,  Rosetta 
Sledge,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  five  liv- 
ing— John  F.,  David,  William  L.,  Minnie  and 
Lillie.  He  owns  166  acres  of  land,  and  is 
engaged   in   farming   and   stock-raising.       He 


74 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


served  in  the  late  war,  Company  C,  Eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  one  year,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  charge  at  Mobile. 

LEOXARD  W.  BRUCE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mar- 
low,  the  pioneer  of  Webber  Township,  was 
born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  March  13,  1819, 
and  is  a  son  of  Azariah  Bruce  (deceased),  a 
native  of  Virginia,  who  brought  his  family  to 
this  county  in  1826.  Our  subject  attended 
school  in  a  log  cabin,  sat  on  a  split,  and  wrote 
on  a  slab,  supported  on  pins  in  the  wall.  The 
cabin  had  no  floor  except  "  mother  earth,"'  and 
the  window  was  the  aperture  made  by  remov- 
ing a  log.  In  1850,  he  married  Caroline, 
daughter  of  James  Bridges.  They  had  nine 
children,  eight  living — Mary,  Rebecca,  Adda, 
Roland,  Hardy,  Nannie,  Ellen  and  Peter.  Mr. 
Bruce  owns  200  acres  of  valuable  land.  Is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

JESSE  J.  CLARK,  farmer,  P.  0.  Pigeon, 
was  born  born  in  Robertson  County,  Tenn., 
May  28,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  Clark 
(deceased),  a  native  of  Virginia.  Our  subject 
was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  has  always 
been  a  farmer.  Came  to  this  county  in  1856. 
Married,  December  27, 1855,  to  Fannie  Winters, 
by  whom  he  has  had  eight  children,  six  living — 
MoUie,  Fredonia,  Wade,  Nannie,  Delia  and  Mer- 
tie.  Mr.  Clark  owns  uinetj'-eight  acres  of  land. 
Is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

JOSEPH  F.  CLARK,  farmer,  P.  0.  Pigeon, 
was  born  in  Robertson  County,  Tenn.,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse  Clark  (de- 
ceased). Came  to  this  county  in  1856.  Was 
married,  February  26,  1857,  to  Sarah  Smith,  by 
whom  he  had  nine  children,  seven  living — 
Florence,  Ardelia  C,  Edith,  Cora,  Lillie,  George 
and  Thomas.  Is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church.  Owns  se\'entj-seven  and  a  half  acres 
of  land  on  Section  32. 

ANDREW  J.  COOK,  stock-raiser,  P.  0. 
Pigeon,  was  born  in  Germany  Febniary  28, 1851. 
His  father,  Henry  Cook,  brought  his  family  to 
America  in  1858,  and  located   in   St.    Louis. 


Mr.  Cook  came  to  this  county  in  1860.  He 
married  Alice  Stoneraotz  in  December,  1873. 
They  had  three  children — Ola  (deceased),  Dena 
(deceased),  and  Nellie  ;  the  latter  is  six  years 
old.  Mr.  Cook  is  extensively  engaged  in 
breeding  short-horn  cattle,  and  has  one  of  the 
finest,  if  not  the  finest,  herd  of  cattle  in  Southern 
Illinois.  His  bull  weighs  2,000  pounds,  and  is 
four  years  old.  He  owns  180  acres  of  fine, 
well-improved  land.  He  began  life  fifteen 
3'ears  ago  without  a  dollar.  His  fine  cattle  and 
extensive  improvements  show  that  he  has  been 
eminently  successful.  He  is  a  hard  worker 
and  very  industrious. 

WILLIAM  P.  DAVIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Tilford, 
is  a  native  of  Surr}-  County,  N.  C,  and  was 
born  May  11,  1827.  His  father,  Reece  Davis, 
deceased,  was  also  a  native  of  Surry  County, 
aad  brought  his  family  to  this  county  in  1849, 
where  he  died  in  1854.  Our  subject  attended 
a  subscription  school  in  a  log  cabin  with  a  dirt 
floor,  and  sat  upon  a  split-pole  bench.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Patsy  Harris.  She 
still  resides  in  this  township,  and  is  eighty-five 
years  old.  Mr.  Davis  was  married,  Februar}' 
14,  1864,  to  Margaret  Dagg,  daughter  of  James 
Dagg,  deceased,  a  native  of  Ireland.  The}'  had 
seven  children,  five  living — Mary  F.,  Martha  J., 
Theodosia,  Lucinda  and  William  R.  Mr.  Davis 
owns  157  acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  The  family  are 
Baptists. 

WILLIAM  B.  DULANY,  farmer  and 
teacher,  P.  0.  Tilford,  is  a  native  of  Van  Buren 
County,  Tenn.,  and  was  born  November  28, 
1849.  His  father,  John  P.  Dulany,  resides  at 
Black  Oak  Ridge,  this  county.  The  famil}' 
came  to  this  county  in  1867.  Our  subject  was 
educated  at  Ewing  College,  Franklin  Co.,  111., 
and  has  taught  school  for  the  past  eleven  win- 
ters, and  farmed  during  the  summers.  He 
married  jMartha  A.  Bruce  September  25,  1873. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  S.  V.  Bruce,  of  Mount 
Vernon  Township.     They  have  had  four  chil- 


WEBBER  TOWXSHIP. 


75 


tlren.  three  living — Eilitli  B.,  Silas  F.  and  Ina. 
Mr.  Dulanj-  owns  100  acres  of  land,  and  makes 
the  raising  of  fine  liorses  a  specialty' — the  Nor- 
man stock.  He  held  the  office  of  Assessor 
two  terms.  Is  a  member  of  the  JIasonic  fra- 
ternity. 

BRITTEN  D.  ESMAN,  merchant  and  larmer, 
P.  0.  Tilford,  was  born  in  Jlonroe  Count}', 
Tenn.,  July  20,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of  William 
Esman,  deceased,  who  brought  his  family  to 
this  county  in  1858.  Our  subject  preached 
regularly  in  the  Baptist  Church  for  ten  years 
in  this  county.  In  June,  1883,  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Bluford,  and  has 
built  up  a  good  trade  in  general  merchandising. 
He  also  carries  on  the  farm.  He  married  Cj'u- 
thia  Patterson  February  28,  1869.  Five  chil- 
dren were  the  fruit  of  this  union,  four  of  whom 
are  living— Rosa  E.,  Mary  J.,  Ida  F.  and 
Anne. 

SAMUEL  H.  HILLIARD,  physician.  Pigeon, 
was  born  in  Tensas  Parish,  La.,  January  10, 
1851.  His  father,  John  D.  Hilliard,  is  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  and  resides  in  Carlyle,  111. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Washington  Semi- 
nar)', at  Richview,  111.  He  graduated  from  the 
Medical  Institute,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  March, 
1877.  He  came  to  this  county  in  1877,  soon 
after  graduation,  and  has  built  up  a  large  and 
remunerative  practice.  Was  married  in  1879 
to  Miss  Florence,  daughter  of  Joseph  F.  Clark, 
of  Farrington  Township,  this  county.  The 
Doctor  owns  40  acres  of  land  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

LANSON  K.  LAIRD,  former,  P.  0.  Tilford, 
was  born  in  Athens  County,  Ohio,  September 
28, 1844,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Laird  (deceased), 
a  native  of  Greene  County,  Penn.  Mr.  Laird 
was  a  soldier  for  Uncle  Sam  in  the  late  war,  in 
Company  G,  Ninety-second  Ohio  A'olunteer  In- 
fantry, and  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chick- 
amauga.  Mission  Ridge,  Hoover's  Gap,  Wilder- 
ness, Ft.  Sumter  and  others.  He  came  to  Effing- 
ham Count}-,  111.,  in  186(5,  and  to  Texas  in  1869, 


traveling  through  Texas,  Indian  Territory  and 
Kansas  until  1874,  when  he  came  to  Douglas 
County,  111.,  and  in  1881  he  came  to  this  coun- 
ty. He  was  married,  September  4,  1868,  to 
Miss  Hettie  Wintering,  who  died  about  eight 
months  later.  On  the  30th  of  July,  1879,  he 
married  Mrs.  Mary  Evinger,  a  daughter  of 
John  Woods.  She  had  three  children  liy  her 
first  husband,  viz.:  Emma,  Rosa  and  Eura  F. 
Evinger.  Mr.  L.  owns  120  acres  of  land.  Is 
a  Mason. 

LORENZO  M.  LIVESAY,  deceased,  was 
born  in  Tennessee  October  9,  1825.  He  came 
to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1856,  where  he 
died  June  6,  187G.  He  was  twice  married — 
the  first  time  to  Margaret  J.  Thompson,  Octo- 
ber 22,  1845.  By  her  he  had  twelve  children, 
but  four  of  whom  are  living — Mary  C,  Ephraim 
J.,  Elizabeth  P.  and  Lafayette  S.  Mrs.  L.  died 
October  28,  1868,  and  on  the  16th  of  May, 
1869,  he  married  Sarah  S.  Lane,  daughter  of 
Henry  Lane  (deceased).  She  was  born  in  Cald- 
well County,  Ky.,  and  came  with  her  parents 
to  Clinton  County,  111.,  in  1840.  Mr.  Livesay 
was  a  faithful  Methodist,  and  a  useful,  honest 
man. 

ABRAM  MARLOW,  farmer,  P.  0.  Marlow, 
was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  September 
8,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Marlow  (de- 
ceased), a  native  of  "S'irginia,  who  brought  his 
family  to  this  county  in  1828,  and  settled  on 
Bullock's  Prairie,  four  miles  west  of  Mt.  Ver- 
non. Mr.  Slarlow  attended  a  subscription 
school  in  a  log  cabin,  with  stick  chimney,  and 
sat  on  a  split  pole,  with  pins  in  for  legs.  When 
the  3Iarlows  settled  here,  there  were  many  deer, 
turkeys,  wolves,  wild  cats,  and  a  few  bears  and 
panthers  here.  Our  subject  was  married,  in 
1842,  to  Elvira,  daughter  of  Burrel  Warren 
(deceased).  They  had  eleven  children,  seven 
living— Winfleld  S.,  Millard  F.,  Sarah  A.,  A. 
Lincoln,  Lucretia  J.,  Hiram  P.  and  Cora.  Mr. 
Marlow  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  fifteen  years, 
Supervisor  three  years.  Postmaster  at  Marlow 


76 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


one  year,  and  is  Notary  Public.  Member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  Masonic 
fraternity. 

SAMUEL  a.  MARTIN,  farmer.  P.  0.  Til- 
ford,  is  a  native  of  Bedford  County,  Tenu.,  born 
November  24,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Asa  Mar- 
tin (deceased),  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Mr. 
Martin  came  to  this  county  in  1854.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  late  war,  in  Company  B,  One 
Hundred  and  Tenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, United  States  Army,  nearly  three  j"ear.«, 
participating  in  the  battles  of  Mission  Ridge, 
Chickamauga,  all  through  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, with  Sherman  to  the  sea,  and  back 
through  the  Carolinas,  and  lastly  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  N.  C.  He  was 
married,  January  16,  1862,  to  ^lary  Sehanck, 
by  whom  be  had  seven  children,  four  living — 
Alcora  I.,  Ina  L.,  Willard  W.  and  Otto  C.  Mrs. 
Martin  died  December  3,  1876.  and  he  again 
married,  April  11.  1879,  to  Mrs.  Hester  A.  Gib- 
son (maiden  name  Buroughs).  By  her  he  has 
two  children — Marcus  and  Ruby  (twins).  She 
had  five  children  by  her  first  husband — Adda 
J.  (deceased),  Mary,  Laura  M.,  3Iargaret  and 
Ettie.     Mr.  Martin  owns  120  acres  of  land. 

JAMES  C.  MAXEY,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  P.  0.  Pigeon,  was  born  in  Shiloh  Town- 
ship, this  county,  June  14,  1827.  He  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  a  subscription  school  in  a  log  cabin. 
He  married  Nancy  J.  Moss  October  31,  1850. 
Her  father.  Ransom  Moss  (deceased)  is  of  the 
large  tribe  of  Mosses  (or  as  some  spell  it, 
Morse),  whose  ancestral  lineage  can  be  traced 
back  several  hundred  years.  Ransom  Moss 
came  from  Virginia  to  this  county  about  the 
year  1818,  and  settled  among  the  Indi.ans  and 
wild  animals.  Mrs.  Moss  still  resides  in  this 
countj',  and  is  eighty-five  years  old,  the  oldest 
lady  member  of  the  Pioneer  Societj'  of  this 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxey  have  had  eight 
children,  seven  living — John  R.,  Walter  S.,  Os- 
car S.,  Albion  P.,  Henry  B.,  Lillie  B.  and  Ran- 


som M.  One  son,  Oliver  W.,  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years.  Mr.  Maxey  owns  120  acres  of 
valuable  jland.  and  resides  on  Section  2.  His 
father,  Henry  B.  Maxey  (deceased),  was  a  na- 
tive of  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  and  a  pioneer  of 
this  county,  having  settled  here  in  1818.  He 
was  a  mason  by  trade,  and  when  away  build- 
ing chimneys  his  wife  often  had  to  throw  ven- 
ison to  the  wolves  and  bears  to  prevent  their 
breaking  into  the  cabin.  She  was  a  brave 
woman.  On  returning  late  one  night  he  feigned 
to  frighten  her  by  disguising  his  voice,  but  she 
was  equal  to  the  emergenc}-,  and  took  the  gun 
down  and  made  ready  to  shoot  as  she  opened 
the  door  at  his  command,  whereupon  he  ran 
around  the  house,  holloaing,  "  Don't  shoot, 
Pegg} ,  it's  me." 

HARVEY  M.  MAXEY,  farmer  and  mer- 
chant, P.  0.  Pigeon,  was  born  in  this  countj- 
March  26,  1840,  and  is  a  brother  of  James  C. 
Maxey,  of  this  township  (see  his  biography). 
Mr.  Mase}'  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. He  taught  school  about  four  j-ears,  and 
clerked  in  different  stores  in  Mt.  Vernon  sev- 
eral years,  but  has  also  carried  on  his  farm. 
For  the  past  j'ear,  he  has  been  selling  goods  at 
Keen  Station.  His  oldest  son,  Albion  T.,  su- 
perintends the  farm,  of  which  there  are  over 
200  acres  (but  in  different  tracts).  Mr.  M. 
married,  October  24,  1864,  Elizabeth  Rook,  by 
whom  he  had  sevon  children,  six  living — Albion 
T.,  Frederick  X.,  Harry  R.,  Edward  B..  Orvil 
and  Clarence. 

THOMAS  F.  MOORE,  stock-dealer,  P.  0. 
Tilford,  was  born  in  McMinn  County,  Tenn., 
April  10,  1839,  and  is  a  son  of  Alexander 
Moore,  of  Pendleton  Township,  who  brought 
his  family  to  Jefferson  County  in  1840.  Our 
subject  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  received  a  limited  education.  As  a 
business  man  Jlr.  Moore  has  been  eminently 
successful,  although  at  first  everything  seemed 
dark.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Lynchburg,  in  this 


WEBBEK  TOWNSHIP. 


77 


count\%  but  soou  afterward  tailed  ;  and  when  he 
was  married  he  '•  was  not  wortli  anything."  He 
then  began  to  raise  stock,  which  suited  his  dis- 
position. He  has  since  been  prospered  be- 
}-ond  his  most  sanguine  expectations,  until  at 
present  he  owns  about  2,500  acres  of  land,  be- 
sides a  large  general  store  at  BUiford.  He  also 
deals  very  extensively  in  poultrj-  and  produce 
as  well  as  in  stock.  Mr.  Moore  owns  also  a 
first-class  flouring  mill  at  Opdyke,  in  this 
count}'.  But  few  men  in  Southern  Illinois 
handle  as  much  money  as  does  Mr.  Moore.  He 
was  married,  February  7,  18(53,  to  Catherine, 
daughter  of  William  Scrivner.  Thej-  have  had 
ten  children,  eight  living — William  N.,  MoUic, 
Margaret,  Thomas  F.,  Lydia,  Alexander,  Oliver 
K.  and  Cora.  Mr.  Moore  held  the  office  of 
Collector  two  terms,  and  is  the  present  Super- 
visor of  Webber  Township.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Jefferson  County  Agricultural  So- 
ciety, a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
of  the  Baptist  Church. 

ALEXANDER  MOORE,  Jr.,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Tilford,  was  born  in  this  county,  September  14, 
1843,  and  is  a  sou  of  Thomas  Moore  (deceased), 
a  native  of  Tennessee.  Mr.  Moore  was  brought 
up  on  the  farm,  and  has  always  been  a  farmer. 
In  January,  1865,  he  married  Nancy  Davis,  by 
whom  he  has  seven  children — William  T.,  Mar- 
tha, Annie,  Mary,  Ford,  ^Freddie  and  Riley. 
Mr.  Moore  owns  120  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  raising  and  dealing  in  stock  as  well  as 
farming. 

WILLIAM  A.  NATION,  teacher  and  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  Tilford,  is  a  native  of  Hamilton 
County,  111.,  born  November  30,  1852,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  H.  Nation,  of  Hamilton  County. 
Mr.  Nation  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, but  is  a  self-made  man.  For  the  past 
eleven  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  teaching. 
He  owns  forty  acres  of  land  where  he  resides 
on  Section  34.  Is  the  present  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  Webber  Township.  He  was  mar- 
ried, August  15,  1S75,  to  Lydia  F.,  daughter  of 


William  T.  Adams,  of  this  township.  They 
had  four  children,  three  living,  viz.:  Oliver  R., 
Lula  L.  and  Julia  A. 

JOSEPH  H.  NEWTON,  physician,  Marlow, 
was  born  in  Robertson  County,  Tenn.,  Septem- 
ber 9,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Anderson  Newton 
(deceased),  a  native  of  Orange  County,  N.  C, 
who  emigrated  vvitli  his  parents  to  Tennessee  in 
1818,  and  brought  his  family  to  this  county  in 
1852,  where  he  died  in  18fi2.  Our  subject  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm,  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education;  but  most  of  his  educa- 
tion was  obtained  at  home  in  a  chimney  corner. 
He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1864,  in 
Hamilton  County,  III,  and  came  to  this  county 
in  1866,  and  has  built  up  a  large  practice.  He 
was  married  in  1864,  to  Lovina,  daughter  of 
George  Starner.  They  have  had  nine  children, 
six  living — Eva  C,  Alluna,  Ann,  Walter  H., 
Kate  and  Leda.  The  Doctor  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low. 

OSCAR  J.  PULLIAM,  farmer,  P.  0.  Til- 
ford, was  born  in  St.  Clair  County,  III,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  C.  PuU- 
iam  (deceased),  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
Mr.  PuUiam  was  brought  up  and  educated  in 
Belleville,  in  his  native  county.  He  followed 
railroading  for  eight  years,  and  for  the  past  five 
j'ears  has  been  farming  in  this  count}',  where 
he  came  in  1878.  He  married  Miss  Adda  J. 
Gibson  September  25,  1880,  but  she  died  the 
following  November.  Our  subject's  mother, 
his  two  sisters  and  a  Ijrother  reside  with  him 
'on  the  homestead,  of  which  there  are  eighty 
acres.  Mr.  P.  is  a  Baptist,  as  also  are  his 
mother  and  elder  sister.  The  father  died  De- 
cember 12,  1872.  He  was  also  a  consistent 
Baptist. 

WILLIAM  STONE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Opdyke, 
was  born  in  Dearborn  Count}',  Ind.,  January 
22,  1843,  son  of  Orman  Stone  (deceased). 
Came  to  White  County,  111.,  in  1868,  and  to 
tills  county  in  1875.  Married  Melvina  Jacobs, 
by  whom   he  had  two  children,  one  living — 


78 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Frank.  Mrs.  Stone  died  in  1863,  and  he  mar- 
ried, February  13,  1865,  Mary  M.  Dosher,  by 
wliom  he  had  three  children,  two  living — War- 
ren H.  and  Bertha  L.  Mr.  Stone  owns  210 
acres  of  land;  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

THOMAS  S.  VOYLES.  farmer,  P.  0.  Pig- 
eon, was  born  in  Hall  County,  Ga.,  February 
20,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  David  Voyles,  who 
emigrated  to  Greene  County,  111.,  several  years 
ago.  He  now  resides  with  his  son,  and  is  nine- 
ty-six years  old.  Our  subject  was  married, 
July  5,  1860,  to  Minerva  A.,  daughter  of 
George  W.  Hunter  (deceased).  They  have  had 
ten  children;  nine  of  these  are  living — Thomas 
A.,  James  M.,  Calloway  H.,  Harriet  E.,  Mary 
A.,  Sarah  E.,  Lillie  M.,  Amanda  J.  and  John 
H.  Mr.  V.  brought  his  family  to  this  county 
in  1878.  He  owns  160  acres  of  laud;  is  a 
member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 

LEWIS  C.  WORK,  farmer,  P.  0.  Tilford, 
was  born  in  Brown  County,  Ohio,  February  11, 
1826,  and  is  a  .son  of  William  Work,  of  Ohio, 
and  a  native  of  the  same  county.     Mr.  Work 


was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  but  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  '  nine 
years  in  Jliddletown,  Ohio.  He  came  to  this 
count}'  in  1875.  Married  Caroline  Lysher,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children — Marnelvia  (de- 
ceased), Annie,  Francis  M.,  Mary,  William  L., 
Benjamin  L.  and  Joseph  H.  Mr.  Work  owns 
160  acres  here  and  40  acres  in  Richland  Coun- 
ty, 111. 

ROBERT  S.  YOUNG,  farmer,  P.  O,  Pigeon, 
is  a  native  of  this  township,  and  was  born  No- 
vember 14,  1858.  His  father,  Robert  S. 
Young  (deceased),  was  an  earl}'  settler  of  this 
county.  There  were  ten  children  in  the  fa- 
ther's familj',  of  whom  the  following  are  living  : 
William  L.,  Mary,  Lucy,  James  B.,  Robert  S. 
and  Nannie  H.  Their  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Rachel  Brown.  Our  subject  owns  an  un- 
divided third  of  the  homestead,  which  consists 
of  240  acres.  He  is  pa3ing  some  attention  to 
the  raising  of  fine  stock.  He  has  been  Assess- 
or two  terms.  Is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church. 


EOME  TOWNSHIP. 


R.  B.  BALTZELL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dix,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  February  4, 
1845,  to  G.  J.  and  Nancy  A.  (Bryan)  Baltzell. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio,  she  in  Virginia.  They' 
were  married  in  Missouri,  and  moved  to  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  about  1842,  where  he  probably 
manufactured  the  first  hat  manufactured  in  the 
county.  Thej-  afterward  moved  near  to  Walnut 
Hill,  where  our  subject  was  born,  and  where 
his  mother  died  of  the  cholera,  in  August, 
1853.  He  afterward  moved  to  Central  ia,  where 
he  still  resides.  Our  subject  then  was  mostly 
reared  and  educated  in  Centralia,  and  engaged 
in  different  business  ventures  till  March,  1874, 


when  he  came  to  his  pre.sent  farm.  He  bad 
been  engaged  in  the  dr}'  goods  business,  photo- 
graphing, farming,  etc.  He  bought  his  farm  of 
ninety  acres  from  M.  C.  Kell,  and  is  the  one 
first  settled  by  Thomas  Kell,  and  the  old  store 
building  still  stands  in  which  were  sold  the  first 
goods  from  this  part  of  Jefferson  County.  May 
20,  1864,  our  subject  entered  the  service  of  his 
country,  in  Compan}'  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
did  station  duty  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  until  mustered  out,  October  22, 
1864.  December  24,  1867,  he  was  married,  in 
Centralia,    to  Miss  Mary    J.  Croe.      She  was 


ROME    TOWNSHIP. 


79 


born  in  Ohio,  but  was  left  an  orphan,  almost 
in  infanc3%  her  parents  dying  in  1853.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baltzell  have  six  children,  viz.  :  George 
W.,  Bertha  A.,  Blanche  A.,  Silas  L.,  Raleigh 

C.  and  bab}'.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0. 
F.,  Walnut  Hill  Lodge,  No.  710,  and  holds  the 
office  of  Warden.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

S.  B.  BOGAN,  M.  D.,  physician,  Dis.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Grand 
Prairie  Township,  Jefferson  Co.,  111.,  January 
24,  1853,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Casey)  Bogan.  He  is  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  brother  of  John  S.  Bogan,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  work.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Casey.  Our  subject  is  one  of  a 
family  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. His  early  life  was  spent  in  assisting  to 
till  the  soil  on  the  old  home  farm.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,  he  was  sent  to  Irving  Col- 
lege, where  he  remained  for  two  years  ;  he 
then  went  to  Columbia   College,  Wasliington, 

D.  C,  where  he  took  the  degree  of  B.  S.  He 
then  attended  medical  lectures  at  the  same  in- 
stitution, and  ■  graduated  with  honor  in  the 
medical  department.  In  1876,  the  Doctor,  wish- 
ing to  remain  in  his  native  count}-,  located  at 
Woodlawn,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. Here  he  was  very  successful,  but,  in 
1880,  he  decided  to  change  his  location  to 
Rome,  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  built  up 
a  good  practice  in  his  new  field.  September  1, 
1880,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Casey,  a 
native  of  this  count}',  and  daughter  of  Robert 
Casey,  of  Rome.  The  result  of  this  union  is 
one  child — Pearl  Irene.  Dr.  Bogan  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Rome  Lodge,  No.  721,  A.,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  also  the  W.  11.  Hubbard  R.  A.  Chapter 
of  Mount  Vernon.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, having  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
ancestors. 

W.  A.  BOGGS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dis,  was  born 
in  Marion  County,  111.,  January  21,  1833,  to  S.  A. 
and   Martha   (Kell)  Boggs.     He  was   born   in 


North  Carolina  in  1801  ;  she  in  South  Carolina 
about  1808.     They  were  married  in  North  Car- 
olina, and  came  to  Illinois  in  1826,  settling  in 
Marion  County  within  one-quarter  mile  of  the 
Jefferson    County    line.      Botii    died   in   that 
county — she  in  1856,  he  in  1873.     His  occupa- 
tion had  always  been  that  of  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and    at  the  time  of  his  death    owned 
about  700   acres  of  land  which  he    had    pur- 
chased   from    the   Government,  and    was    well 
known   in  Marion  County    as  a  good    business 
man  and  stock-dealer.     In  early   life  he  was  a 
Whig  in  politics,  but  in   later  years  was  a  Re- 
publican,    He  enlisted  in  tiie  Black  Hawk  war, 
but  it  closed  before  the  company  got  into   the 
field      For   many   years   he  was  a   prominent 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church, 
contributing   largely    toward  the   construction 
and  maintenance  of  houses  of  worship,  and  for 
over  twenty  years  was  Treasurer  of  the  church. 
He  was  the  father  of  fifteen  children,  there  be- 
ing  a  triplet  of  sons  who   died  in    infancy.     Of 
the   fifteen   only  three  now  survive— William 
A.,  Hugh,  and  Mrs.  Sarah   Telford.     Our  sub- 
ject was  reared  in  Marion  County,  and  had  the 
advantages  of  good  common  schools.     His  oc- 
cupation has  always  been  that  of  farming.     In 
1855,  he  came  to  his  present  farm,   which  con- 
tains 150  acres,  ten  of  which  are  in   orchards. 
October   16,  1852,   he   was  married,  in   Perry 
County,  111.,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.   McMillan,  a  na- 
tive of  that  county,  and  daughter  of  James   S. 
McMillan.     This   union   has   been   blest   with 
seven  children,  viz.:  James    A.;  Jane,  wife  of 
Franklin   Campbell;    ^largaret,    wife   of  John 
Hayes;  Lora  (deceased),  wife   of  Elmer  Hayes; 
Lucy,  wife   of  D.  Norfleet;  Charles  and    Ada. 
He  and  family  are  members  of  the  church,  and 
all  but  one  son  of  the  U.  P.  Church.     He  is  an 
ardent  worker  in  the  Sunday  school  cause.     In 
politics,    he    is  a   Republican,  and    has  always 
taken  an  active  part  on  political  questions,  and 
has  held  various  township  offices. 

JOSEPH    BOLES,    farmer,    P.    0.    Walnut 


80 


BIOUKAPHICAL: 


Hill,  was  born  in  Indiana  September  27, 1841,  to 
Hugh  and  Lethe  (Reed)  Boles.  He  was  of 
Irish  parentage,  and  was  either  born  in  Ireland 
or  soon  after  his  parents  came  to  America. 
She  was  of  English  parents,  and  is  still  living. 
He  died  in  this  count}'.  Of  their  family  of 
children,  five  are  still  living,  and  by  her  second 
marriage  she  has  one  child.  Our  subject  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  mostly  in  this  count}', 
and  also  educated  here.  In  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Forty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Capt.  Jones,  Col.  Morrison,  but  served 
only  for  about  eighteen  months,  when  he  was 
discharged  on  account  of  disability,  he  having 
contracted  rheumatism  in  the  service.  In  the 
spring  of  1865,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Harriet 
Breeze,  daughter  of  Owen  Breeze,  of  Centralia, 
a  retired  farmer.  This  union  has  been  blest 
with  six  children,  viz.;  Alice,  Owen,  Otto,  Em- 
met, and  the  twins,  Maud  and  Mabel.  In  18G7, 
they  moved  to  their  present  farm,  which  con- 
tains 336  acres,  and  in  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  on  which  he  raises  stock  and  grain.  He  is 
a  member  of  Walnut  Hill  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
No.  710.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
M.  D.  BRUCE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dix,  was  born 
in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  March  19,  1812,  to 
Azariah  and  Patsy  (Keeling)  Bruce,  natives  of 
Virginia,  he  the  son  of  Michael  Bruce,  a  native 
of  Scotland.  In  Virginia,  Azariah  Bruce  was 
married  to  the  mother  of  our  subject,  and  in 
1801  emigrated  to  Tennessee.  During  his  res- 
idence in  Tennessee,  he  enlisted  in  the  army, 
serving  in  the  war  of  1812,  being  at  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans.  In  1823,  he  emigrated  to 
Jefferson  County,  111.,  and  continued  to  follow 
his  chosen  profession  of  farming,  taking  quite 
a  pride  in  keeping  his  farm  in  perfect  order. 
He  died  in  this  county  about  1854,  his  wife 
having  died  a  short  time  before.  He  had 
passed  his  seventy-seventh  year  of  age,  and  had 
served  a  number  of  terms  as  County  Commis- 
sioner.    He  was  the  father  of  thirteen  children, 


eight  of  whom  still  survive,  six  residing  in  this 
county.  Our  subject  has  resided  in  this  county 
since  1823,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
early  schools  of  the  county.  He  served  during 
tlie  Black  Hawk  war,  and  also  in  the  Mexican 
war.  During  the  latter,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Cerro  Gordo  and  Vera  Cruz.  Jan- 
uary 12,  1838,  he  settled  on  his  present  farm  of 
1 00  acres.  He  entered  land  from  the  Govern- 
ment at  $1.25  per  acre.  February  13,  1834.  he 
was  married  to  Jane  Brown,  a  native  of  Smith 
County,  Tenn.,  and  daughter  of  James  and  Sally 
(Clayborn)  Brown,  natives  of  South  Carolina. 
He  died  in  Tennessee  a  short  time  before  the 
birth  of  Mrs.  Bruce.  About  1828  or  1830, 
Mrs.  Brown  moved  to  this  county,  and  died 
about  1854.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruce  have  had  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living — Francis 
M.  (deceased),  Charlotte,  Sally  (deceased), 
Martha  A.,  James  D.,  Malissa,  Mary  (de- 
ceased), Samantha  (deceased),  Alice  and  Aza- 
riah. For  many  years  he  and  wife  have  been 
members    of   the  Christian    order.     He  is    a 

I  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  Rome   Lodge,  No. 

i  394,  and  has  represented  his.  lodge  in  the 
Grand  Lodge.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  takes  an  active  part  toward  securing  the 
success  of  his  party. 

S.  W.  CARPENTER,  miller,  Dix,  was  born 
in  Knox  County,  Ky.,  January  5,  1812,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Melea  (Shook)  Carpenter.  Her 
father,  William  Shook,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  her  mother  an  Englishwoman. 
Both  died  in  Bedford  County,  Tenn.  Our 
subject's  father  was  engaged  in  boating  on  the 
Mississippi  River  at  the  time  of  his  death,  but 
his  family  resided  in  Indiana  at  the  time.  His 
widow  then  removed  to  Tennessee  with  her 
family  to  her  people,  where  they  resided  until 
January,  1830,  when  they  came  to  Jeflferson 
County,  where  she  died.  She  was  the  mother 
of  seven  children,  only  two  of  whom  still  sur- 
vive— our  subject  and  Jesse  W.,  now  of  Texas. 
Our   subject  has  made  this  county  his  home 


ROME  TOWNSHIP. 


81 


since  1830.  Till  about  1860,  he  had  given  his 
entire  attention  to  fanning.  He  then,  in  part- 
nership with  his  son,  William  R.,  purchased 
their  present  mill,  which  they  have  run  to  do 
custom  grinding.  He  also  has  a  farm  of  sev- 
ent3'-seven  acres,  which  he  oversees.  March  7, 
1833,  he  was  married  to  Lucinda  0.  Stockton. 
She  was  born  in  Illinois,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Phoebe  Stockton.  Twelve  children  liave 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter,  nine  of 
whom  still  survive — Phcebe  C.  (Maxey),  Will- 
iam R.,  Robert  W.,  Margaret  (Spiller),  Mary 
L.  (Frost),  Jemima  M.  (Beagle).  Sarah  T.  (Will- 
iams), Helen  M.  (Metzenthin)  and  Isaac  D. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carpenter  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  he  has  been 
since  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  In  politics, 
he  is  Democratic,  and  for  about  forty  years  has 
acted  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  For  eight 
years  he  was  Associate  Justice  of  the  county. 
He  is  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war. 

ISAAC  CASEY  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Tennessee  March  25,  1811,  to  Abraham  and 
Nancy  ( Baker)  Casey.  He  was  brought  to 
this  count}'  at  an  early  date,  and  was  mostly 
reared  and  educated  here.  His  occupation  was 
always  that  of  farmer.  October  31,  1833,  he 
was  married  to  Tabitha  White,  present  wife  of 
James  C.  Baldridge.  In  1835,  he  bought  a 
farm  in  Grand  Prairie  Township,  where  he 
resided  till  time  of  death,  November  23,  1840. 
He  was  the  father  of  three  children — Martha 
A.  (deceased),  wife  of  George  Davis;  Mary  A., 
wife  of  E.  S.  Noleman;  and  Robert  F.  Mr. 
Casey  volunteered  from  ^It  Vernon  during  the 
Black  Hawk  war,  and  was  at  Kellogg's  Grove 
when  so  man}-  were  decoyed  from  the  fort  and 
killed.  He  helped  to  keep  wet  blankets  on  the 
fort,  so  that  the  Indians  could  not  fire  it.  Mr. 
Case}'  was  an  energetic  and  successful  business 
man.  In  politics,  he  was  Democratic,  and  be- 
fi  ire  death  was  a  professor  of  religion. 

T{.   F.  CASEY,  merchant,  Dix.  was  born   in 


Jefferson  County,  HI.,  August  17,  1838,  and  is 
the  son  of  Isaac  S.  Casey  (deceased),  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  work.  Through  the 
death  of  his  father,  our  subject  was  left  an  or- 
phan at  an  earlj'  age,  but  resided  with  his 
mother — who  subsequentl}-  married  Mr.  J.  C. 
Baldridge,  of  Grand  Prairie — till  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age.  He  then  embarked  in  life 
on  his  own  account,  engaging  for  the  first  year 
as  a  farm  hand,  at  S6  per  month.  A  month 
before  the  year  was  out,  he  decided  to  attend 
school,  so  bought  off  his  time  by  paying  |10 
to  his  employer.  In  this  way  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  good  business  education,  working 
and  then  studying,  attending  one  year  at  Mc- 
Kendree  College,  at  Lebanon,  111.  From  1859 
till  1865,  he  was  engaged  in  dealing  in  stock. 
In  1866,  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Rome,  but  remained  in  that  only  till 
1868,  when  he  again  began  in  farming  and 
stock  dealing.  In  1876,  he  again  sold  his  farm, 
and  has  since  been  doing  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness as  a  general  merchant  in  Rome.  He  car- 
ries a  general  stock  of  merchandise,  valued  at 
about  $3,000,  with  annual  sales  of  about  $10,- 
000  to  812,000,  and  also  has  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  near  Rome,  on  which  he  keeps  stock, 
raises  grain,  etc.  June  14,  1860,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  E.,  second  daughter  of 
Hiram  Milburn.  She  was  born  in  Gibson 
County,  Ind.,  but,  when  about  six  weeks  of 
age,  was  brought  to  this  count}-  by  her  parents. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Casey  have  three  children  living, 
viz. :  Louie,  wife  of  Dr.  S.  B.  Bogan;  Irene 
Rose  and  Mary  F.  He  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Metliodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held  many 
of  the  local  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A., 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Rome  Lodge,  No.  721,  and  has  sev- 
eral times  represented  it  in  the  Grand  Lodge. 
RILEY  COPPLE,  fanner,  P.  O.  Walnut  Hill, 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  January  17, 
1826,  and  resided  there  till  1837,  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  this  county,  and  has  resided 


82 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


here  since.  When  coming  to  the  township  there 
were  no  schoolhouses  here,  so  his  opportunity 
for  an  education  was  very  limited,  attending 
but  three  months  during  his  life,  and  that  in 
Marion  County.  His  occupation  has  always 
been  that  of  farming,  and,  when  reaching  his 
majority,  he  embarked  in  life  as  a  farmer  on 
his  present  place.  Success  has  not  been  lack- 
ing, and  now  he  owns  a  well  improved  farm  of 
200  acres.  He  was  married,  on  September  16, 
1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Dukes.  She  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  March  14.  183-4,  to  John  and 
Eleanor  (Rife)  Dukes.  They  were  natives  of 
Tennessee,  and  she  still  survives.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Copple  ten  children  have  been  born,  seven 
still  living,  viz.:  Elizabeth  E.,  Mary  J.,  Dar- 
thula  A.,  John  H.,  Liley  B.,  James  R.  (de- 
ceased), Sarah  E.,  Hattie  (deceased),  Ahlute 
A.  and  an  infant  deceased.  He  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Christian  Church.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Garren)  Copple,  natives  of  North 
Carolina,  who  was  twice  married,  bj-  his  first 
wife  having  one  son,  Jacob,  who  was  drowned 
in  the  Ohio  River  when  a  lad.  He  was  married 
to  the  mother  of  our  subject  in  Indiana,  and 
by  her  had  twelve  children,  five  of  whom  still 
survive,  viz.:  Abram,  Riley,  David,  John,  Mar- 
garet, wife  of  B.  Harvey,  now  of  the  Indian 
Nation.  David  resides  in  Missouri,  and  the 
other  three  brothers  in  Jefferson  County,  111. 

DAVID  COPPLE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Walnut 
Hill,  was  born  on  his  present  farm,  December  1, 
1839,  to  Isaac  and  ^Martha  (Green)  Copple.  both 
natives  of  Indiana;  he  the  son  of  John  Copple, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina.  They  moved 
from  Indiana  to  this  county  in  1837,  and  he, 
Isaac  Copple,  died  in  1 843.  He  was  the  father 
of  three  sons,  viz.:  David,  John  R.,  who  was 
killed  in  the  army,  and  one  son  who  died 
small.  His  widow  afterward  married  M.  D. 
Victory,  of  Missouri,  and  now  resides  there. 
After  his  father's  death,  our  subject  lived  with 
his  mother  in  Marion  Countv,  111.,  and  iu   Mis- 


souri till  he  was  grown,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools.  In  1859,  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  county,  and  in  August, 
1861.  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
Company  C,  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Capt.  George  C.  McKee,  Col.  W.  H.  L. 
Wallace.  He  served  for  three  j'ears,  and  was 
discharged  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  in  August, 
1864.  During  his  term  of  service,  he  was  in 
some  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the  war, 
being  at  Fort  Donelson,  Fort  Henry,  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  Vicksburg,  etc.  After  returning  from 
the  army,  it  was  again  to  this  county,  and  to  his 
occupation  of  farming,  and  in  1865  purchased 
the  farm  on  which  he  was  born.  He  now  owns 
104  acres  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  No- 
vember 25,  1865,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Han- 
nah Grubb,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  daughter 
of  Virgil  Grubb,  She  died  September  22,  1882, 
bearing  to  him  four  children,  viz.:  Joel,  Benja- 
min F.,  Virgil  I.  and  Ida  Dora.  He  was  mar- 
ried, December  29,  1882,  to  Virginia  A. 
Foutch.  She  was  born  in  Jefferson  County. 
111.,  daughter  of  William  Foutch.  Mr.  Copple 
is  a  member  of  the  Walnut  Hill  Lodge,  I.  0.  0. 
F.,  No  710.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

JOHN  F.  CORRELL,  farmer,  P,  0.  Mt,  Ver- 
non, was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Penn.,  April 
24,  1833,  to  Abram  and  Charlotte  (Mellott) 
Correll.  Both  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  she 
of  German  and  he  of  English  parentage.  In 
1845,  they  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  and 
died  here  in  1862,  His  occupation  was  that  of 
a  tanner,  having  a  tan  3-ard  in  this  count}^  for 
some  years.  For  several  years  previous  to  his 
death,  he  had  been  engaged  in  saw  milling. 
Our  subject  spent  his  early  life  in  assisting  his 
father  in  the  tan  yard,  and  continued  in  the 
same  as  long  as  his  father,  but  then  went  to 
farming,  and  has  given  his  attention  to  the 
farm  since,  now  owning  140  acres  of  well  im- 
proved laud.     July  24,  1854,  he  was  married. 


ROME  TOWNSHIP. 


83 


in  this  county,  to  Miss  Mary  Greer,  daughter  of 
William  L.  Greer,  an  old  settler  of  this  town- 
ship. B}-  her  he  has  six  children  living,  viz.: 
Sarah  M.,  wife  of  John  Hall;  Joseph,  Mar}-  A., 
Zella,  John,  and  Lottie.  His  wife  died  March 
18,  1875.  January  14,  1871!,  he  was  married 
to  Sophia  Hill.  She  was  boin  in  Marion 
County,  111.,  daughter  of  John  Hill.  She  is  the 
mother  of  three  children,  viz.:  Viola,  Lena,  and 
George.  In  polities,  Mr.  Correll  is  a  Democrat, 
but  takes  no  part  in  political  matters. 

G.  L.  CUMMINS,  fanner,  P.  0.  Dix.  Among 
the  substantial  ruralists  of  Rome  Precinct  is 
G.  L.  Cummins,  born  October  15,  1833,  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.  His  father,  Samuel  Cum- 
mins, was  a  native  of  Barren  County,  Ky.,born 
in  1801,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth  (Holtsclaw) 
Cummins,  was  born  in  the  same  borough  two 
years  subsequent  to  the  fivther.  The  former 
died  in  this  county  in  1867,  the  latter  died  in 
1845.  The  father  was  an  active  member  in  the 
Democratic  party,  and  was  selected  by  that 
party  to  fill  several  offices.  He  came  to  this 
county  about  the  year  1824,  in  company  with 
his  wife  and  children.  His  union  gave  him  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  survive,  viz.:  Patrick; 
Minerva,  widow  of  H.  M.  Watson  ;  Mary,  wife 
of  W.  T,  Maxey  ;  G.  L.;  Abigail,  wife  of  Frank 
Galbraith  ;  and  Martha,  wife  of  I.  F.  Hamlin. 
Our  subject  received  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  On 
reaching  his  majority,  he  began  for  himself  on 
his  present  farm  of  140  acres,  which  is  well  im- 
proved, and  on  which  he  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  grain  and  stock.  He  was  married,  July 
4,  1861,  to  Lucy  Andrews,  a  native  of  this 
county,  and  daughter  of  Sidney  and  Margaret 
(O'Mclvaney)  Andrews,  old  settlers  in  this  bor- 
ough. His  union  blessed  him  with  two  chil- 
dren— Wayne  and  Omer.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Rome  Lodge,  No.  721,  and 
has  held  the  various  offices  of  the  same.  He 
was  elected  by  his  party,  the  Democrats,  to  the 
office  of  County  Treasurer  in  1877,  and  has  been 


Supervisor.  His  grandfather,  Henry  Holts- 
claw,  came  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky,  and 
thence  to  this  county,  while  his  grandfather, 
Cummins,  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  died.  The  Cummins  family  is 
of  Scotch  origin. 

JOHN  R.  CUNNINGHAM,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Dix,  was  born  in  Perry  County,  111.,  March  5, 
1837,  to  Matthew  J.  and  Esther  E.  (Little) 
Cunningham.  He  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  she 
of  South  Carolina.  Both  are  still  living,  and 
reside  in  Centralia.  January  27,  1883,  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  His  occupa- 
tion has  always  been  that  of  a  farmer,  but  for 
some  years  has  been  retired  from  active  life. 
They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  six 
sons  and  five  daughters,  three  sons  and  the 
daughters  still  living,  Our  subject,  when  about 
nine  years  of  age,  came  to  this  county  with  his 
parents,  and  has  made  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood his  home  since.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  the  county.  His  occupa- 
tion has  always  been  that  of  farming.  Mr. 
Cunningham  was  probably  the  first  man  to  en- 
ter the  service  from  this  county  during  the 
civil  war,  enlisting  in  April,  1861,  with  Com- 
pany G,  Twelfth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
from  Perry  County,  111.,  under  Capt.  Brookins, 
of  Dsquoin,  and  Col.  McArthur,  of  Chicago. 
Their  term  of  service  expired  in  August,  1861, 
and  our  subject  returned  home  and  remained 
till  August  12,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany n.  Eightieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry. 
Capt.  James  Cunningham,  Col.  Thomas  G.  Al- 
len, our  subject  being  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  afterward  First 
Lieutenant.  He  remained  in  the  service  till 
June,  1865,  when  thej-  were  mustered  out.  He 
participated  in  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  en- 
gagements. Was  at  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  but 
after  that  was  no  longer  with  Sherman,  but  re- 
mained under  Gen.  Thomas,  and  was  at  the 
battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tenn.,  etc. 
Since  returning  from  the  service,  he    has  been 


84 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


engaged  in  farming.  December  28,  1865,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Jlollie  T.  Ellis.  She  was 
born  in  Fayette  Count}-.  Ind.,  daughter  of  Les- 
ter and  Sall>-  E.  p]llis,  natives  of  New  York 
State.  Both  died  in  this  count}-,  he  June  26, 
1868,  she  July  8,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  have 
six  children,  viz.:  Carrie  M.,  Lester  E.,  Maud 
B.,  Silas  A.,  Theodore  B.  and  Louie  B.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  ac- 
tive part  to  secure  the  success  of  his  party. 
The  Cunningham  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent, the  grandfather  of  our  subject  coming  to 
the  United  States  when  about  eight  years  of 
age. 

J.  M.  B.  GASTON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dix.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Randolph 
County,  111.,  March  22,  1824,  son  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Couch)  Gaston,  both  natives  of 
South  Carolina.  She  was  born  in  April,  1803, 
and  her  parents  removed  from  South  Carolina 
to  Tennessee  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
About  1806,  her  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth 
(McBride)  Couch,  came  to  Illinois  and  died 
here  at  advanced  ages.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject removed  to  Kentucky  previous  to  the  war 
of  1812,  and  enlisted  in  that  war  from  the  vi- 
cinity of  Hopkinsville,  Ky.  Some  time  after 
the  close  of  the  war,  he  settled  in  Indiana,  and 
it  was  there  that  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
his  first  wife,  Jane  McMilliu.  By  her  he  had 
a  family  of  five  children,  none  of  whom  now 
survive.  He  was  married  to  the  mother  of  our 
subject  in  Randolph  County,  III.,  and  by  her 
had  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living,  our  subject  being  the  eldest. 
He  died  September  21,  1869,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years  six  months  and  some  days. 
He  was  a  son  of  William  Gaston,  who  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  as  were  many  other 
members  of  the  Gaston  family  of  South  Caro- 
lina. The  Gaston  family  is  of  French  descent, 
and  several  generations  ago  were  banished 
from  France  on  account  of  religious  belief 
Our    subject   was    mostly  reared    in    Marion  ! 


County,  where  his  parents  moved  when  he  was 
small,  but  his  education  was  obtained  across 
the  line  in  Jefferson  County.  His  leading  oc- 
cupation in  life  has  been  that  of  farming,  but 
for  some  months  worked  at  coopering,  and  also 
about  five  years  at  the  blacksmith  trade.  For 
seventeen  months  has  served  in  the  Mexican 
war,  being  under  Gen.  Price  in  New  Mexico. 
In  1851,  he  came  to  Rome  Township,  and  in 
1856,  to  his  present  farm,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  except  three  years  during  the  late  re- 
bellion. In  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Twenty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Col.  Dougherty,  and  was  out  for  three  years, 
but  at  the  battle  of  Belmont,  Mo.,  he  was  so 
severe!}'  wounded  that  he  was  unable  for  fur- 
ther active  duty.  Mr.  Gaston  has  twice  been 
married,  first  to  Miss  Mary  Storment,  in  Marion 
County,  111.,  February  5,  1852.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Storment,  and  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.  She  died  September  28, 1866, 
aged  thirty-six  years  eight  months  twenty  days, 
and  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  one  now 
living,  viz.:  Margaret  E.,  wife  of  W.  H.Michael. 
September  12,  1867,  he  was  married  to  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Mrs.  Nancy  J.  (Hill)  Creel,  widow  of 
DeWitt  Creel,  and  daughter  of  William  Hill, 
who  came  to  Illinois  in  1803,  landing  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Kaskaskia  on  Christmas  Day.  By  her 
first  husband  Mrs.  G.  has  two  sons  living,  viz.: 
James  M.  and  William  D.  One  sou  by  her  pres- 
ent husband,  viz.,  John  H.,  deceased.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gaston  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

H.  H.  HUTCHISON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dix, 
was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  June  24, 
1840,  to  William  and  Jane  (Williams)  Hutchi- 
son. They  were  both  natives  of  South  Carolina, 
and  moved  to  Tennessee  after  marriage,  aud  in 
about  1845  to  this  county,  where  they  remained 
till  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children,  twelve  of  whom  still  survive;  of  their 
descendants  now  living  there  are  about  200. 
From  early  life,  our  subject  was  reared  in  this 


ROME  TOWNSHIP. 


85 


county,  and  received  such  an  education  as  the 
common  schools  afforded,  and  afterward  at- 
tended the  college  at  Lebanon,  Tenn.,  for  one 
year.  He  then  remained  in  the  South  for  six 
years  longer,  engaged  in  teaching,  with  excel- 
lent results.  Since  returning  North,  he  has 
still  been  engaged  in  teaching  to  some  ex- 
tent, having  taught  in  all  eighteen  sessions  of 
school.  August  21,  1875,  he  started  into  the 
mercantile  business  in  Rome,  but  in  latter  part 
of  1876  traded  the  store  to  Mr.  R.  F.  Casey  for 
his  present  farm,  on  which  he  has  since  been 
actively  engaged  as  a  successful  agriculturist. 
His  farm  contains  100  acres.  February  25, 
1877,  he  was  married  in  this  county  to  Miss  Min- 
nie F.  Davis,  born  in  Centralia,  and  daughter  of 
George  Davis,  now  a  resident  of  Rome.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hutchison  iiave  three  children,  and 
one  dead,  viz.:  Mary  Ethel,  Maud  Eltha  and 
Mona  Esther,  and  an  infant  deceased.  He  is  a 
member  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Rome  Lodge,  No. 
721.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

B.  P.  MAXFIELD,  retired  farmer,  P.  0.  Dix, 
was  born  in  Overton  County,  Tenn.,  July  17, 
1818,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Car- 
penter) Maxfield.  She  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
he  of  Tennessee.  In  1825,  they  removed  from 
Tennessee  to  Indiana,  and  in  1829  to  Sangamon 
County,  111.,  where  the}'  remained  till  1831 ;  then 
to  Effingham  County,  111.,  and  made  that  their 
home  for  ten  years,  when  they  located  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.,  and  he  died  there.  His  occupation 
was  that  of  farming.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  seven  of  whom  reached  maturity. 
Of  tlie  number,  but  four  are  now  living,  viz.,  B. 
1'.,  Seth,  John  and  Mrs.  Rhoda  Finch.  In  1846, 
our  subject  came  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  and 
has  resided  here  since.  His  mother,  who  also 
came,  died  in  the  county.  Until  1858,  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  then  embarked  in  the 
milling  business  at  Rome,  and  continued  in  the 
same  till  1865,  when  he  again  went  to  farming, 
and  has  made  that  his  business  since.  Now, 
however,  he  ha3  retired  from  active  life.     Mr. 


Maxfield  has  been  very  successful  in  business, 
and  has  done  a  good  part  by  his  children.  His 
farm  now  contains  ninet}-  acres  adjoining 
the  vilLige  of  Rome.  November  15,  1840i 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucinda  Galloway. 
She  was  born  in  Kentucky  November  15,  1817, 
daughter  of  Adam  and  Sarah  (Lock)  Galloway. 
In  1818,  they  moved  to  Edwards  County,  111., 
but  afterward  to  Sangamon  County,  where  he 
died.  She  died  in  Jackson  County.  They  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  nine  reaching 
maturity,  but  three  now  surviving — Mrs.  Max- 
field, Mrs.  Sarah  Flowers  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  D. 
Stac}-.  Both  the  fathers  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max- 
field served  in  the  war  of  1812,  under  Jackson. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxfield  six  children  were  born, 
three  now  living,  viz.,  Sarah,  wife  of  Matthew 
Tilford,  and  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Robert  White, 
both  of  this  township,  and  one  son,  Hiram,  now 
a  resident  of  Effingham  Countj-.  For  over 
thirty  years,  Mr.  M.  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  church 
his  wife  is  also  a  member.  In  polities,  he  is 
Republican. 

WILLIAM  A.  McMillan,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Walnut  Hill,  was  born  iu  Perry  County,  111., 
May  3,  1853,  to  James  and  Jane  (Cunningham) 
McMillan.  They  were  both  natives  of  North 
Carolina,  and  of  Irish  descent.  His  occupation 
was  that  of  a  farmer.  Both  died  in  Perry 
Countj',  111.  Of  their  children,  six  are  still  liv- 
ing, our  subject  being  the  youngest.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Perry  Couuty,  111.,  Init 
was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age.  his  mother 
dying  when  he  was  but  four  years  of  age,  and 
his  father  about  four  years  later.  When  our 
subject  was  seventeen  j'ears  of  age  he  started 
in  life  upon  his  own  account.  Ho  was  married 
August  23,  1870,  to  Miss  Martha  J.Brown; 
she  was  born  in  Perry  County  also;  daughter 
of  Andrew  and  Margaret  L.  (Brown)  Brown, 
both  natives  of  South  Carolina,  and  neither  now 
surviving.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMillan  have  one 
child  dead  and  four  living,  viz.;   Ira  Delbert, 


86 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


born  in  1874,  died  July  1,  1875,  at  about  four- 
teen months  of  age;  Minnie  L.,  born  March  17, 
1876;  Cora  L.,  born  February  14, 1878;  Charles 
B.,  born  July  29,  1880;  Frederick,  born  May  4, 
1883.  In  politics,  he  is  Republican.  Mrs. 
McMiUan  is  a  member  of  United  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  starting  in  life  for  themselves,  Mr. 
McMillan  had  about  $700  in  money  and  his 
wife  100  acres  of  timber  land.  Their  farm 
now  contains  93  acres  of  well-improved  land. 
They  came  to  this  county,  to  their  present 
home,  in  1876. 

NEWTON  MILBURN,    farmer,  P.    0.  Dix, 
was  born   in    Rome    Township    September    9, 
1855,  and  is  the  son  of  Hiram  Milburn.     Our 
subject  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  and  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  of  the  county. 
May  25,  1876,  he  was  married  in  this  county  to 
Miss  Mary  Douthet,  born  in  Franklin  County, 
111.,  in  1858,  daughter  of  Campbell  and  Betsie 
(Fox)  Douthet.     Mr.  and    Mrs.  Milburn    have 
tln-ee  children,  viz.,  Lucy  J.,  Hattie  and  Mary 
A.     Our  subject  lias  made  farming  and  stock- 
dealing  his  occupation,  and  in  his  chosen  pro- 
fession has  been  very  successful  by  close  atten- 
tion  to   business.      Soon    after    marriage,    he 
moved  to  his  present  farm,  which  contains  140 
acres  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.     Most  of  his 
attention  is  given  to  buying  young  stock  and 
keeping  it  till  he  can  realize  a  handsome  profit 
through  its  growth.     His  father,  Hiram   Mil- 
burn,  was  born  in  Indiana  January  23,  1816,  to 
Robert  and  Nancy  Milburn.     Both  had  come  to 
Indiana    at    an  early  date,  and    were  married 
there  in  1812.     By  trade,  he  was  a  hatter,  but 
for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  milling  bus- 
iness, and  was  one  of  a  company  who  erected  a 
steam  flouring  mill  at  Princeton,  Ind.,  the  first 
built  in  Southern  Indiana.     He  was  an  old  sol- 
dier, having  served  with  Gen.  Harrison  at  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe.     He  was  the  father  of  a 
large  family  of  children,  five  of  whom  still  sur- 
vive.    Our   subject,  Hiram   Milburn,  came  to 
Illinois  in  1839,  but  settled  in  Marion  County, 


where  he  remained  until  1854,  when  he  came  to 
his  present  farm,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
June  11,  1836,  he  was  married  near  Evansville, 
Ind.,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  McCoy,  who  was  born 
July  24,  1819.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  the  following-named  children:  Mrs.  Rose 
McWilliams,  Mrs  Mary  E.  Casey,  Mrs.  Maliuda 
W.  Meyers,  Mrs.  Louisa  M.  Free,  Thomas  N. 
and  William  A.;  also  two  sons  deceased,  one 
dying  while  young,  the  other,  Robert,  in  1866, 
from  disease  contracted  while  in  the  four  years' 
service  of  his  country.  Mr.  Milburn  is  associat- 
ed with  the  Republican  party  in  political  mat- 
ters, but  takes  no  active  part  in  political  life. 

JOHN  SANDERS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Walnut 
Hill,  was  born  in  Marion  Countj',  III.,  February 
22,  1835,  to  John  and  Sarah  (Copple)  San- 
ders. He  was  born  in  North  Carolina;  she  in 
Indiana.  His  parents  moved  to  Indiana  when 
he  was  about  eighteen  months  of  age,  and  it  was 
there  he  was  reared  and  educated,  and  died 
about  July  6,  1875.  She  is  still  living.  To 
them  nine  children  were  born,  five  of  whom 
still  survive,  viz.;  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  John, 
Charies  and  Isaac.  In  1857,  our  subject  came 
to  this  countj  and  settled  on  his  present  farm, 
which  contains  280  acres  of  land.  He  was 
married  in  Indiana,  in  1854,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Cook,  who  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Ind., 
daughter  of  Absalom  Cook.  Their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  nine  children  living,  viz.: 
Thomas,  William  R.,  John  A.,  Absalom,  Cena, 
Samuel,  Charles,  Ira  and  Edward;  also  three 
dead.  Mr.  Sanders  has  been  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  this  township,  but  his  success 
in  life  has  been  made  through  his  own  energy. 
From  April  7,  1865,  till  July  29,  1865,  he  was 
in  the  army,  and  served  in  Company  H,  Fifty- 
third  Illinois  Infantry.  He  is  a  member  of 
Walnut  Hill  Lodge,  I."  0.  0.  F.,  No.  710.  In 
politics,  he  is  Greenbacker.  For  over  thirty- 
one  years  he  and  wife  have  been  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church. 

JOHN  TELFORD,   farmer,   P.    0.   Walnut 


DODDS  TOWNSHIP. 


87 


Hill,  Marion  County.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  in  South  Carolina  September 
17,  1824,  to  Joseph  and  Martha  (Craven)  Tel- 
ford. He  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  born 
in  1791;  she  of  Virginia,  born  1798.  In  June, 
1831,  the}-  moved  from  South  Carolina  to  Illi- 
nois, bringing  a  family  of  five  children.  They 
settled  in  Marion  County,  but  the  farm  lay  parti}- 
in  Marion  and  partly  in  Jetferson  County.  At 
the  time  of  his  death,  September  7,  1850,  he 
had  326  acres  of  land.  She  died  in  1877. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Only  two  of  the  family  dead;  the 
remainder  are  living  in  this  and  Marion  County. 
In  politics,  he  was  a  Whig,  then  Republican, 
and  in  religion  was  connected  with  the  Associ- 
ate Reformed  Church.  Our  subject  was  reared 
on  the  farm  in  Marion  County,  and  attended 
the  schools  in  Marion  and  Jefferson  Counties. 
The  first  year  after  embarking  in  life  for  him- 
self, he  lived  out  as  a  farm  hand.  February  1, 
he  began  the  improvement  of  his  present  home- 
stead, then  having  40  acres  of  land  given  to 
him  by  his  fatlier.  His  farm  now  contains 
286  acres,  besides  a  farm  owned  by  his  wife. 
He  has  also  deeded  40  acres  to  each  of  his 
three  children.  April  27,  1848,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Boggs,  sister  of  William 
Boggs,    whose    sketch  appears   in    this    work. 


This  union  has  been  blessed  with  the  three 
following-named  children:  .Julia  A.,  wife  of 
William  L.  Boles;  Joseph  C.  and  Charles  R. 
He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian Church.  In  politics,  he  is  associated 
with  the  Greenback  party. 

B.  F.  WIMBERLY,  farmer,  P.  0.  Dix,  was 
born  in  this  county  June  25,  1843;  is  the  son  of 
Elijah  and  Maria  (HoUin)  Wimberly.  She  was 
anativeof  Virginia,  he  of  Tennessee.  The}' came 
to  this  county  at  an  early  date,  and  died  here. 
They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  of 
whom  four  sons  and  two  daughters  are  still  liv- 
ing. Our  subject's  early  life  was  spent  in  till- 
ing the  soil,  and  with  but  little  advantage  for  a 
school  education.  When  reaching  bis  majority, 
he  embarked  in  life  for  himself,  and  has  through 
his  own  exertions  been  very  successful.  Most 
of  his  life  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming,  but 
for  eighteen  months  was  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Rome.  He  now,  however,  is  active- 
ly engaged  in  making  his  present  farm  of  160 
acres  a  complete  success.  In  1865,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Sally  Walls.  She  was  born  in 
Marion  County,  111.,  daughter  of  Henry  Walls. 
Five  children  are  the  result  of  this  union, 
viz.:  Alonzo,  Emma,  Robert,  Clarence  and 
Cora.  In  politics,  his  views  coincide  with  those 
of  the  Democrat  party. 


DODDS    TOWNSHIP. 


JOHN  H.  ARNOLD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  October  2,  1846,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  to  which  his  father,  John  Arnold, 
came  in  1827,  with  his  father,  Steven  Arnold,  j 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  his  wife,  I 
Elizabeth  Arnold,  coming  from  Tennessee. 
John  Arnold  died  October  10,  1878,  in  this 
county.     The  mother  of  our  subject,  Elizabeth 


W.,  born  .January  28,  1812,  in  Tennessee,  was 
a  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Mary  McBrian,  na- 
tives of  Virginia,  and  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
I  dren,  of  whom  four  are  now  living,  viz.:  Steven 
!  W.,  John  H.,  Martha  T.  and  Elizabeth  A. 
Prior  L.  and  William  J.  died  while  in  the  Unit- 
ed States  Army  in  our  late  war.  The  former 
died  January    29,    1863,    and  the  latter   died 


88 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


March  29.  1863.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
his  home  district,  and  has  carried  on  the  farm 
of  260  acres.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

C.  N.  BAUGH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount  Vernon, 
was  born  November  19,  1840,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  son  of  John  Baugh,  a  native  of 
Lookingglass  Prairie,  111.;  he  died  in  Texas  in 
1881.  His  father,  John,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  mother  of  our  subject,  Elizabeth 
Bruce,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  but  reared  in  this 
conuty.  She  is  yet  living  in  Texas  and  the 
mother  of  eight  children  now  living  Our  sub- 
ject served  in  the  United  States  Army  during 
our  late  war,  in  the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Company  D  ;  he  was  a  blacksmith  a 
part  of  the  time,  but  was  also  in  many  battles, 
being  wounded  twice,  and  receives  a  pension. 
His  wife,  Sarilda  Houser,  a  native  of  Union 
County,  111.,  born*  October  13,  1846,  is  the 
mother  of  six  children,  viz.:  May  B.,  Viola  R., 
Luella  R.,  Millard  A.,  John  E.  and  Scott  I.  He 
has  a  farm  of  120  acres,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Greenbacker. 

PHILLIP  BRESACHER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt. 
Vernon,  was  born  July  13,  1833,  in  Alsace, 
France,  but  which  now  belongs  to  Germany. 
His  father,  John  Bresacher,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  place  ;  he  was  a  farmer  also.  He  came  to 
the  United  States  when  our  subject  was  only 
four  years  old.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
of  Germany  also.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven 
boys.  Of  the  boys  only  two  are  now  living,  viz., 
Henry  Bresacher  and  our  subject,  who  received 
his  education  in  Centreville,  St.  Clair  Co.,  111., 
where  he  was  also  married  March  12,  1856,  to 
Miss  Louisa  Schramm,  born  April  9.  1834,  in 
Saxony,  Germany,  daughter  of  Michael  and 
Elizabeth  (Hugch)  Schramm,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. This  union  was  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living,  viz.:  August,  born 
December  2, 1867  ;  Clara,  born  August  12, 1869  ; 
Sophia,  born  April  17,  1871  ;  Pena,  born  Jan- 
uary 6,  1874  ;  Louisa,  born  September  14, 1877  ; 
Phillip,  born  November  14, 1879,  and  Lawrence, 


born  June  18,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bresacher 
are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Church.  Our 
subject  has  a  farm  of  240  acres,  and  in  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  lived 
amouG;  the  Indians  for  quite  awhile,  and  were 
treated  nicely  all  the  time.  He  came  to  this 
county  in  February  of  1879. 

WILLIAM  S.  BUMPUS,  Jr.,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mount  Vernon,  was  born  May  22,  1837,  in  Han- 
over County,  Va.  His  father,  William  S.  Bum- 
pus,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  He  was 
also  a  farmer,  and  had  also  served  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  house-carpenter  trade,  in  Old 
Virginia.  He  moved  to  Kentucky  in  1838,  and 
there  our  subject  was  reared  and  schooled.  He 
came  to  this  county  about  fourteen  years  ago, 
and  is  yet  living.  His  father,  Evan  Bumpus, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Charlotte  Buckner,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  the  mother  of  six  children.  Our 
subject  was  joined  in  matrimony,  in  Butler 
County,  Ky.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sharer,  born 
December  24,  1837,  in  Butler  County,  Ky. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Rosa  Ann 
Sharer,  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  This  union 
resulted  in  seven  children,  now  living,  viz.: 
Charles  H.,  born  October  27,  1858;  Eugenia  C, 
born  July  31,  1860;  William,  born  September 
25,  1864:  Theodore,  born  December  28,  1869; 
Millard,  born  November  9,  1871;  Edgar,  born 
December  26,  1874;  Alpheus,  born  October 
21,  1877.  Mr.  Bumpus  is  a  member  of  the 
A.,  P.  &  A.  M.,  Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31; 
and  1. 0.  0.  F.,  Williams  Lodge,  No.  242;  also  a 
member  of  the  Encampment.  He  has  a  farm  of 
240  acres,  and  came  to  this  count}-  in  1856. 
He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  four  years; 
was  re-elected  aud  resigned.  He  then  was  Su- 
pervisor, being  the  first  in  the  township;  served 
three  years;  then  was  Collector  three  years,  and 
is  now  Township  Supervisor.  In  politics,  he  is 
identified  with  no  particular  party. 

A.  D.  COWGER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount  Ver- 
non, was    born    August    13,   1825,   in   Wilson 


DODDS  TOWNSHIP. 


89 


County,  Tenn..  son  of  Adam  Cowger,  a  native 
of  Penus^'lvauia,  a  farmer  and  blacksmith;  he 
died  in  Tennessee.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Keziah  Davis  Cowger,  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
and  died  in  Tennessee.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Isum  Davis,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the 
parent  of  ten  children,  of  whom  onl}'  Ann  E. 
F.  Walker,  Jacob  Cowger,  of  Texas,  and  Mar- 
tha P.  Watson  are  now  living.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived no  education  at  all,  in  early  life.  He 
came  to  Jefferson  County  about  1856,  and  here 
he  has  now  a  farm  of  1 20  acres  of  land.  He  is 
self-made,  and  in  political  affairs  is  connected 
wjth  the  Democratic  part^-.  His  first  wife, 
Martha  C.  McConnell,  was  the  mother  of  Mary 
Luster,  now  living.  His  second  wife,  Elizabeth 
Hunt,  is  the  mother  of  three  children  now  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Ida  Luster,  Benjamin  E.  Cowger,  now 
in  Texas,  aud  Electra  Sursa.  His  present  wife, 
Vermont  Gorham,  is  a  Kentuckian,  born  July 
2,  1848.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  S.  and 
Mary  (Cooper)  Gorham.  She  is  the  mother  of 
six  children,  viz.:  Rado,  Walter  J.,  Minnie  M., 
Clara,  living,  and  two  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cowger  are  connected  with  the  United  Baptist 
Church. 

ADAM  CULLI,  Jr.,  farmer,  P.O.  Mt.  Vernon, 
was  born  October  17,  1856,  in  St.  Clair  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  son  of  Adam  Culli,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Al- 
sace. France,  a  mason  by  occupation  in  the  old 
country,  but  who  follows  farming  in  St.  Clair 
County,  111.  His  father,  Christian  Culli,  was 
also  a  native  of  France,  a  tailor  b}-  occupation, 
and  now  living  in  St.  Clair  Count}-,  aged  nine- 
ty-two years.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Christine  Baker,  a  native  of  France,  is  yet 
living,  and  the  mother  of  five  children,  viz., 
Adam  (our  subject),  Phillip,  Christian,  Leon- 
hard,  and  Albert  (deceased).  Our  subject  was 
educated'  in  St.  Clair  County,  where  he  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  May  18,  1880.  to  Miss 
Eva  Dintelman,  born  July  24,  1860,  in  St. 
Clair  County.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Sophia   (Miller)  Dintelman.     This   union    was 


blessed  with  one  child,  Adam  E.,  born  !March 
18,  1881.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culli  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  He  has  a  farm  of  320 
acres  of  good  land,  with  good  buildings.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

LAWRENCE  CUNIO,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  October  13, 1832,  near  Genoa, 
Italy.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Cunio,  also  a 
native  of  Italj-,  where  he  was  a  mason  bv  oc- 
cupation. The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Isa- 
belle  Cunio,  also  a  native  of  Italy.  She  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  of  whom  John 
B.,  Juana  and  Lawrence  are  now  living.  Our 
subject  never  went  to  school  in  his  life,  but 
while  in  the  United  States  Army  obtained  the 
rudiments  of  an  education.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  November,  1855,  landing  in  Boston. 
He  came  to  this  county  in  1859.  In  March, 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-ninth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  Company  K,  paying  his  own  way 
to  his  regiment,  which  was  stationed  near 
Memphis.  He  served  till  the  close  of  the  war, 
participating  in  manj'  thrilling  scenes  and  fa- 
mous battles,  viz..  Pea  Ridge,  Fort  Jerusha, 
La.,  on  the  Red  River,  Alexander,  Pleasant 
Hill,  and  other  engagements.  After  the  war, 
he  returned  to  Jefferson  County,  where  he  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Parthenia  Maneas,  born  Jan- 
uary 19,  1843,  on  Wolf  Prairie,  Jefferson 
County,  daughter  of  Barton  and  Dorothy  (Car- 
ter) Wells,  of  Tennessee.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  five  children,  viz.,  Ch.'irles  A.,  born 
September  9,  1866  ;  Laura  B.,  December  15, 
1868  ;  Plummer  E.  and  Etta  May,  twins,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1873  ;  and  Johnny,  October  31,  1875. 
Mr.  Cunio  has  a  farm  of  150  acres,  and  in 
politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican 
party. 

JOHN  DOWNER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  March  27,  1834,  in 
Jefferson  County,  111.,  on  Moore's  Prairie. 
His  father.  John  Downer,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
New  Hampshire  in  1802.  He  is  yet  living 
in  this  county,  to  which  he  came  in  an  early 


90 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


day.     He  was  a  farmer  and  teacher  by  occu- 
pation, being  one   of  tlie  first   teachers,    and 
also  one  of  the    first   to   organize    a   Sunday 
school.     His  father,  Silas  Downer,  was  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire.     The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, Sarah  Neal.  was  born  in  Vermont ;    she 
died  in  this  county.     She  was  a  daughter  of 
Walter  Neal,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  was  the  j 
mother  of  nine  children.     Our  subject  went  to  \ 
the  schools  in  this  county  before  the  free-school  ' 
s3-stem.     He   has    been    a  farmer  all  his  life, 
owning  now  a  farm  of  130  acres.     Our  subject 
was  married  in  this  county  to  Sarah  F.  Brad- 
ley, born  August  13,  1834,  in    Oiiio.  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Van  Cleve)  Bradley,  he  a 
native  of  Delaware  and  she  a  native  of  New 
York.      Mrs.    Downer   is  the  mother  of   nine 
children,   viz.  ;    Mary  and  Martha,   deceased  ; 
Oscar   M.,    who   married    Anna   Maltby  ;    0. 
O.,    Amy    B.,    Lydia     M.,    Willie    B.,    John 
F.   and    Eunice.      Mr.  and   Mrs.    Downer   are 
religiously  connected  with  the  M.  E.  Church. 
In  politics  he  has  been  Democratic,  but  during 
the   last  few  j'ears  he  has   been  rather  inde- 
pendent.    Mr.  Downer  has  been  the  Collector 
for  three  years,  and  is  now  the   School  Treas- 
urer. 

JOHN  W.  ESTES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  January  4,  1837,  son  of 
James  Estes,  born  1809,  in  Tennessee,  a  farmer, 
who  came  to  this  county  when  a  young  man, 
and  died  here  in  1872  ;  his  father,  Absalom 
Estes,  died  here  also.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject. Temperance  (McBrian)  Estes,  came  from 
Middle  Tennessee.  She  died  in  1871.  leaving 
three  children,  viz.  ;  John  W.,  Mary  C.  Daven- 
port, deceased,  and  James  A.  Our  subject  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  in  this  town- 
ship, and  here  he  married  Miss  Susannah  B. 
Lynch,  born  November  17,  1838,  in  Jackson 
County,  111.,  daughter  of  Marmaduke  B.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Wolsey)  Lynch,  natives  of  Tennessee. 
Six  children  now  living  are  the  result  of  this 
happy  union — Rosella  F.  Jones,  born  October 


27,  1858  ;  Anna  E.,  born  December  11,  1860; 
James  M.  W.,  born  December  19,  1862  ;  John 
E.  L.,  born  November  18.  1864  ;  George  E., 
born  April  7,  1869  ;  Charles  R.,  born  August 
16,  1871.  Our  subject  served  in  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-second  New  York  Regiment,  and 
also  the  Fiftieth  Illinois  Regiment ;  served  till 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  has  a  farm  here  of 
eighty  acres.  He  was  the  first  Constable,  was 
also  Township  Clerk  and  Assessor.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  an  Anti-monopolist  man. 

ISAAC  GARRISON,  farmer,  P.  0.   Mount 
Vernon.     This  gentleman  is  one  of  that  good 
old  class  of  settlers  who  have  made  their  way 
in  the  world  amid  privations  and  hardships  that 
would  discourage  the  most  of  our  young  peo- 
ple of  the  present  day.     He  started  with  noth- 
ing, and  is  to-day  classed  among  our  well-to-do 
farmers.     He  was  born  January  16,  1814,  in 
Smith  County.  Tenn..     His  father,  David  Gar- 
rison, who  is  well  known  to  the  old  pioneers  as 
the  owner  of  a  horse  mill  east  of  Mount  Vernon, 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  his  father, 
Moses  Garrison,  was  also  a  native  of  that  State. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Elizabeth  (Newby) 
Garrison,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.     She  and 
her  husband  died  in  this  county.     She  was  the 
mother  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  four  were 
twins.     Of  the  children,  only  three  are  living, 
viz.:  Rebecca  Bridges,  Mary  Vaughn  and  our 
subject,  who  helped  his  father  in  his  early  life 
a  great  deal,  and  whose  earl}'  career  is  remark- 
able for  his  privations,  perseverance  and  final 
success.     He  never  went  to  school,  but  learned 
to  read  and  write  from  his  first  wife,  Margaret 
Elder,  who  was  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
viz,:  William  C.  James  W.,  Elizabeth  Ackerson 
!  and  Rebecca  Jones,  living,  and  Dr.  David  Gar- 
rison, Nancy  and  Azariah,  deceased.     His  sec- 
1  ond  wife  was  Mrs.  Margaret  Davis,  daughter  of 
James   Murry.  and  the  mother   of  Laura  and 
Mary  Jackson,  both  deceased.     His  third  wife 
was    Mrs.    Elmyra  Estes,  daughter  of  Henry 
Goodridge,  and  the  mother  of  Isaac  Newton, 


DODDS  TOWNSHIP. 


91 


deceased.  Our  subject's  present  wife  was 
Mrs.  Mar}'  A.  Beasley,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (McFall)  Clark,  both  natives  of  Virginia. 
Mrs.  Garrison  was  born  December  23,  1826,  in 
Smith  County,  Tenn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrison 
are  connected  with  the  Baptist  Church.  He 
has  now  nearly  600  acres  of  good  land,  which, 
though  he  is  almost  seventy  3'ears  old,  he  over- 
sees. He  is  now  a  well-to-do  man,  and  has 
helped  all  his  children  in  life,  who  are  all  well 
to  do.  In  politics,  he  has  been  a  Democrat. 
He  has  split  rails  for  25  cents  per  hundred,  and 
worked  for  $8  per  month,  being  hired  out  by 
his  father,  whom  he  had  helped  a  great  deal  in 
after  life.  He  came  here  lirst  in  1830,  and  af- 
ter one  year  he  went  to  Gallatin  Count}',  111., 
where  he  first  worked  the  farm  of  his  uncle,  and 
lived  in  the  county  twenty  years,  returning  to 
this  county  in  1853.  While  in  Gallatin  Coun- 
ty, he  was  Captain  of  the  militia  for  seven 
years. 

WILLIAM  C.  GARRISON,  farmer,  P.  0. 
Mount  Vernon.  This  gentleman,  who  may 
properly  be  classed  among  our  thriftiest  and 
well-to-do  farmers  who  are  mainly  self-made 
men,  without  whom  no  count}'  can  be  properly 
developed,  and  who  are  the  main  stays  in  all 
moral,  financial  and  religious  matters,  was  born 
September  7,  1834,  in  Saline  County,  111.  His 
father,  Isaac  Garrison,  was  born  January  16, 
1 814,  in  Smith  County,  Tenn.  He  is  yet  a  farm- 
er in  this  county,  to  which  he  came  in  1829; 
his  father,  David  Garrison,  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
Southern  Illinois,  but  is  principally  self-educat- 
ed. He  came  here  with  his  father,  and  has 
been  identified  with  the  county  ever  since,  fol 
lowing  farming  mainly.  In  1862,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Deputy  Sheriff  by  Sheriff  J.  B.  Good- 
rich, serving  two  years.  He  filled  the  oflSces  of 
Township  Assessor  and  Supervisor  twice,  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people.  He  has  a 
farm  of  220  acres  with  good  improvements  and 
well  watered.     In  politics,  he  was  formerly  con- 


nected with  the  Democratic  party,  but  of  late 
years  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Greenback 
and  Republican  parties.  Our  subject  was 
joined  in  matrimony,  April  26,  1866,  in  this 
county,  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Noel,  born  February 
23,  1839,  in  Gallatin  County,  111.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Hannah  (Pollard)  Mills, 
he  a  native  of  New  York,  she  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England,  and  yet  living,  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garrison  have 
been  blessed  with  four  children,  viz.:  Jennie, 
born  July  4,  1867;  William  E.,  born  February 
3,  1870;  John  C,  born  December  15,  1871; 
James  E.,  born  June  5,  1874  ;  and  she  is  also 
mother  of  Johnctte  Noel,  born  April  11,  1858, 
daughter  of  her  first  husband,  John  Noel.  Mrs. 
Garrison  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

J.  W.  GARRISON,  ftirmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  June  21,  1839,  in  Saline 
County,  III,  son  of  Isaac  and  Margaret  Garri- 
son, old  settlers,  who  are  mentioned  elsewhere. 
Our  subject  went  to  school  in  our  old-fashioned 
subscription  schools  in  Southern  Illinois.  He 
came  to  this  county  with  his  parents,  and  has 
been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  now  owns  310 
acres  of  land  in  this  county.  In  1862,  he 
joined  the  army,  enlisting  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  Com- 
pany G  ;  he  served  till  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  participated  in  different  engagements,  and 
after  the  war  again  went  to  farming.  He  was 
married  twice.  His  first  wife,  Nancy  J.  Vaughn, 
was  born  and  died  in  this  county ;  his  second 
wife,  Lydia  Hughes,  was  born  August  8,  1850, 
in  Athens  County,  Ohio.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Cyrus  S.  and  Louisa  E.  (Dye)  Hughes,  and  is 
the  mother  of  four  children,  viz.,  Louisa  May, 
born  September  23,  187^;  Ora  E.,  July  17, 
1878;  Cyrus  I.,  February  23,  1880  ;  and  Lee 
Ann,  February  4,  1882.  Our  subject  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Greenback  party,  favoring  the 
anti-monopoly  movement. 

SAMUEL   GIBSON,  farmer,   P.   O.   Mount 


92 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Vernon,  was    bora   October   23,  1827,  in   the 
southeastern   part  of  Ohio,  son  of  James  Gib- 
son, a  native  of  County  Tyrone,  Ireland.  James 
was  a  farmer,  and   came  to  this  county  before 
the  war,  and  died   here.     His   father,  Thomas 
Gibson,  was    also  a   native    of    Ireland.     The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Mary  (Gourley)  Gibson, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  died  in  this  coun- 
ty.    She  was   the   mother   of  eight  children. 
Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon  schools  of  Ohio,  but  is  mainly  self-edu- 
cated, especially  in  latter  years.     He   learned 
the  blacksmith  trade  in  Zanesville,  Ohio.     In 
1849,   he   came  to   this  county,  following   his 
trade  in  Mount  Vernon  when  it  was   a   small 
village  ;  in  1854,  he  bought  160  acres  of  land, 
farmed  on  it  several  years,  and  then  returned 
to  Mount  Vernon.     In  1861,  he  again   moved 
on  to  his  farm,  and  the  next  year  entered  the 
armv  as  First  Lieutenant  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers,  Com- 
pany G  ;  the  following  year  he  resigned  on  ac- 
count of  sickness.     Since  then  he  has  farmed, 
and  served  the  people  in   the  capacity  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  about  twelve  years,  filling 
the  office  to  the  present  day.     He   has   also 
filled  minor  offices,  and  in  politics  is  independ- 
ent, voting  for  the  best  man.     He  has  now  460 
acres   of  land    in  this   county,    besides    town 
property.      He   was   married,    November    30, 
1851,  in  Mount  Vernon,  to  Miss  Angeline  New- 
by,   born    July  10,  1835,  in  Illinois,  daughter 
of  Hezekiah  B.  and  Nancy  (Brown)  Newby.old 
settlers,  and  highly    respected   people.      This 
union  resulted  in  ten  children  now  living — Au- 
gustus, Mary   I.,  John  E.,  Oscar   N.,  Thomas 
0.,  Adela.  William   E.,   Samuel  A..  Nancy   E. 
and  Walter.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibson   are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he 
is  an  Elder  ;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  I.  0. 
O.  F.,  Marion  Lodge,  No.  13,  Mount  Vernon,  111. 
JOHN   A.  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon.  This  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  our  most 
energetic  and  enterprising  farmers,  is  well  de- 


serving a  place  in  the  history  of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty. He  was  born  April  19,  1842,  in  Tennessee. 
He  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  when  he 
was  quite  young.  He  has  been  a  tiller  of  the 
soil  all  his  life,  and  now  owns  about  300  acres 
of  land  in  this  township.  He  was  joined  in  mat- 
rimony to  Miss  Margaret  C.  Daniel,  born  Novem- 
ber 16.  1846,  in  this  county.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Emeline  (Scott)  Daniel,  natives 
of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Johnson  is  well  worthy 
the  esteem  and  confidence  with  which  she  is  re- 
garded everywhere.  She  is  the  mother  of  six 
children,  viz.:  Lillian  Z.,  Vernadell,  Laura  B., 
A.  Floyd,  Gustavus  and  Virgil.  Mr.  Johnson 
is  no  aspirant  for  public  office  and  in  political 
matters  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

JAMES  WILLIAM  LINDSEY,  engineer, 
Opdj'ke.  This  gentleman  is  a  native  of  Ross 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  December  29, 
1831,  son  of  Abraham  Lindsey.  a  native  of 
Ohio.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Nancy  Ban- 
nOn  Lindsey,  was  a  native  of  Delaware,  and 
the  mother  of  one  son,  our  subject,  who  was 
educated  in  Ohio,  where  he  also  learned  the 
engineering  with  his  uncle.  Sims  Davenport. 
He  was  joined  in  matrimony  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  December  23,  1854  to  Miss  Catharine 
Freck,  born  November  8,  1833,  in  Wurtemberg, 
Germany,  daughter  of  Tilman  and  Fannie 
(Harmon)  Freck,  both  natives  of  Germany.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  the  following  children: 
Mary  I.,  wife  of  William  Snider;  Alice  P.,  wife 
of  Jeptha  Jones;  Emma  L.,  wife  of  Owen  M. 
Smith;  Charles  F..  born  May  1,  1863;  Nancy  E., 
born  May  20.  1866;  Catharine  U  ,  born  June  26, 
1868;  Frank  B.,  born  January  14,  1871;  Albert 
R.,  January  8,  1875;  John  W.,  January  17, 
1877.  Mr.  Lindsey  came  to  this  county  in  the 
fall  of  1877.  He  owns  196  acres  of  land,  but  at 
times  follows  his  trade  as  engineer.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Republican. 

S.  T.  PACE,  farmer,   P.  0.  Mount  Vernon, 
was  born  August  4,  1833,  son  of  Joseph  Pace. 


DODDS  TOWNSHIP. 


98 


The  subject  of  this  brief  slietch  is  one  of  Jeflfer- 
soii  County's  most  unassuming  but  worthy  citi- 
zens.    He  has  made  farming  his  chief  occupa- 
tion   and    now  owns    GOO  acres  of  hind    near 
Mount  Vernon.     In  tlie  fall  of  18G1,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Sixtieth  Regiment  Illinois  "Volunteer  In- 
fantry, Company  I.    He  served  three  years,  par- 
ticipating in  many  thrilling  scenes  and  famous 
battles,  among  others  those  of  Missiou  Ridge, 
Kenesaw   Mountain    and  Peach   Tree    Creek, 
losing  his  right  arm  at  Jonesboro,  near  Atlanta. 
After   the  war,    he   returned  home  and    again 
turned  his  attention  to  farming.     In  politics,  he 
has  been  identified  witii  the  Republican  party. 
CORNELIUS  PEERY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,    was  born  June  0,  1808,  in   Tazewell 
County,  Va.     His  father,  James  M.  Peery,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  and  also  a  farmer  ;  he 
died  in  Perry   County,  111.     His  father,  Jolin 
Peery,  came  from  Ireland.     The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Phoebe  Pickens,  was  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  mother  of  eleven  children  ;  her 
parents,  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Pickens, 
were  also  natives  of  Virginia.     Our  subject  was 
educated  in  Kentucky.     He  came  to  Washing- 
ton County,  111.,  in  1833  ;  he  commenced  farm 
ing  there,  and  in  1867  he  came  to  this  county. 
He  was    married  more  than  once.     His    first 
wife,  llhoda  B.   Ayers,  was  born  in  St.   Clair 
County  ;  she  died   in  Washington   County,  111. 
His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Polly  Gore,  is  a  daughtei 
of  Richard  Hull.     She  is  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  viz.,  James  M.  Gore,  Escalana  Gore, 
George  M.  (deceased,  aged  one  year  and  six- 
teen days),  Jonathan  A.,  Richard  A.  (a  law  stu- 
dent in  Belleville,  111.),  Mary  M.  (deceased)  and 
Martha  N.  Gibson.     Our  subject  began  life  with 
nothing    to    speak   of,   and   is   to-day  classed 
among  our  well-to-do  men  in  this  county.     In 
politics,  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

SILAS  ROGERS,  farmer,  P.  O.  -Mount  Ver 
non,  was  born  November  8,  1845,  in  this  coun- 
tv.     His    father,    William    A.    Rogers,    was    a 


native  of  Tennessee  ;  he  came  here  in  an  early 
day,   and   died   January    1,   187-1,    his   father, 
Abraham  Rogers,  being  also  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee.    The  mother  of  our  subject,  Amanda 
A.  Pace,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  a  daughter 
of  John  M.  Pace,  and  is  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren.    Our   subject    was   educated    here.     He 
was  joined  in  matrimony,  January  11,  1883,  in 
Brighton,  Macoupin   Co.,  111.,  to  Miss  Mollie 
McKenny,   born   January   25,  1860,   in  Union 
County,  Ky.,  daughter  of  John  B.  and   Mary 
(Church)  McKenny,  natives  of  Kentucky.  Mrs. 
Rogers  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     In  politics,  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  Democrat. 
JOHN  TIPTON,  fapner,  P.  0.  Opdyke,  was 
born  January   9,  1838,  in   Knox   County,  East 
Tennessee,   son  of  Isaac  Tipton,  a   native   of 
East   Tennessee,   where  he   yet  resides.     The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Dama  Tipton,  was  a  na- 
tive of  East  Tennessee,  where  she  died.     Our 
subject  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  came 
to  this  county  in  1860,  and  the  next  year  he 
joined  the  Union  army.  Forty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteers,  Company  I,  serving  till  the   close 
of  the  war.     He  participated  in  many  thrilling 
scenes  and  battles,  among  others  that  of  Pea 
Ridge,    Stone    River,    Chickamauga,    Mission 
Ridge,  Strawberry  Plains,  Nashville,  Atlanta, 
and  many  minor  engagements.     He  was  only 
about  one  week  away  from  his  command  dur- 
ing his  entire  term  of  service.     After  the  war, 
he  came  back  to  JeflTcrson  County,  where  he 
married  Anna  Bates,   who   died   after   giving 
birth  to  four  children,  viz.,  Eva  (deceased),  Em- 
ma.   Lucinda,   Lotta    (deceased).*    His  secoud 
wife,   Mary   Ann  Presly,  was    born    in   North 
Carolina.     She  is  the   mother  of  two  children 
now  living,  viz.,  James  and  Mima.     Mr.  Tipton 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  has  a  farm  of  2-10  acres  of  land.     In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Republican.     Mr.  Tipton  is  a  self- 
made  man  in  every  respect.     His  great-grand- 
father, Billy  Tipton,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary  war,  being  shot  through  the  body, 


94 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


and  his  son,  Jacob  Tipton,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Mexican  war. 

JAMES  T.  WOLF,  coppersmith,  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  Januarj-  23,  1853,  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  His  father,  Abraham  D.  Wolf, 
is  a  native  of  Penns^-lvania.  His  career  in 
life  has  been  a  checkered  but  a  ver3-  honora- 
ble one.  He  came  West  long  before  Horace 
Greelej-  gave  his  advice  on  the  subject,  and  has 
been  one  of  the  pioneer  boatmen  of  the  Western 
waters.  He  started  as  a  ship  carpenter,  but, 
through  his  own  exertion  and  perseverance,  he 
worked  his  way  up  to  mate,  pilot  and  Captain, 
acting  in  the  latter  capacities  almost  thirty-five 


years.  He  is  yet  living  on  his  farm  of  320 
acres.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Virginia 
Sexton  AVolf,  is  a  native  of  Virginia.  Her  par- 
ents, John  and  Pha3l)e  Sexton,  were  also  na- 
tives of  Virginia.  Mrs.  Virginia  Wolf  is  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  four  are  now 
living,  viz.,  James,  George  R.,  Fannie  W.  (Mc- 
Knight),  and  Phoebe  S.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  also  learned 
and  followed  the  coppersmith  trade.  Li  No- 
vember, 1876,  he  came  to  this  countj'  with  his 
parents  and  here  he  has  followed  his  trade  part 
of  the  time.  In  politics,  he  is  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party. 


BLISSYILLE  TOWNSHIP. 


JESSE^A.  DEES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Laur.  A 
life  of  nearly  fourscore  years;  launched  upon 
its  tempestuous  sea  in  circumstances  poor  and 
lonely;  hardships,  trials,  temptations  on  every 
hand;  peace  and  rest  unknown;  but  he  struggles, 
the  tide  turns  gradually  in  his  favor,  he  slips, 
falls  back,  only  to  strive  again;  time  and  perse- 
verance are  not  to  be  baflSed;  obstacles  the 
most  formidable  are  grappled  with  at  every  step, 
but  to  his  matchless  energy  they  succumb,  and 
are  consigned  to  the  rear  ;  onward  he  strides, 
the  land  of  peace  and  plenty  is  in  sight;  he  is 
there,  the  goal  of  his  highest  ambition  is  at 
last  reached,  and  as  he  turns  and  glances  back- 
ward o'er  the  rugged  pathway'  he  has  trod,  can 
it  be  other  than  with  commingled  feelings  of 
just  pride  and  honor.  Such  is  a  circumstautial 
outline  of  the  lives  of  mau}'  of  our  great  and 
noble  men,  and  it  is  strikingly  applicable  to 
that  of  the  worthy  subject  of  this  sketch,  the 
necessary  brevity  of  which  compels  us  to  do 
him  but  meager  justice.  Jesse  A.  Dees  was 
born  June  11,  1808,  Abbeyville  District,  South 
Carolina,  being  the  place  of  his  birth.  His 
father  was  Robert  Gillam,  and  his  mother  Na- 


omi Dees,  whose  name  our  subject  retained. 
He  lived  with  her  until  becoming  of  age,  she 
having  in  the  meantime  married  Lewis  Green, 
by  whom  she  had  one  child.  His  advantages 
of  an  early  education  being  extremely  deficient, 
and  his  mother's  circumstances  poor,  our  youth 
was  compelled  to  rel_v  wholly  upon  his  own  re- 
sources to  obtain  the  four-and-a-half  months 
schooling,  which  was  all  that  he  ever  received. 
This  he  paid  for  by  setting  bait  for  bee-trees, 
and  finding  two  of  the  latter,  he  disposed  of  the 
honey  secured  to  a  Catholic  seminary,  at  $1 
per  gallon,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  proudl}- 
defray  the  expenses  which  his  limited  course  of 
study  had  incurred.  This  was  in  Perry  County, 
Mo.,  whence  his  step-father  had  removed,  after 
living  awhile  in  Arkansas  and  still  previousl}- 
in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  having  first  come  here 
during  the  close  of  the  year  1824.  Our  subject 
was  hired  out  by  his  step-father,  and  afterward 
worked  out  on  his  own  account.  He  went  to 
St.  Louis  in  his  twent3--first  j'ear,  and  was  there 
various!}'  engaged  for  about  six  months.  He 
carried  a  hod  to  the  fourth  story  of  the  court 
house,  then  in  course  of  construction,  dug  eel- 


BLISSVILLE   TOWNSHIP. 


05 


lars,  labored  on  the  wharves,  and   worked  at 
anything  his  eager  hands  could  find  to  do.    He 
returned    to   this   county,  and  with  his  hard- 
earned  savings    built  a  little   house,  opened  a 
little  farm,  and  last,  though  not  least,  married 
a  good  little  wife,  and  thus  he  commenced  the 
journey  of  life,    with  fair  winds   and    a  clear 
head.     His  liappy  affianced  was  Naomi  Booth, 
born  March  4,  1809.     She  is  still  living,  and  the 
venerable  couple  have  long  since  celebrated  the 
golden  anniversary  of  their  wedded  life.     Hav- 
ing no  children  of  their  own,  they  have  raised 
several  during  their  life,  most  of  whom  have 
grown  up  and  started  out  for  themselves.     Mr. 
Dees  has  farm  property  to  the  extent  of  1,400 
acres  of  selected  land,  all  in  this  county,  four  or 
five  hundred  of  which  constitute  the  home  place, 
on  which  he  had  moved  in  the  spring  of  1 837.  In 
1871,  he  erected  a  handsome  and  commodious 
residence,  the  finest,  perhaps,  in  the  surrounding 
country.     During  his   life,  he    has  engaged  in 
farming  in  its  various. branches,  and  has  given 
particular  attention  to  stock,  having  at  times 
large  herds  of  cattle  and  mules,  and  at  present 
has  a  herd  of  sixty  of  the  latter.     Mr.  Dees  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Clay  Lodge,  No. 
152,  being  also  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.     He  has 
tilled  most  of  the  offices  of  his  township,  and 
for  many  years  has  served  as  President  of  the 
County  Agricultural  Society,  and   is  a  present 
stockholder  therein.     Politically,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat of  the  Jacksonian  school,  but  his  votes 
have  repeatedlj'  shown  that  he  strives  to  secure 
the  services  of  an  honest  man,  be  his  political 
faith  what  it  may.     We  have   now  given  the 
record  dates  in    the  life  of  Mr.    Dees,  and    as 
these  mark  the  different  periods  therein,  they 
but  feebly  portray  the  many  vicissitudes  t  hrough 
which  he  has    passed.     Being  born    to  a  poor 
mother,  whose  humble  circumstances  permitted 
her  to  do  but  little  for  her  child,  he  was  thus 
thrown   upon  his  own   resources,  and  the  in- 
genuity and  energy  which  he  displayed  in  his 
endeavors  to  secure  means  to  pay  for  an  early 


schooling  .  and  to  obtain  a  start  in  life,  devel- 
oped traits  in  his  character  upon  which  a  solid 
foundation  could  rest.  He  was  virtually  his 
own  educator,  his  own  genius  was  his  teacher, 
and  he  was  likewise  the  architect  of  his  own 
fortune,  for  he  never  inherited  a  dollar.  His 
life  was  at  first  varied.  He  was  a  great  lover 
of  the  cha.se,  and  many  bear,  and  hundreds  of 
deer  have  succumbed  to  his  unerring  aim.  Still 
hale  and  hearty,  Mr.  Dees  and  his  noble  wife 
have,  apparently,  j'ears  yet  to  live,  and  as  they 
go  down  in  the  evening  of  life,  the  blessings 
and  well-wishes  accompany  them  of  the  com- 
munity in  whose  midst  they  have  lived  and 
toiled  for  so  many  years. 

ELI  PAIRCHILD,  f^u-mer,  P.  0.  Laur.  is  a 
native  of  Wabash  County,  Ind.,  born  Decem- 
ber 11,  1829.  to  Erastus  and  Elizabeth  (Gid-. 
dings)  Fairchild,  he  of  New  York  and  she  of 
England.  The  fivther  was  a  farmer.  He 
moved  to  Ohio,  then  to  Indiana,  where  Eli  was 
born,  and  afterward  back  again  to  Ohio.  He 
came  to  Jefferson  County  in  1839,  and  located 
in  Blissville  Township,  but  removed  again  to 
Bond  County,  111.,  where  he  died.  He  was 
married  a  second  time  to  Edith  Shelton.  By 
his  first  wife  he  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living — Eli,  Melissa-  and  Ann  M. 
Our  subject  obtained  but  a  limited  education, 
and  he  has  alvva^'s  given  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing pursuits;  he  has  320  acres  of  land,  and  in 
1871  he  erected  a  fine  frame  residence.  He 
was  first  married  to  Maranda  L.  Haines,  who 
bore  him  one  child — Maranda  L.  His  second 
marriage  was  with  Sarah  L.  Place,  by  whom  he 
had  nine  cliildren — Ilhoda,  George  W.,  Emily, 
Luna,  Daniel  S.,  Eli  W.,  Dora  M.,  Minnie  F.  and 
Eunice.  Mr.  Fairchild  was  married  a  third 
time,  to  Susan  E.  Boswell,|wlio  has  also  depart- 
ed this  life,  the  mother  of  one  child — Mary  E. 
Politicallj-,  Mr.  Fairchild  is  a^Republican. 

CYRUS  GILBERT,  farmer,  P.  O.  Laur.  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,''  January 
26,  1823,  a  son  of  Kli  and  Susanna  (Gale)  Gil- 


96 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


bert,  natives  of  New  Hampshire.  Tlie  father 
was  a  cloth  dresser  by  trade,  and  worked  at  it 
for  several  years  in  Ohio;  he  also  ran  a  water 
mill,  a'nd  in  after  years  gave  his  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  very  enter- 
prising man,  and  after  coming  to  Jefferson 
County  in  1839,  built  the  house  where  our  sub- 
ject now  resides,  out  of  lumber  brought  from 
Ohio.  The  old  folks  had  a  family  of  seventeen 
children,  of  wliom  there  are  living  Ira,  Tru- 
man, Josiah,  Philo,  Cyrus,  Malissa,  Menzis  R., 
Waldo,  Lois  and  Alvin.  Our  subject  received 
a  little  schooling  in  his  native  State,  and  after 
coming  to  this  countj'  with  his  parents,  attend- 
ed the  old  schools  here.  In  1842,  he  contract- 
ed a  scrofulous  disease,  which  was  cured  under 
the  skillful  treatment  of  an  Indian  doctor,  who 
resided  in  this  State.  Mr.  Gilbert  studied 
with  him  a  year,  and  he  has  since  been  called 
upon  himself  to  attend  to  many  cases  of  this 
nature,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  various  herbs 
which  seem  to  possess  remarkable  medicinal 
qualities  has  rendered  his  services  of  value  to 
the  afflicted.  Mr.  Gilbert  has  several  hundred 
acres  of  land,  and  he  engages  mostly  in  farm- 
ing. He  married  Eliza  J.  McClendon,  and  has 
a  family  of  four  children — Mary  E.,  Stephen 
U.,  Mary  F.  and  Annie.  Mr.  Gilbert  has  five 
children  deceased.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. , 
F.  &  A.  M.,  Mt.  Vernon  Lodge,  and  with  his 
wife  of  the  Universalist  Church.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican. 

MENZIS  R.  GILBERT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur, 
was  born  February  23,  1831,  in  Washington 
County,  Ohio,  a  son  of  Eli  Gilbert.  (See  sketch 
of  Cyrus  Gilbert  elsewhere.)  Subject  came 
with  his  parents  to  Jeffersoii  County  in  183!), 
and  here  continued  his  attendance  at  school, 
although  his  eyes,  which  had  been  seriously  af- 
fected from  his  birth,  prevented  him  from  doing 
much  studying.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm, 
and  has  during  his  life,  given  his  attention  to 
no  otiier  emplo3'ment.  His  present  farm  of 
400  acres  is  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 


and  he  engages  in  mixed  farming.  He  was 
married,  January  19,  1858,  to  Elizabeth  Ford, 
born  January  22,  1841,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 
Ford,  of  this  county.  Five  children  have 
blessed  this  union,  of  whom  three  survive — 
Waldo  E.,  born  September  30,  1861;  Luna  0., 
June  12,  1863,  and  Tilman  I.,  August  15,  1868. 
Mr.  Gilbert  has  a  good  residence,  which  he 
built  in  1859,  and  made  some  subst.mtial  addi- 
tions in  1875.  Having  a  farm  especially 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  stock,  he  intends  to 
devote  some  time  to  this  branch  of  farming 
hereafter.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and, 
with  his  wife,  a  member  of  the  Universalist 
Church. 

ALVIN  GILBERT,  farmer,  P.  O.Laur,  was 
born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  March  3, 
1839  (for  parents  see  sketch  of  Cyrus  Gilbert), 
coming  to  this  count}'  with  his  parents  in  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year.  Our  subject  obtained 
what  little  education  the  common  schools  of 
this  vicinity  afforded.  He  has  given  his  con- 
stant attention  to  farming  pursuits,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years,  1858-60,  during  which 
period  he  ran  a  general  store  in  Ashley,  111.,  in 
partnership  with  his  father.  His  present  farm 
property  consists  of  440  acres  of  land,  located 
mostly  in  Blissville  Township.  He  was  united 
in  marriage,  June  4,  1858,  to  Annie  M.  Wat- 
kins,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  R.  and  Ann  E.  (An- 
derson) Watkins.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  are  the 
parents  of  six  children — Walter  J.,  Thomas  E. 
Orloff,  Linnie,  Maggie  M.  and  Maude.  Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Gilbert  is  a  Republican. 

EDWIN  GREEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur,  was 
born  December  30,  1823,  in  this  county,  to 
Reuben  and  Drusilla  (Dees)  Green,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Georgia.  Reuben  Green 
was  one  of  the  lirst  settlers  in  Jefferson  County. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  he  served 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  parents  were 
blessed  with  a  large  family,  eight  of  whom  are 
living.  Our  subject  obtained  but  a  few  months' 
schooling  in  his  early  life,  and  he  started  in 


BLISSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


97 


life  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  has  alwa}'s  been 
thus  engaged,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  pe- 
riod (luring  which  he  was  engaged  in  business 
in  Ashley,  111.  His  first  marriage  was  with 
Nancy  Landrum,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Landrum. 
She  died  December  30,  1870,  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  five  survive — Sarah,  K. 
F.,  Mary  C,  Charles  L.  and  Thomas  J.  Mr. 
Green's  second  marriage  was  with  Jane  Out- 
liouse,  a  daughter  of  Meredith  Outhouse.  This 
union  has  given  five  children — William  M.,  Lu- 
lu M.,  Claude  E.,  Harry  E.  and  Andrew  F.  In 
February,  1865,  Mr.  Green  joined  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fift^-second  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Col.  Stevenson.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Memphis,  and  came  home  the  first  of 
September  of  the  same*  year.  He  has  filled 
man>  offices  in  the  county,  including  those  of 
Constable,  Assessor,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
is  at  present  an  oflBcer  in  the  latter  capacit3'. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  has  a  farm  of 
240  acres,  which  is  given  to  farming  in  its  gen- 
eral branches.  Mr.  Green  and  his  brothers  are 
among  the  oldest  citizens  that  were  born  in 
Jefl'erson  County. 

BARNETT  GREEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur,  is 
a  native  of  this  county,  born  September  23, 
1827,  a  son  of  Reulien  Green.  (See  sketch  of 
Edwin  Green.)  Our  subject  received  but  a 
limited  education  in  his  younger  year.s.  and 
farming  has  always  been  his  occupation.  His 
present  farm  consists  of  160  acres,  whicli  is 
given  to  mixed  farming.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Martha  J.  Page,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Taylor)  Page,  and  the 
union  has  been  blessed  with  eleven  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  living — Margaret,  Harve^', 
Mary  E,  Sarah,  Delilah,  Marshall,  Albert, 
George  and  Charlie.  Politicall3',  Mr.  Green  is 
a  Democrat. 

WILLIAM  HICKS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur,  was 
liorn  in  this  county  September  16,  1828,  to 
Isaac  and  Rebecca  (Casey)  Hicks,  both  of  wiiora 
were  natives  of  Kentuckv.     The  father  was  a 


substantial  farmer;  he  moved  from  Kentucky 
to  this  county  at  an  early  day,  and  one  of  his 
sons,  Thomas,  was  the  first  wliite  male  child 
born  in  this  county.  The  parents  had  six 
children,  only  two  of  whom  are  now  living — 
James  and  our  subject.  The  latter  obtained 
but  about  three  months'  schooling,  in  the  old 
subscription  schools,  and,  giving  his  attention 
to  farming  in  early  life,  has  been  thus  engaged 
most  of  his  life.  He  has  at  present  a  farm  of 
120  acres,  which  is  given  to  general  farming. 
He  was  married,  in  December,  1848,  to  Martha 
M.  Ames,  and  nine  children  have  blessed  the 
union,  of  whom  six  are  living  —  Thomas, 
Mary,  George  W.,  Millie,  Charlie  and  Eliza. 
In  1861,  Mr.  Hicks  enlisted  in  the  Forty-fourth 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  Col.  Noblosdorf  The 
first  time  out  he  served  as  Lieutenant.  He  re- 
signed on  account  of  ill  health,  came  home  and 
in  the  spring  of  1864  volunteered  again  and 
rejoined  the  same  regiment,  and  served  until 
the  fall  of  1865,  being  mustered  out  at  Spring- 
field; he  fought  at  Pea  Ridge  and  other  battles  in 
Slissouri,  and  was  with  Sherman  thoughout  his 
campaign.  Mr.  Hicks  served  also  in  the  Mex- 
ican war — a  year  in  the  Third  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry;  was  at  Cerro  Gordo,  and  other  severe 
engagements.  Politically,  Mr.  Hicks  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

SAMUHL  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ashley, 
came  from  Washington  ('ounty,  Penn.,  where 
he  was  born  October  28,  1822,  a  son  of  John 
and  Lydia  (Updegraff)  Johnson,  both  natives 
of  the  same  State.  The  ftither,  who  was  a  son 
of  John  Johnson,  came  from  England,  learned 
the  shoe-maker's  trade  and  worked  at  it  many 
years,  but  gave  his  attention  to  farming  pur- 
suits in  after  life.  The  parents  had  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  five  are  supposed  to  be  liv- 
ing— Samuel,  Henr^',  Harmon,  William  and 
possibly  Timothy.  Our  subject  olitained  a  lit- 
tle schooling  in  early  life,  and  ut  the  age  of 
ten  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until 
coming  to  this  county,  in  1S()5.  having  the  year 

G 


98 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


before  purchased  140  acres  of  land  here;  he  is 
at  present  engaged  in  general  farming  He 
was  married  to  Hester  Johnson,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  and  Julia  (Bruce)  Johnson,  and  the 
union  has  given  twelve  children,  seven  of  whom 
survive — Jennette,  Dennis  J.,  Sarah,  John  W., 
Samuel  A,  George  W.  and  David  P.  Mr. 
Johnson  has  three  grandchildren  living  with 
him — Allen  T.,  Hester  and  Elizabeth — children 
of  his  daughter  Julia,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Richard  J.  Brunson.  She  died  October  17, 
1879.  Mr.  Johnson  is  an  A.,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Clay 
Lodge;  he  has  filled  the  office  of  Supervisor, 
and  is  at  present  School  Treasurer  and  J.  P., 
having  discharged  the  duties  of  the  latter  office 
for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics. 

JOSEPH  LAUR,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur,  was 
born  in  Lower  Canada,  in  the  town  of  Wolf 
River,  March  14,  1814,  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Lucy  (Deuame)  Laur,  he  of  Vermont  and  she 
of  Canada,  of  French  descent.  The  parents 
had  six  children,  our  subject  being  the  only 
one  living  from  all  that  is  known.  The  father 
had  been  twice  married  before  marrying  our 
subject's  mother,  and  by  his  former  wives  had 
seventeen  children.  Our  subject  received  but 
a  limited  education ;  he  could  only  speak 
French  until  he  became  eighteen  years  of  age. 
In  1833,  he  emigrated  to  Lincoln,  Mass.,  and 
after  farming  a  few  years,  served  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  shoe  maker's  trade,  but  only  worked 
at  it  a  few  years.  In  1839,  he  went  to  boating 
on  the  river,  selling  general  merchandise  be- 
tween Pittsburgh  and  New  Orleans.  He  came 
to  Jefferson  County  in  1840,  but  returned  to 
the  river,  and  three  years  later  came  back  and 
settled  on  his  farm,  which  he  had  previously 
come  into  possession  of  He  was  married  in 
the  spring  of  1844  to  Mary  E.  Philp,  and  the 
union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  children — 
Charles  T.,  Benjamin  M.,  Laura,  Harriett, 
James  W.,  Mary  E.  and  Elizabeth.  In  1850, 
Mr.  Laur  went  to   California  overland,  and  re- 


turned in  December,  1851,  by  way  of  Central 
America.  October  19,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Forty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Col.  Morrison.  He  was  shortl}'  after- 
ward elected  Captain  of  his  company,  and 
served  as  such  through  the  war.  He  took  part 
in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh.  Corinth, 
was  in  the  Red  River  expedition,  and  at  Vicks- 
burg,  etc.  His  present  farm  consists  of  240 
acres.  The  post  office  at  Wiiliamsliurg  was 
named  in  his  honor.  He  and  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

THOMAS  H.  MANNEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur, 
is  a  native  of  Bracken  County,  Kj'.,  born  June 
24,  1839,  eldest  child  of  Sidney   S.  and  Eliza 
A.  (Walton)  Manneu,  natives  of  the  same  State. 
The  father  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  was  thus 
engaged  in  his  native  State  and  also  in  Illinois, 
removing  in   1841  ;    he  dealt  also  largely   in 
stock,  and  in    early   days    followed  the  river^ 
dealing  in  horses,  etc.;  he  also  farmed  in  late 
years,  and  he  died  on  election  day,  1871.     His 
wife  is  still  living  in  this  county.     The  parents 
had  nine  children,  one  of  whom  is  deceased ; 
those   living   are  T.   H.,  Josiah   H.,  John    J., 
Leslie  C,  Robert  W.,  Sidney  S.,  Annie  E.  and 
]  Jerome.     Mr.  Mannen  obtained   but  a  limited 
i  education  in  early  years.     He  started  out  as  a 
I  farmer,  but  after  some  time  thus  engaged,  he 
went  into  the  mercantile  business,  and   ran  a 
I  general  store  in  Williamsburg  for  several  years, 
since  which  he  has  given  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing pursuits.     He  has  about  400  acres  of  land, 
I  and  raises  and  deals  in  cattle  and  stock  large- 
!  ly.     He    was    first   married    to   Isabel    Norris, 
who  died  in  1870  ;  she  bore  him  five  children, 
[  four   living — Olive  M.,  Annie   E.,  Martha    E. 
i  and  Thomas   E.     Mr.  Mannen's   present    wife 
I  was  Margaret  (Dodds)   Norris,  widow  of  A.  J. 
Norris,  and  daughter  of   John    Dodds.     This 
union  has  given  one  child — Sunie  0.     In  poli- 
!  tics,  Mr.  Mannen  is  a  Democrat. 


BLISSVILLE    TOWNSHIP. 


09 


GEORGE  NEWELL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur, 
was  born  in  this  count}'  about  one-half  mile 
IVom  where  he  at  present  resides,  April  15, 
1841,  the  eldest  child  of  Asa  B.  and  P]leanor 
(Shuttlesworth)  Newell,  he  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, and  she  of  Ohio.  The  parents  had  five 
children— ^George,  Levi,  Lucy,  Oscar  and  Icha- 
bod.  The  mother  died  when  our  subject  was 
about  twelve  years  old,  and  the  father  married 
Mariraret  Hayes,  who  is  still  living.  Of  this 
marriage,  there  were  three  children,  two  of 
whom  are  living.  Philip  and  Stephen  D.  Our 
subject  obtained  but  a  meager  schooling,  and 
he  started  out  as  a  farmer.  His  present  farm 
consists  of  120  acres.  He  was  maiTied  to  Sa- 
rah C.  Gilbert,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Gilbert. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  six  are  living — Asa,  Laura,  Mina, 
Rnfus  N.,  Orla  and  Minnie.  August  2,  1861 
Mr.  Newell  enlisted  in  the  Forty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  out  his  time  of 
enlistment  and  was  discharged  at  Atlanta,  Ga., 
in  October,  1864.  He  lay  sick  for  several 
months  in  the  hospital,  and  fought  afterward  at 
Chattanooga,  Chickamauga  and  Atlanta,  and 
other  severe  engagements.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

O.  P.  NORRIS,  physician  and  surgeon, 
Williamsburg,  was  born  in  Bracken  County,  Ky., 
August  29, 1843,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Rebecca  R. 
West  (Morris),  the  father  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  the  mother  of  Penn.syl  vania.  The  father  fol- 
lowed boating  in  early  life,  but  later  he  engaged 
in  farming.  The  parents  were  blessed  with  nine 
children,  of  whom  there  are  five  living — 0.  P., 
William  H.,  IMillard  F, Joseph  D.  and  Edward  J. 
Our  subject  obtained  a  little  schooling  in  his  na- 
tive'State,  and  after  coming  to  this  countj*  with 
his  parents,  about  1851,  he  continued  his  studies 
here,  attending  in  after  years  the  school  at  Nor- 
mal. 111.  In  September,  18G4,  he  was  drafted 
into  the  war,  and  joined  the  Thirty-second  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  which  belonged  to  the 
Seventeenth  Army   Corps,    under  Blair.     The 


regiment  joined  Sherman  at  Atlanta,  and  fought 
under  him  at  Savannah.  Columbia,  Bentonville, 
etc.  Our  subject  returned  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  attended  the  high  school  at  Mount 
Vernon,  111.  He  had  a  desire  for  studying  med- 
icine, and  he  read  under  the  instruction  of  Dr. 
J.  C.  Gray,  of  Mount  Vernon.  He  afterward  at- 
tended the  Ohio  Medical  College,  Cincinnati, 
and  received  a  full  course  of  lectures,  and  later 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  .Medicine  and  Surgery, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated,  and  re- 
turned to  this  county,  where  he  has  since  en- 
joyed a  liiieral  patronage  ;  he  has  given  a  good 
deal  of  attention  to  diseases  of  the  eye,  but  of 
late  has  given  his  time  to  the  study  of  obstet- 
rics, in  which  branches  of  the  profession  he  is 
especially  .successful.  The  Doctor  has  dealt 
largely  in  real  estate,  having  at  present  several 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  county,  and  also  a 
fine  residence  in  Williamsburg,  which  he  erected 
in  1873.  He  has  been  Postmaster  for  seven  or 
eight  years  at  this  point  ;  has  administered  sev- 
eral estates,  and  was  engaged  in  the  drug  and 
dry  gootls  Inisiness  until  his  practice  assumed 
such  proportions  as  to  demand  all  of  his  atten- 
tion. He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  M. 
Smith,  and  the  union  has  given  four  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living — Myrtie  E.,  Lena  F. 
and  Verner  S.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  also  been  an  I.  O.  O.  F. 
for  many  years.  Me  has  filled  many  of  the  offi- 
ces of  the  township,  including  that  of  Supervisor. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

SIDNEY  PLACE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur,  is 
one  of  the  old  and  respected  residents  of  Jef- 
ferson County.  He  was  born  in  Chittenden 
County,  Vt.,  April  21,  1807,  youngest  child  of 
.John  and  Lydia  (Garland)  Place,  both  natives 
of  New  Hampshire.  The  father  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  but  in  late  years  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  voliintoered,  and  served  six 
months  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  fought 
at  the  battle  of  Bennington  ;  he  died  April  22, 
1828.     The  parents  were  blessed  with  ten  chil- 


100 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


dren.  only  two  of  wbom  are  living — Hannah 
and  Sidnej-.  The  father  had  been  married 
twice,  his  first  wife  bearing  him  three  children. 
Our  subject  got  but  a  meager  education  in 
early  life.  At  about  ten  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents removed  to  New  York,  and  then  to  Ohio, 
where  the  father  died,  and  afterward  to  this 
county  in  1839,  where  the  mother  died  in  Au- 
gust, 1845.  Mr.  Place  worked  at  boat-building 
several  years  in  Ohio,  and  after  coming  to  this 
county  engaged  in  farming  ;  he  has  a  farm  of 
280  acres.  He  married  Rhoda  Dufur,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  Dufur,  of  Ohio.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  ten  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living — Emily.  Luther,  Isaac,  Rufus  and 
Malissa.  Mr.  Place  had  five  sons  in  the  late 
war,  one  of  whom,  Stephen,  died  in  Anderson- 
ville  Prison.  Politically,  Mr.  Place  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  niue  great-grandchildren  living. 
ISAAC  W.  ROBINSON,  merchant  and  No- 
tar}-  Public,  Williamsburg,  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin County,  this  State,  July  20,  1845,  the  eldest 
child  of  Isaac  W.  and  Margaret  (Knox)  Robin- 
son, he  of  South  Carolina  and  she  of  Tennessee. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  and  stock-dealer  during 
life,  and  was  a  strong  Democrat  in  politics. 
The  parents  moved  to  Jefferson  Countj'  when 
our  subject  was  about  two  years  old.  There 
were  six  children  in  the  famil}',  four  of  whom 
survive — Isaac  W.,  William  A.,  Mary  J.  and 
John  A.  Our  subject  obtained  his  early  school- 
ing first  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse,  and  he  after- 
ward attended  a  select  school  for  about  eighteen 
months.  During  his  life,  he  has  dealt  exten- 
sively in  stock,  and  has  also  given  some  time 
to  farming  pursuits.  Thinking  that  he  would 
take  up  law  as  a  profession,  he  studied  during 
his  leisure  moments  in  this  direction  for  man}' 
years.  He,  however,  went  into  business  in 
partnership  with  J.  D.  Norris,  and  being  burnt 
out  some  time  afterward,  received  a  consider- 
able set-back,  but  opened  a  general  store  himself 
in  February,  1878,  which  he  still  runs,  carrying 
a  line  of  drugs,  groceries  and  dry  goods.     He 


has  been  Assessor  in  this  and  McClellan  Town- 
ship, and  has  also  been  for  several  years  Notary 
Public.  He  married  Louvina  J.  (McConnaugh- 
ey)  Gilbert,  widow  of  William  H.  Gilbert,  and 
daughter  of  James  McConnaughey,  of  this 
county,  and  this  union  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children — James  W.  and  Martha  J.  In 
March,  1864,  Mr.  Robinson  enlisted  in  the 
Forty-fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Col. 
Opdyke,  which  regiment  was  engaged  in  many 
heavy  battles  through  the  Southern  campaign, 
and  was  finally  sent  to  Texas,  where  they  re- 
mained until  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  this 
State;  politically,  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican. 
ANDREW  J.  SHURTZ,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ash- 
ley, is  a  native  of  Warren  County,  N.  J.,  born 
February  3,  1834,  the  eldest  child  of  Robert 
W.  and  Hannah  (Cole)  Shurtz,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Essex  County  of  the  same  State. 
The  grandfather  was  Andrew  Shurtz,  of  Ger- 
man descent.  Robert  W.  Shurtz  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  worked  at  it  during  odd 
spells,  but  was  mostly  engaged  in  farming.  He 
was  a  robust,  hard-working  man,  but  died  early 
from  the  effects  of  over-working.  He  was  a 
bass  drummer  for  many  years  in  the  State 
militia.  Our  subject  got  but  a  little  schooling 
in  early  years.  He  has  been  engaged  at  canal- 
boating,  saw-milling,  etc.,  but  has  generally 
given  his  attention  to  farming  pursuits.  In 
the  fall  of  1835,  he  removed  with  his  parents 
to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  and  shortly  after- 
ward removed  to  Warren  County,  same  State. 
In  April,  1859,  he  came  to  this  county,  and 
located  on  what  is  called  the  Monroe  farm,  and 
after  moving  around  several  times,  final!}-  pur- 
chased part  of  his  present  place,  before  moving, 
in  the  spring  of  1877.  He  has  120  acres  in 
Blissville  and  165  in  Bald  Hill  Townships. 
His  first  marriage  was  with  Catharine  Wheeler, 
who  died  in  1859.  He  was  married  a  second 
time,  to  Martha  McConnaughey,  who  bore  him 
seven  children,  of  whom  six  are  living — John, 
Annie,    Georgie,    William,    David   and    Sarah. 


BLISSVILLE  TOWNSHIP. 


]01 


He  married  his  present  wife,  Maiy  E.,  June  3, 
1875  ;  she  is  a  daughter  of  D.  H.  and  Nancy 
B.  (Hargett)  Thomas.  This  union  has  given 
four  children — Ettie,  Mary,  Arthur  and  Carrie. 
In  the  fall  of  1864,  Mr.  Shurtz  joined  Company 
G,  Thirty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry-. 
The  regiment  joined  Sherman  at  Atlanta,  and 
went  through  the  entire  campaign  with  him. 
Mr.  Shurtz  came  home  from  St.  Louis  in  June, 
1865.  He  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Free- 
Will  Baptist  Church.  He  has  filled  many  of 
the  offices  in  his  township  ;  is  a  Republican. 

HARRISON  M.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ash- 
ley, was  born  in  this  count)-  September  2,  1.838, 
to  Drury  and  Rachel  (Whitten)  Smith,  the 
father  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  the 
mother  of  Johnson  County,  111.  Drury  Smith 
is  a  substantial  farmer,  and  now  resides  in 
Sullivan  County.  Mo.  He  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  to  Widow  Howell,  who  has  borne  him 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  living.  Our 
subject's  own  parents  were  blessed  with  nine 
children,  of  whom  six  survive — Ambrose,  Cole- 
man. Harrison  M.,  Nimrod,  Meredith  and  Deli- 
laii.  Mr.  Smith  received  but  a  limited  education 
in  early  life.  He  has  always  given  his  attention 
to  farming  pursuits,  and  at  present  rents  land 
and  engages  in  mixed  farming.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Flannigan,  a  daughter  of  Robinson 
and  Finice  Flannigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one  of  whom, 
Lj'dia,  is  deceased  ;  those  living  are  Drury, 
William,  Hulda,  Belle,  John,  Riley  and  Lou- 
vina.  Subject  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Christian  Chui'ch.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 


JOSIAH  TUTTLE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Ashley,  is 
a  native  of  Guernsey  County,  Ohio,  born  August 
19,  1823,  the  eldest  chikl  of  John  A.  and  Mary 
A.  (Douglas)  Tuttle,  natives  of  Maryland.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living — Josiah,  Henry,  John  A.,  J. 
N.  and  JIary  J.,  who  married  David  John- 
son. Mr.  Tuttle's  mother  died  when  he  was 
small,  and  he  was  raised  by  his  step-mother, 
who  was  a  Miss  Annie  Marsh.  He  was  raised 
on  a  farm,  and  has  always  given  his  attention 
to  farming  pursuits.  Since  seventeen  years  of 
age,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  and  also  of  the  Quarterly  Conference, 
and  for  thirty  years  past  he  has  been  a  li- 
censed preacher  in  that  church,  and  is  also 
the  local  Elder.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  first  married 
to  Elizabeth  Wells,  who  died  in  1844,  the 
mother  of  one  child — Mary  A.,  who  died  No- 
vember 27,  1872.  She  had  married  John 
Dasher,  by  whom  she  had  four  children,  of 
whom  three  survive — Annie,  Elizabeth  and 
Phoebe.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  married  a  second 
time  to  Phoibe  Welch,  a  sister  of  Andrew 
Welch,  of  this  county.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  five  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living — Thomas  H.  and  Ann  E.  Mr.  Tuttle 
came  to  Jetferson  County  in  1853.  His  pres- 
ent property  consists  of  800  acres  of  land  and 
some  town  property  in  Ashley,  111.  He  built  afine 
residence  on  the  home  place  in  1871,  and  is 
counted  as  one  of  Jefferson  County's  substan- 
tial fanners.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0. 
F.,  Ashley  Lodge,  No.  302.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Republican. 


102 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


SPEING   GARDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


JOSEPH  ADCOCK,  farmer,  P.  O.  Spring 
(Jarden,  was  born  in  Hawkins  County,  Tenn., 
January  4,  1816,  son  of  Jolin  and  Ellender 
(Hicks)  Adcock.  His  fatlier  was  a  native  of 
Rockingliam  County,  Va.  Soon  after  the 
birth  of  our  subject,  the  parents  separated, 
the  mother  taking  the  custody  of  the  children 
She  afterward  married  Solomon  Goddard,  and 
in  1828  the  family  moved  to  this  county, 
where  they  settled  in  Dodds  Township.  Sub- 
ject attended  subscription  schools  but  very 
little;  but  after  he  came  to  manhood  taught 
himself  As  soon  as  he  was  able,  he  com- 
menced to  work  around  among  the  farmers  of 
this  county,  and  after  two  years'  work  here 
he  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  ran  on  the 
river  from  that  point  to  Alton.  He  re- 
mained there  some  six  or  seven  years,  and 
then  returned  to  this  county,  just  as  he  was 
neariug  manhood.  In  this  neighborhood,  he 
commenced  to  farm  himself,  and  first  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Dodds  Township,  but  only  re- 
mained there  about  eighteen  months,  and  then 
came  to  Spring  Garden  Township,  where  he 
settled  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from 
where  he  now  lives.  On  that  farm  he  resided 
until  1846,  when  he  came  to  his  present  farm, 
a  tract  of  100  acres,  lying  in  Sections  9  and  10 
of  Town  4,  Range  3  east.  Has  eighty  acres  in 
cultivation.  Mr.  Adcock  was  married  in 
Spring  Garden  Township,  April  2,  1833,  to 
Polly  Kimball,  a  daughter  of  William'  and 
Sarah  (Burns)  Kimball.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Germany.  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  three  of  whom  are  living — John  H., 
Eliza  J.  (wife  of  R.  V.  Gibson)  and  William 
M.,  in  Marion  County.  This  lady  died  Sep- 
tember 30,  1845,  and  subject  was  married  the 


second  time,  to  Sarah  Jane  Pitts,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Pitts,  of 
Pittsylvania  County,  Va.-  This  marriage  re- 
sulted in  eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living — Nancy  Ellender  (wife  of  Marion  Page), 
Jesse  C.  (in  Dodds  Township),  Minerva  (wife 
of  John  Rines)  and  Willaby  (now  at  home 
with  his  father).  This  lady  also  died,  on  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1866,  and  he  was  married  the  third 
time,  to  Elizabeth  Addison,  a  native  of  Logan 
County,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Elizabeth  (Grigsby)  Addison,  the  father  being 
a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Mrs.  Adcock  is  a 
member  of  Moore's  Prairie  Methodist  Church. 
Mr.  Adcock  is  a  Democrat  in  polities. 

THOMPSON  ANGLEN,  saddler  and  har- 
ness-maker, Spring  Garden.  Subject  was  born 
in  Rockingham  County,  N.  C,  September  15, 
1822,  was  a  son  of  Caleb  and  Hannah  (Powel) 
Anglen.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Pittsyl- 
vania Count}-,  Va.,  the  mother  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Subject  was  the  ninth  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  of  that  number  six  are  now  living. 
In  his  native  county  he  attended  the  first 
school,  and  in  1831,  the  father  brought  his 
family  to  Montgomery  County,  Tenn.,  where 
be  died  in  1856.  Subject  finished  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  that  county,  and  then  as- 
sisted on  the  home  farm  until  1849.  Decem- 
ber 19  of  that  year,  he  came  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, and  settled  on  a  Government  improvement, 
in  Pendleton  Township,  about  a  mile  east  of 
Belle  Rive;  he,  however,  only  farmed  there  for 
four  years,  and  then  came  to  Mt.  Vernon,  where 
he  clerked  in  a  general  store  then  owned  by 
Thorn  D.  Balzell;  remained  with  them  but 
one  year  and  then  returned  to  Pendleton  Town- 
ship, and  there  purchased  the  home  farm.     In 


SPRING  GARDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


103 


connection  with  his  farm,  he  also  ran  a  store 
for  the  accommodation  of  his  neighbors  in  that 
township;  he  only  remained  three  jears,  and 
then  exchanged  his  farm  for  a  hotel  in  Mt. 
Vernon,  then  owned  by  a  Mr.  Thomas.  It  stood 
(1858)  where  Pavy  and  Allan's  building  now 
stands.  In  that  hotel  he  remained  until  1865, 
when  he  came  to  Spring  Garden  Township. 
Here  he  first  purchased  a  half-interest  in  a 
flouring  mill  and  still  house  which  then  stood 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the  vil- 
lage, but  only  remained  about  a  month  there, 
and  then  came  to  the  village,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  His  first  venture  in  the  town 
was  merchandising,  and  he  followed  that  for 
about  two  years;  he  then  opened  his  hotel, 
which  he  still  continues  to  run;  he  also  turned 
his  attention  some  to  stock  trading  and  en- 
gaged in  that  for  about  three  years.  He  next 
purchased  a  harness  shop  and  commenced  fol- 
lowing the  occupation  of  a  harness-maker.  He 
now  carries  a  stock  of  about  $1,500.  Mr.  Ang- 
len  was  married  in  Montgomery  County,  Tena., 
on  June  10,  1846,  to  Nancy  J.  Smith,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  H.  and  Nancy  (Clifton)  Smith, 
natives  of  that  county.  This  lady  was  the 
mother  of  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  now 
living,  viz.:  H.  V.,  in  Princeton,  Ky.;  E.  J.,  in 
Huron,  Dak.;  Thomas,  in  Macon  County,  111., 
and  Lilly,  in  Princeton,  Ky.  This  lady  died 
February  14,  1864,  and  subject  was  married 
the  second  time,  in  Spring  Garden  Township, 
May  11,  1865,  to  Mrs.  Nancy  F.  Williams,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Felps,  of  Robertson  Coun- 
ty, Tenn.  The  result  of  the  marriage  is  one 
child— Ora  Maude.  Mr.  Anglen  has  served  in 
numerous  county  and  township  offices,  among 
which  are  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  Mt.  Vernon 
Township,  from  1859  to  1865,  and  since  his  ar- 
rival in  this  township  he  has  held  the  office  al- 
most continually  ever  since.  In  April,  1872, 
was  appointed  School  Treasurer,  and  is  still 
holding  that  office.  Has  also  served  as  mem- 
ber of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors.     Is  a 


member  of  Williams  Lodge,  No.  242,  I.  0.  O. 
F.,  of  Spring  Garden.  Has  held  all  the  offices 
in  that  lodge  and  is  now  Past  Grand.  For  the 
past  fifteen  years  has  also  served  as  Trciisuror 
of  that  organization;  is  a  member  of  the  Spring 
Garden  Baptist  Church.  In  politics,  is  an  In- 
dependent. 

C.  M.  BROWN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Spring  Garden, 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  111.,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of  Stcplien  and  Eliza- 
beth (Spoon)  Brown,  who  came  to  this  State 
from  Guilford  County, 'N.,  C.  Subject  was 
the  sixth  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living.  His  education  was  received 
in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  da}'.  He  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  fiither  until  twenty- 
five,  and  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself; 
settled  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  now  owns 
840  acres,  which  lie  principally  in  Sections  19, 
20,  25,  29,  31  and  36.  Of  the  whole,  there  are 
about  700  acres  under  cultivation,  about  six- 
teen acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Brown  was  married, 
April  9,  1851,  in  Ewing  Township,  Franklin 
County,  111.,  to  Ann  Eliza  Poster,  a  native  of 
Franklin  County,  and  a  daughter  of  E.  H.  and 
Cynthia  Freeman  Foster,  natives  of  Tennessee. 
This  lady  is  the  mother  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living— B.  F.,  S.  E.,  Margaret  A., 
Martha  F.  and  Melissa  B.  Our  subject  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  Enlisted  in  the 
Sixth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantry,  Col.  Collins, 
Company  A,  Capt.  James  Bowman,  in  May, 
1846,  and  was  out  until  July,  1847.  Has  been 
a  member  of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors, 
four  terms,  and  is  at  present  serving  in  that 
capacity.  He  also  served  as  School  Director 
of  his  district  for  the  last  twenty-five  years.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Brown  is  an  Independent. 

JOSEPH  CARROLL,  blacksmith.  Spring 
Garden,  was  born  in  this  county  October  26, 
1832.  and  was  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(DeLaney)  Carroll,  natives  of  Tennes.see,  but 
emigrated  to  this  county  about  1829,  settling 
first   in    Mount    Vernon  Township,    and   then 


104 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


moved  iato  Dockls  Township,  where  the  father 
died  in  1849,  and  the  mother  in  1877.  Our 
subject  was  the  third  of  eight  children,  of  wliom 
three  are  now  living.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived mostly  in  the  schools  of  Mount  Vernon 
and  Dodds  Townships.  On  his  father's  farm  he 
remained  until  twenty -two,  and  then  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  He  settled  in  Dodds  Town- 
ship, where  he  farmed  until  about  1858.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Spring  Garden  Township. 
Here  he  first  farmed  for  about  two  years,  and 
then  came  to  the  village,  where  he  has  since 
carried  on  the  blacksmith  trade.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  shop  he  also  carries  a  stock  of 
plows,  wagons,  etc.,  which  generally  runs  on 
the  average  to  about  $1,500.  He  also  owns  a 
farm  of  530  acres,  part  of  which  is  in  Section 
7  and  the  rest  in  15,  of  Town  4,  Kange  3  east. 
Also  owns  some  in  Elk  Prairie  Township.  Of 
the  whole  piece,  there  are  about  320  acres  in 
cultivation.  Mr.  Carroll  was  married  in  this 
county  in  August,  1854,  to  Martha  Shaffer,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  and  a  daughter  of  David 
Shaffer.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living — Mollie  (wife  of 
Harvey  Gardner,  of  Colorado),  and  Charles  H. 
This  lady  died  about  1866.  Our  subject  was 
married  the  second  time,  in  August,  1868,  to 
Mrs.Sibyl  Garrison,  a  daughter  of  Uriah  Cramp- 
ton,  a  native  of  Mississippi.  The  result  of  this 
marriage  is  four  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living,  Willie  and  Clyde.  He  is  a  member  of 
Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  Williams  Lodge,  No.  242,  of  Spring  Gar- 
den.    In  politics,  our  subject  is  a  Democrat. 

LOGAN  FITZGERRELL  (deceased)  was 
born  in  Posey  County,  Ind.,  in  1837,  and  was  a 
son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (Overton)  Fitzgerrell. 
The  parents  moved  to  Jefferson  County  as  early 
as  1840,  and  settled  on  the  farm  afterward 
owned  by  our  subject.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  county,  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  assumed  the  responsibilities  of 
life  for  himself,  and  settled  on  the  farm   which 


his  widow  now  occupies.  Originally, the  father 
gave  his  son  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  and  that 
has  since  been  increased  until  at  present  the 
farm  contains  336  acres,  located  in  Sections  21, 
22,  23,  24  and  27,  of  Town  4,  Range  3  east. 
Of  the  whole,  there  are  about  250  acres  in  proc- 
ess of  cultivation.  Mr.  Fitzgerrell  was  married 
twice.  The  first  time  in  1855,  on  the  celebra- 
tion of  his  eighteenth  birthday,  to  Miss  Miranda 
Johnson,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
Johnson,  of  this  countj-.  The  result  of  this  . 
marriage  was  one  child — James  Michael  (now 
deceased).  This  ladj-  died  onlj'  a  few  years  after 
her  marriage,  and  our  subject  was  married  the 
second  time,  Februarj-  20,  1858,  to  Nancy 
Simpson,  who  was  horn  in  Gibson  County,  Ind., 
July  12,  1836,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Richard 
and  Elizabeth  Simpson,  descendants  of  Old  Vir- 
ginia stock.  This  lady  has  been  the  mother  of 
the  following  children  :  Hiram  R.,  Mary,  Lu 
cinda  (wife  of  William  Harmon),  Melissa  B. 
Daniel  L.,  Luther,  Miranda  S.  and  Nancy.  Our 
subject  was  a  member  of  Williams  Lodge,  No 
242,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Spring  Garden.  In  his  life 
time,  he  sought  to  walk  in  the  retired  paths  of 
life  as  much  as  possible,  and  tried  to  follow  out 
his  duty  as  a  citizen  good  and  true.  His  aspira- 
tions did  not  tend  toward  public  office-seeking, 
but  toward  preparing  for  his  famil3's  wants. 
And  thus  Mr.  Fitzgerrell's  life  came  to  a  close 
January  1,  1879.  His  family  was  left  well 
provided,  and  as  his  neighbors,  in  words  soft 
and  low,  paid  their  respects  to  the  bereaved 
family,  none  spoke  but  to  praise  him.  At 
present,  Mrs.  Fitzgerrell,  assisted  by  her  sons, 
is  carrying  on  the  farm. 

G.  W.  HAYS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mt,  Vernon,  was 
born  in  Rutherford  County,  Tenn.,  July  4, 1840; 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Maltus)  Hays; 
was  the  fifth  of  twelve  children,  ot  whom  eight 
are  living.  When  only  two  months  old,  his 
parents  moved  to  Jefferson  County,  where  the 
father  settled  in  Spring  Garden  Township,  about 
one  mile   from  where   our  subject   now  lives. 


SPRING  GARDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


105 


but  onl}-  lived  there  a  short  time,  and  tlicii 
came  to  Dodds  Township.  In  that  township  he 
held  quite  a  number  of  offices  of  trust  and 
profit,  and  there  he  died  in  1863 — the  mother  in 
1862.  Our  subject  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  countj',  and  remained  on  the 
home  place  until  about  twenty-.  In  starting 
out  in  life  for  himself,  he  first  settled  in  Elk 
Prairie  Township,  but  onl3-  remained  there  a 
short  time,  and  then  came  to  his  present  farm, 
where  he  now  owns  190  acres  in  Sections  5  and 
6  of  Township  4,  Range  3  east.  There  are 
about  180  acres  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Hays 
was  married  in  the  fall  of  1865,  in  Spring  Gar- 
den Township,  to  Margaret  Howard,  a  native 
of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Jane 
(Mendenhall)  Howard.  This  lady  is  the  mother 
of  three  living  children — Lilly.  Josie  and  a 
baby  boy,  born  April  6, 1883.  Our  subject  en- 
listed in  the  Fifteenth  Illinois  Cavalry,  Col. 
Bacon,  Company  E,  Capt.  Hutchins,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1861.  Was  out  three  years  and  three 
months.  Was  in  the  engagements  of  Hick- 
man, Ky.,  Union  City,  Tenn.,  Corinth,  Miss., 
Island  No.  10  and  many  other  smaller  skir- 
mishes. 3Irs.  Hays  is  a  member  of  the  Easter 
M.  E.  Church  of  Spring  Garden  Township. 
Mr.  Hays  has  held  the  offices  of  School  Direc- 
tor, Road  Supervisor,  etc.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Greenbacker. 

JAMES  JONES,  farmer,  P.  0.  Spring  Gar- 
den, was  born  in  Todd  County,  Ky.,  November 
9,  1822  ;  is  a  son  of  William  and  Chrissie  (Gib- 
son) Jones,  natives  of  Tennessee.  Subject 
was  the  elder  of  two  children.  The  father 
died  when  the  son  was  about  two  years  old,  and 
when  eight  years  old  his  mother  moved  to  this 
county  and  settled  in  Spring  Garden  Township, 
where  she  afterward  married  a  man  named  Na- 
thaniel Morgan.  Subject's  education  was  but 
very  meager  as  far  as  schooling  goes,  but  after 
his  marriage  he  managed  to  teach  himself  some. 
He  remained  at  home  on  his  step-father's  farm 
until  twenty-one,  then  started  out  for  himself. 


He  settled  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  his  first 
farm,  where  he  lived  until  1871,  when  he  came 
to  his  present  farm.  He  now  owns  about  1,000 
acres,  situated  in  Sections  11,  12,  1-1, 15,  19,  20, 
22  and  23,  of  Town  4,  Range  3  east.  Has  about 
300  acres  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Jones  was  mar- 
ried in  Jeffor.son  County,  on  January  1, 1845,  to 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Allan,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Nan- 
cy Cochran,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  This 
union  has  resulted  in  the  following  children  : 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Martin  Knowles,  of  this  town- 
ship ;  John,  Nathaniel,  Chrissie,  Josiah  and 
James,  and-  David.  Mr.  Jones  has  served  in 
numerous  township  and  district  offices  ;  in  pol- 
itics, is  a  Democrat. 

WILEY  KNOWLES,  farmer,  P,  0.  Spring 
Garden,  was  born  near  Savannah,  Ga.,  April  25, 
1809  ;  was  a  son  of  Putaraan  and  Patsey  (Greer) 
Knowles.  The  parents  went  from  Delaware  to 
Georgia,  the  mother,  however,  coming  over  to 
the  former  State  from  Scotland  when  a  child. 
Subject  was  the  fourth  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
only  four  are  living.  When  two  years  old,  his 
parents  came  to  Indiana,  and  settled  near  Black 
River,  in  Gibson  County.  His  schooling  was 
very  limited  ;  remained  at  home  with  his  father 
until  about  twenty-two,  and  then  purchased  a 
farm  in  Owensville  Township,  Gibson  County. 
On  that  farm,  he  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1845,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  settled  in 
Spring  Garden  Township,  Jefferson  County,  on 
his  present  farm,  where  he  now  owns  240  acres 
in  Section  16,  130  acres  in  Section  4,  120  in 
Section  9,  40  in  Section  8,  and  10  in  Section  10, 
all  of  Town  4,  Range  3  west.  He  also  has  120 
in  Dodds  Township.  Of  the  whole,  there  are 
about  280  acres  under  cultivation.  Mr. 
Knowles  was  married  in  Gibson  Count}',  Ind., 
July  8,  1830,  to  Minerva  Scott,  a  native  of 
Bullitt  County,  Ky.,  being  born  there  in  1811. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Mary  Scott,  who  was 
one  of  the  old  pioneer  residents  of  Gibson 
County.  The  result  of  this  union  was  eleven 
children,  ten  of  whom  are  now  living — William 


106 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


R.,  residing  in  Missouri;  Meniecs,  wife  of 
Joseph  Wilbanks,  of  Logan  County,  111.;  Patse)-, 
wife  of  George  Farrish,  of  Clackamas  Count}' 
Oreg.-;  Martin,  farming  in  Spring  Garden  Town- 
ship ;  Asa,  in  Custer  County,  Colo.;  Ananias,  in 
Moore's  Prairie  Township,  his  sketch  appearing 
in  that  part  of  the  work  ;  Leander,  also  farming 
in  Spring  Garden  Township ;  Francis  M.,  on 
the  home  farm  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Richard  Davis, 
of  this  township  ;  and  Lizzie  Caroline,  wife  of  a 
Mr.  Gamber,  of  Portland,  Oreg.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knowles  are  members  of  the  Mount  Nebo  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Knowles 
has  been  a  Democrat,  but  in  the  last  few  years 
has  been  voting  the  Greenback  ticket.  Francis 
M.,  the  eighth  child  of  Wiley  and  Min- 
erva (Scott)  Knowles,  was  born  in  Spring  Gar- 
den Township,  Jefferson  County,  September  1, 
1848.  In  his  youth,  he  attended  the  free 
schools  of  his  county,  and  helped  on  the  home 
place  until  he  married,  and  then  erected  a  fine 
countrj-  house  ;  has  settled  down  near  his  fa- 
ther, and  now  has  the  management  of  the  home- 
stead. He  was  married  in  Moore's  Prairie 
Township,  this  county,  April  17,  1879,  to  Flor- 
ence Smith,  who  was  born  in  this  county  Janu- 
ary 28,  1852,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  H.  and 
Jane  Bliss  Smith,  whose  sketches  appear  else- 
where. This  lady  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren— Norman  Smith,  Eliza  and  Wiley  H. 
In  politics,  Mr.  ^nowles  is  at  present  a  Green- 
backer,  but  formerly,  like  his  father,  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket. 

J.  W.  MARSHALL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Spring 
Garden,  was  born  in  Jackson  County  October 
15,  1836.  His  parents  were  William  and 
Judith  (Minor)  Marshall,  who  came  originally 
from  North  Carolina.  When  subject  was  three 
3'ears  old,  his  parents  carne  to  Franklin  Coun- 
ty, and  settled  in  Goode  Township.  There 
subject  was  permitted  to  attend  school  but 
slightly,  but  since  coming  to  manhood's  estate 
he  has  taught  himself  He  early  commenced 
to  render  all  possible  assistance  to  his  father 


on  the  home  farm,  and  remained  with  the  lat- 
ter until  twenty-four,  and  then  on  a  rented 
farm  near  the  old  homestead  he  commenced 
life  for  himself  There  he  remained  three  years, 
and  then  came  to  Spring  Garden  Township, 
Jefferson  County;  he  settled  on  the  farm  which 
be  still  owns,  of  120  acres  in  Section  11,  of 
Township  4,  Range  3  east,  and  of  that  there 
are  about  110  acres  under  cultivation.  Sub- 
ject was  married,  October  25,  1860,  in  Jeti'ersou 
County,  to  Sarah  Farlow,  a  native  of  Spring 
Garden  Township,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Frances  (Williams)  Farlow;  the  father  was  a 
native  of  Maryland,  the  mother  of  Tennessee. 
This  lady  is  the  mother  of  seven  children,  and 
of  that  number  six  are  now  living — W.  H.,  G. 
B.,  C.  E.,  Rosa,  Lilly  B.  and  Daisy  E.  Mr. 
Marshall  is  a  member  of  the  Spring  Garden 
Baptist  Church.  Has  served  as  Township 
Trustee,  Justice,  Collector  and  School  Director. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Greenbacker. 

GABRIEL  PEAVLER,  farmer,  P.  0.  Spring 
Garden.  The  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch,  is  probably  one  of  the  oldest  set- 
tlers in  this  part  of  the  county.  He  was  born 
on  the  Holstein  River,  in  Sullivan  County, 
Tenn.,  January  27,  1813,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Margaret  (Steward)  Peavler.  The  parents 
were  both  born  in  Virginia,  the  father  of  Ger- 
man parents,  the  mother  of  Irish.  Our  subject 
was  the  youngest  of  four  children,  of  whom  two 
are  living — James,  in  Cooper  Count}-,  Mo.,  and 
Gabriel  Peavler.  When  about  seven  months 
old,  his  father  went  to  Norfolk,  Va.,  where  he 
enlisted  in  a  Virginia  regiment  being  formed 
to  fight  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812.  At 
that  time  the  city  of  Norfolk  itself  was  threat- 
ened, and  the  regiment  was  stationed  at  that 
point.  While  serving  at  his  post,  the  father 
was  stricken  with  an  epidemic  which  was  then 
raging  in  that  town,  and  died,  as  did  thousands 
of  his  comrades.  The  mother  also  died  when 
subject  was  about  five  years  old,  and  he  was 
;  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  world.     His  half  broth- 


SPRING   GARDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


107 


ers  helped  him  some,  however,  and  at  the  age 
of  twelve  3-ear.s  he  was  bound  out  to  a  man  bj- 
the  name  of  Allan,  at  Monticello,  Wayne  Co., 
Ky.,  and  under  him  subject  learned  the  trade 
of  making  and  laying  brick.  He  remained 
there  until  seventeen,  and  then  deciding  to  fol- 
low that  occupation  for  himself,  he  came  to 
Clark  County,  Ind.,  and  worked  for  some  time 
at  that  point.  Next  went  to  Bloomfleld,  Greene 
County,  and  from  there  to  Marion  County, 
when  Indianapolis  was  but  a  small  village,  and 
there  he  made  and  laid  liricks  on  the  State 
road  leading  from  that  point.  The  next  few 
years  were  spent  in  running  around  in  different 
points  in  Indiana  working  at  his  trade,  and 
tlien  made  Washington  County,  Ind.,  his  home. 
In  regard  to  his  education,  our  subject  never 
had  a  chance  to  go  to  school  but  about  a  month 
in  his  life,  but  after  he  had  settled  down  at  this 
point,  he  first  commenced  to  teach  himself,  and 
has  since  obtained  a  rather  fair  education. 
His  first  occupation  in  Washington  County 
was  that  of  farming,  and  followed  that  occupa- 
tion for  about  two  years  and  then  went  to 
Providence,  Clark  County,  and  there  opened  a 
grocery  store  which  he  conducted  for  nine 
months,  and  then  sold  that  out  and  opened  a 
dry  goods  store,  but  after  running  that  store 
six  months  at  that  point,  he  went  to  Pekin, 
Washington  County,  and  there  carried  on  the 
same  business.  Here  he  ran  a  store  for  three 
years,  and  then  turning  his  attention  again  to 
farming,  he  purchased  a  farm  near  that  town, 
which  he  operated  for  nine  years.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  farm  he  also  ran  a  store  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  neighbors.  In  1850,  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  first  settled  in  Clark  Coun- 
ty, where  he  both  farmed  and  carried  on  a 
store.  The  first  year  of  his  residence  there  he 
opened  up  and  put  under  cultivation  a  farm  of 
160  acres.  In  that  county  he  lived  six  years, 
and  then  came  to  Spring  Garden,  Jefferson 
County,  and  settled  on  his  present  farm.  Here 
he  now  owns  about  4.56  acres  in  Sections  22. 


23,  26  and  27;  has  about  370  acres  in  cultiva- 
tion— about  eight  acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Peav- 
ler  was  married,  November  27.  1834,  in  Wash- 
ington County,  Ind.,  to  Nancy  McKinney,  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Susannah  (Turner) 
McKinney.  natives  of  Virginia.  This  union 
resulted  in  twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are 
now  living — Dr.  J.  W.  (whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work),  born  July  20,  1840; 
Mary  Jane  (wife  of  J.  W.  Fitzgerald),  born 
December  31,  1842;  Henrietta  (wife  of  Will- 
iam H.  Dorr),  born  September  3,  1844;  W.  T. 
C.  mow  in  Huron,  Dakota  Territory),  October 
18,  1846;  Nancy  Frances  (wife  of  George  Will), 
October  20,  1858;  and  G.  N.  E.,  February  18, 
1862.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Spring 
Garden  Methodist  Episcopal  Church;  also  of 
Williams  Lodge,  No.  242,  I.  0.  0.  F.  In  poli- 
tics, is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Peavler  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

DR.  J.  W.  PEAVLER.  One  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful physicians  of  this  county  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  and  who 
was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ind.,  July  20, 
1840.  Our  subject  is  a  son  of  Gabriel,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and 
Nancy  (McKinney)  Peavler.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Teimessee,  the  mother  of  Washington 
County,  Ind.  Subject  was  the  tliird  of  twelve 
children,  and  of  that  number  six  are  now  living. 
When  two  years  old,  his  father  came  to  Clark 
County,  Ind.;  there  our  subject  was  first  per- 
mitted to  attend  school.  In  1856,  his  father 
came  to  Jefferson  County,  and  settled  in  Spring 
Garden  Township,  and  here  subject  attended 
school  until  eighteen,  and  then  taught  for  two 
years  in  that  township.  He  next  went  to 
Mount  Vernon,  where  he  read  medicine  with 
his  uncle,  Dr.  H.  J.  Peavler.  With  this  gentle- 
man he  remained  three  years,  and  then  went  to 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  Michigan  State 
University,  located  at  .\iin  Arbor,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1864.  He  immedi- 
ately located  at  Knob's   Prairie,    this   county, 


lOti 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


and  there  practiced  some  five  years.  From 
that  location  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  there 
practiced  for  about  one  year,  also  attending 
lectures.  He  next  came  to  his  present  location 
in  Spring  Garden  Township,  where  he  has  prac- 
ticed most  of  the  time  since,  except  in  1878, 
when  he  attended  the  American  Medical  Col- 
lege at  St.  Louis,  from  which  he  graduated,  and 
in  1879,  when  he  attended  the  Eclectic  Medical 
College,  Cincinnati,  and  also  graduated  from 
that  institution.  His  present  practice  extends 
over  a  large  portion  of  this  count}-  and  portions 
of  Franklin  Count}'.  The  Doctor  is  at  present 
a  member  of  the  Missouri  State  Medical  Soci- 
etj'.  Dr.  Peavler  was  married,  August  4,  18{)7, 
to  Victoria  Hagle,  a  daughter  of  John  ^X.  and 
Mabalia  Boswell  Hagle.  This  lady  is  a  native 
of  this  county,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  now  living — Eugene, 
Minnie,  Mazie,  Ethel  and  Harry.  Subject  is 
a  member  of  Williams  Lodge,  No.  242,  L  0.  0. 
F.,  of  Spring  Garden,  and  No.  765,  Ewing 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  politics,  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

DR.  J.  B.  SCARBOROUGH,  physician. 
Spring  Garden,  was  born  in  Ewing  Township, 
Franiilin  Count}-,  111.,  March  12,  1842,  and  is  a 
son  of  Dr.  Bennent  and  Allie  (Bennett)  Scar- 
borough. The  father  was  a  native  of  Wilson 
County,  Tenn.,  and  came  to  this  State  in 
1832.  The  mother  is  a  native  of  Posey  County, 
Ind.  Subject  was  the  third  of  five  children, 
and  was  permitted  to  attend  the  schools  of  his 
county  until  about  tweutj-,  and  then  the  Doctor 
commenced  reading  medicine  with  his  father. 
Remained  with  him  until  twenty-four,  reading 
and  assisting  the  elder  Scarborough  in  his 
practice.  Then  our  subject  tooli  up  his  chosen 
practice  for  himself  at  the  town  of  Macedonia, 
Franklin  County.  In  that  locality  he  only  re- 
mained about  six  months,  when  he  again  be- 
took himself  to  his  native  county,  and  there 
took  up  the  practice  of  his  father,  the  latter 
having   become  too  old    to   attend   to  it  (his 


death  subsequently  occurred  in  1879),  and  in 
that  localit}'  our  subject  remained  until  1873. 
In  that  year  he  removed  to  Ham's  Grove,  Pen- 
dleton Township,  this  county,  and  there  prac- 
ticed until  October,  1879,  when  he  came  to  his 
present  location  at  Spring  Garden.  In  this 
locality  he  now  has  a  practice  that  extends 
over  territory  which  lies  for  miles  north  and 
east  of  Spring  Garden,  and  where  he  has  tlie 
confidence  of  the  people  of  that  locality,  in 
Pendleton  Township.  Subject  was  married, 
September  20, 1865,  to  Miss  Ada  Yates,  a  native 
of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  the  daughter  of 
John  I.  and  Hannah  (Stewart)  Yates,  na- 
tives of  Maine,  but  settling  in  Ohio,  where  the 
father  died,  and  the  mother  married  Bennett 
Woodworth,  and  subsequentl}'  the  twain  came 
to  this  county  (in  1853),  and  settled  in  Moore's 
Prairie  Township,  where  they  have  subsequent- 
ly resided.  The  result  of  this  union  has  been 
three  children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living, 
Lizzie  (wife  of  Edgar  Bernard),  born  October 
20,  1866,  and  Ida  May,  born  July  22,  1870. 
Alice  was  born  December  17,  1868,  and  died 
July  24,  1869.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scarborough  and 
daughter  Lizzie  are  members  of  the  Metliodist 
Episcopal  Church,  ajid  he  is  a  member  of  Ham's 
Grove  Lodge,  No.  405,  I.  0.  0.  F.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Republican. 

BENJAMIN  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  0.  Spring 
Garden,  is  a  great-grandson  of  Alexander  and 
Joanna  Smith,  who  settled  in  North  Carolina. 
They  had  the  following  children  born  to  them 
in  Tyrrell  County,  that  State,  viz.:  Ann,  born 
February  6,  1771  ;  Joanna,  January  23,  1774  : 
Isaac,  January  19,  1779  ;  Ananias,  December 
12,  1780  ;  Zilpha,  April  10,  1782  ;  Euphemia, 
November  1,  1783  ;  Loef,  March  2,  1789  ; 
Azilla,  October  4,  1792 ;  and  Jose,  February 
12,  1797.  The  third  child  of  this  family,  Isaac, 
was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  This  child 
grew  to  manhood  in  North  Carolina,  and  there 
married  Millie  Hassle.  The  twain  came  to 
Tennessee,  and   settled  in    Hickman    County, 


SPRING  GARDEX  TOWNSHIP. 


109 


where   unto   (hem   were    born    nine   childrenj 
among  them  Anderson,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  was  born  Februarj-  6,  1811.  and  Jesse 
H.,  whose   sketch    appears  elsewhere   in    this 
work.     Isaac  came  to  this  countj'  with  his  fam- 
ily about  1829,  and  settled  in   Spring  Garden 
Township,    near    where    subject    now    resides, 
where  he  died  about  1850.     The  father  of  our 
subject  grew  to  manhood  in   this  county,  and 
married   a  Miss   Elizabeth   Hopper,  who    was 
born  in  Middle   Tennessee  January  28,  1811. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hopper,  who 
came  to  this  county  in  a  very  early  day,  prob- 
ably about  1820.     The  parents  of  our  subject 
also  settled  near  where  the  latter  now  resides, 
and  there  subject  was  born  August  29,  1838- 
The  parents  lived  in  this  county  until  a  ripe 
old  age.     The  mother  peacefully  passed  away 
March  22,  1870,  and  the  father,  who  for  fifteen 
years  before  his  death  had  been  Deacon  of  the 
Spring  Garden  Baptist    Church,  died    May  .3, 
1872.     Our  subject  attended  both  the  subscrip- 
tion and  free  schools  of  his  county  until  about 
twenty-one,  and   then  worked   at  home  about 
one  year,  and  then  located  on  his  present  farm, 
a  piece  of  land  that   liad   been  entered  by  his 
father,    and    of  whom   our   subject    afterward 
purchased  it.     He  now  owns  about  400  acres 
in  Sections  1,  2,  3  and  12,  of  Township  4,  Range 
3 east;  has  about  240   under  cultivation  and 
thirty   in   orchard.     Mr.    Smith    was  married, 
January    24,    1860,    to     Elizabeth     Shirley,    a 
daughter  of  Russell  and  Jinca  (Allan)  Shirley. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Hamilton  County, 
111.,  and  the   mother  of  Macon  County.  N.  C. 
The  result  of  this  union  has  been  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  nine  are  living — Isaac  N.,  born 
February  6,  1862  ;  George  H.,  May  19,  1863  ; 
Seth   T.,  June  7,  1805  ;  Charles  E.,  March  14, 
1869  ;  Judson  A.,  April   G,  1871  ;    Ellis  Lee, 
April  28,  1877  ;  Ollie  J.,  February  17,  1873  ; 
Ornie,  September  26.  1879  ;    Rado.    December 
19,  1881.     Of  the  deceased   children,  William 
D.   was  born    September    14.  1860,    and    died 


September  14,  1867  ;  Mary  F.,  born  May  2^ 
1867,  died  December  3,  1869  ;  and  an  infant 
born  April  28,  1877,  and  died  May  5  of  the 
same  year.  Our  subject  has  been  a  member 
of  the  County  Board  of  Supervisors,  also  served 
as  Road  Commissioner,  School  Director,  etc.  Is 
a  member  of  Ham's  Grove  Lodge,  No.  405,  I. 
0.  O.  F.;  has  served  in  the  different  offices  in 
that  organization,  and  is  now  Past  Grand  ;  has 
also  been  representative  two  years  at  the  Grand 
Lodge.  In  politics,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Grecnbacker. 
A.  J.  SWEETEN,  lawyer  and  school  teacher, 
Spring  Garden,  was  born  in  Franklin  County, 
111..  September  21, 1839.  and  is  a  son  of  Reuben 
and  Jane  (Isom)  Sweeten.  Subject  was  the 
second  of  three  children,  of  whom  two  are  now 
living — A.  J.  (our  subject)  and  John  R.,  in 
Franklin  County.  When  subject  was  two  years 
old,  his  father  moved  to  Jefferson  County,  and 
settled  in  Spring  Garden  Township.  Here  the 
father  remained  only  about  three  years,  and 
then  returned  to  Ewing  Township,  Franklin 
County.  Subject  attended  the  schools  of  that 
township,  and  in  1857  he  attended  for  a  short 
time  the  McKendree  College,  at  Carlyle,  Clinton 
Countv  ;  also  attended  the  high  schools  of  Mt. 
Vernon  and  Bentoii  prior  to  going  to  the  col- 
lege. In  the  winter  of  1857,  he  commenced  the 
occupation  of  teaching ;  his  first  school  was 
taught  in  Ewing  Township,  and  he  continued 
to  teach  thereuntil  1861.  In  1863,  he  com- 
menced teac'hing  in  Elk  Prairie  Township,  this 
county,  and  from  that  time  he  taught  each  con- 
secutive year  until  1881 .  He  then  came  to  this 
township  and  taught  one  school  in  the  town, 
and  in  1883  he  taught  in  this  township.  About 
1865,  Mr.  Sweeten  commenced  the  study  of 
law,  first  under  H.  M.  Williams,  of  Spring  Gar- 
den Township,  and  then  attended  Judge  A.  D. 
Duflf's  Law  School  in  Benton,  Franklin  County. 
March  19,  1870,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Jefferson  County,  and  since  that  has  followed 
his  profession  some  in  this  county.  In  1864, 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Elk  Prairie  Town- 


110 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


ship,  where  he  farmed  until  1881,  and  then 
moved  to  this  township,  and  now  owns  about 
eighty  acres  in  Section  18  of  Town  4,  Range  3 
east.  Subject  was  married,  August  7,  1864,  in 
Elk  Prairie  Township  to  Harriet  Jane  Kirk,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Phebe  Ann  (Cook)  Kirk, 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  This  lad}-  is  the 
mother  of  six  living  children — Margaret  Anui 
Calvin  M.,  Druzailla  J.,  James  R.  0.,  Quintilla 
0.  and  Arthur  C.  Subject  was  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war  ;  enlisted  August  15,  18G2,  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  Thomas  S.  Casey,  Company  T, 
Capt.  S.  G.  Dewitt.  and  was  out  nine  months. 
Was  wounded  January  1,  1863,  at  the  battle  of 
Stone  River,  and  was  subsequently  discharged 
for  disability  as  a  supernumerary  officer.  Mr. 
Williams  is  a  member  of  William's  Lodge,  No. 
242,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Spring  Garden  ;  served  in 
Ewing  and  Elk  Prairie  Townships  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  from  18.57  to  1867  ;  also  has  served  as 
Township  Collector  two  terms,  and  Township 
Trustee  eleven  years.  In  politics,  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

DR.  S.  L.  WILLIAMS,  physician.  Spring 
Garden,  was  born  in  Franklin  County,  111 , 
November  13,  1839.  Is  a  son  of  S.  M.  and 
Frances  (Shaw)  Williams.  The  father  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  January  28,  1792,  and 
emigrated  to  Franklin  County  in  1837,  and 
there  died  in  September,  1875.  The  mother 
was  also  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
died  in  Franklin  County  in  July,  1874.  Sub- 
ject was  next  to  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
fourteen  children,  and  of  this  number  seven 
are  living.  Subject's  education  was  received 
in  the  schools  of  Franklin  County.  Until 
twenty  four  3-ears  of  age,  he  remained  at  home 
with  his  father,  and  then  started  out  in  life  for 
himself  on  a  farm  in  that  county.  There  he 
remained  until  1865,  when  he  went  to  Cincin- 
nati, and  there  attended  the  Physio-Medical  Col- 
lege for  a  short  time.  From  that  institution 
he   returned  to  Franklin    County,    and    com- 


menced the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession. 
He  only  remained  there  a  short  time,  however, 
and  then  came  to  Spring  Garden  Township, 
where  he  has  since  built  up  quite  an  extensive 
practice.  Since  his  coming  to  this  count}-,  he 
has  been  here  all  the  time,  with  the  exception 
of  1878  and  1879,  when  he  attended  lectures 
in  the  St.  Louis  American  College,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1879.  The  Doctor 
was  married,  January  22,  1869,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet J.  Arnold,  a  native  of  Robertson  County, 
Tenn.,  and  a  daughter  of  James  M.  and  Nancy 
(Felse)  Williams.  This  union  has  resulted  in 
four  children,  of  whom  three  are  living — Hugh, 
Curtis  and  Alsa.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

G.  H.  WITMER.  salesman.  Spring  Garden. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
was  born  in  Washmgton  County,  Md.,  Novem- 
ber 13,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Elmer  and  Char- 
lotte (Huffman)  Witmer.  Our  subject  was  the 
youngest  of  two  children.  His  education  was 
received,  first  at  the  public  school  of  Hagers- 
town,  Washington  County,  and  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  he  took  a  preparatory  course  at  the 
Franklin  &  Marshal  Collegiate  Institute,  sit- 
uated at  Mercersburg,  Penn.  After  two  years' 
instruction  there,  our  subject  taught  for  a  year, 
after  which  he  went  to  Fort  Whipple,  Va., 
where  he  attended  the  United  States  Signal 
Service  School  of  Instruction.  At  that  point 
he  remained  until  summoned  to  Washington, 
where,  after  passing  a  creditable  examination, 
he  was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  there  he 
opened  the  first  Signal  Service  Bureau  ever  had 
at  that  point.  After  remaining  at  that  point 
about  five  months,  he  was  transferred,  upon  ap- 
plication, to  the  active  service,  and  was  stationed 
at  the  Department  of  Columbia,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Portland,  Ore.  In  the  emplo}-  of  the 
Government  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
applying  for  a  discharge,  which  was  granted, 
our  subject  returned  to  his  native  county  in 
Maryland,  where  he  aguin  turned  his  attention 


SPRING  GARDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


Ill 


to  teaching  After  teaching  one  terra  there, 
however,  he  was  offered  a  position  on  the  Dis- 
patch, at  Commerce,  Mo.,  and,  accepting  it,  went 
to  that  point.  But  owing  to  siclsness,  he  was. 
in  tlie  couise  of  three  or  four  months,  compelled 
to  resign  there  and  then  come  to  tiiis  point, 
where  he  fiirroed  for  a  year  ;'but  that  not  suit- 
ing his  taste,  he  again  betook  himself  to  his  na- 
tive town,  where  he  accepted  the  position  of  Waj-- 
bill  Clerk  for  the  Adams  Express  Company, 
and  then  in  due  course  of  promotion  was  trans- 
ferred to  Harrisburg,  Penn,,  where  he  assumed 
the  duties  of  Receiving  Clerk.  He  remained 
connected  with  that  company  but  about  one 
year,  when  his  health  again  failed  him  and  he 
was  compelled  to  resign  his  position.  From 
that  he  came  to  his  present  location,  where, 
after  teaching  one  term  in  the  schools  of  Spring 
Garden,  he  accepted  the  position  of  head  sales- 
man for  W.  H.  Barber,  in  which  capacity  he  is 
now  acting.  August  14,  1879,  he  was  married, 
in  Spring  Garden,  to  Miss  Rosa  Bernard,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  and  Maurice  (Hawkins)  Ber- 
nard, of  Spring  Garden.  This  lady  is  the 
mother  of  two  children — Edna  Earl  and 
Thomas  Bernard.  .Mr.  Witmer  is  a  member  of 
Williams  Lodge,  No.  242,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Spring 
Garden,  and  is  at  present  serving  as  Secretary 
for  that  organization.  Is  also  a  member  of  the 
Spring  Garden  Baptist  Church,  and  in  politics, 
is  a  Democrat. 


B.  F.  WHISSENHUNT,  farmer,  P.  0.  Spring 
Garden,  was  born  in  Middle  Tennessee  Jlay  21, 
1830  ;  is  a  son  of  Uriah  and  Dorcas  (Roach) 
Whissenhunt,  natives  of  that  State  ;  the  grand- 
parents, however,  came  from  Pennsylvania. 
Our  subject  was  the  only  ('iiild.  When  about 
one  year  old,  his  parents  came  to  MarioQ 
County,  111.,  where  they  remained  about  twelve 
years.  In  that  county  our  subject  attended  his 
first  school.  In  1843,  the  family  came  to  Jef- 
ferson County  and  settled  on  the  farm  where 
our  subject  now  lives,  where  the  mother  died  in 
1869,  the  father  in  18G0.  In  this  county  our 
subject  had  but  little  chance  to  attend  the  sub- 
scription schools,  and  consequently  his  educa- 
tion is  very  limited.  His  life  for  upward  of 
twenty  years  was  spent  at  home  with  his 
father,  a,nd  then  commenced  life  for  himself  on 
a  piece  of  Congress  land  which  his  father  en- 
tered for  him.  That  has  since  been  increased 
until  he  now  owns  about  160  acres  in  Sections 
2  and  3,  of  Town  4,  Range  3  east,  Mr.  Whis- 
senhunt was  married,  April  3,  1850,  to  Susan 
Book,  a  native  of  this  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Shelton)  Book,  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  tiie  mother  of 
North  Carolina,  This  marriage  resulted  in 
nine  children,  and  of  that  number  two  are  liv- 
ing— Ellen  Catherine,  wife  of  George  Harveil, 
and  George  Washington,  Is  a  member  of 
Moore's  Prairie  Baptist  Church,  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Democrat, 


GRAND  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


JAMES  C,  BALDRIDGE,  farmer  P,  O. 
Centralia,  was  born  in  Rutljerford  County, 
N.  C,  December  10,  1811,  a  son  of  Dornton 
and  Mary  (Boggs)  Baldridge,  both  natives 
of  North  Carolina.  They  resided  in  Rufhor- 
■ford  County  till  November,  1820,  when  they 


came  <o  Jefferson  County,  where  they  resided 
until  his  death,  except  for  a  few  years  across 
the  line  in  Marion  County.  He  died  Janu- 
ary 14,  1832.  at  about  forty-live  years  of 
age.  His  wife  was  afterward  married  to 
Matthew  Cunningham,  au  old  settler  of  thia 


na 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


county,  removing  to  Marion  County,  where 
she  died.  Mr.  Baldi-idge  was  the  father  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  now  living — James  C. ,  Joseph 
and  Thomas;  Mrs.  Jane  Porter,  widow  of 
William  Porter;  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Baltzell, 
wife  of  George  Baltzell.  The  subject  of  our 
sketch  was  reared  in  this  county,  receiving 
such  an  education  as  could  be  obtained  at 
the  schools  of  that  day.  July  20,  1832,  he 
was  married  in  Marion  County  to  Margaret 
Kaney,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  daughter 
of  Matthew  Raney.  She  died  October  3, 
1845.  She  was  the  mother  of  six  childi-en, 
three  of  wliom  are  now  living — Sally  A., 
wife  of  Owen  Breeze;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Zadok 
Jennings;  and  James  C,  of  Jerseyville,  a 
minister  and  farmer.  Two  children  died  in 
youth,  and  one — Samuel  R. —  died  in  the 
army,  Company  H,  Eightieth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  Mr.  Baldridge  was  mar- 
ried again,  January  8,  1846,  to  Mrs.  Tabitha 
Casey,  widow  of  Isaac  Casey  and  daughter  of 
Robert  White.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
South  Carolina,  and  came  to  Madison  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  1810,  and  July  10,  1811,  Mrs. 
Baldridge  was  born  in  Chamber's  Fort.  Her 
mother,  Sai-ah  Holt,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  but  was  married  in  Georgia.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Baldridge  have  had  four  children, 
two  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz. ,  Joseph  D. 
and  George  P.,  both  farmers  in  this  county. 
Immediately  after  his  first  marriage,  Mr. 
Baldridge  settled  on  his  present  farm, 
where  he  has  lived  ever  since;  his  occupa- 
tion has  always  been  that  of  farming  and 
stock-raising.  His  farm  now  consists  of 
over  500  acres.  In  politics,  Mr.  Baldridge  is 
Republican,  but  has  taken  no  part  in  polit- 
ical life. 

C.  W.  BEAL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Irvington, 
was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  July  26, 
1838,    to    Jacob    and  Catherine    (Claymann) 


Beal.  He  was  born  in  1801  and  died  in 
1881.  In  1840,  he  came  to  America  with 
his  family  and  settled  in  Lehigh  County, 
Penn..  where  they  remained  till  our  subject 
was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  they 
removed  to  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  and  in 
1857,  our  subject  came  to  this  township  and 
has  made  this  his  home  since.  August  15. 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eleventh 
Illinois  Voluuteer  Infantry,  Capt.  George  C. 
McKee,  Col.  W.  H.  Wallace.  He  served  in 
the  engagements  of  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
was  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  for  forty-seven 
days,  and  with  Sherman  on  the  Mississippi 
campaign.  After  serving  three  years  in  the 
army,  he  again  returned  to  this  county  and 
has  been  engaged  as  a  farmer  since.  His 
farm  contains  160  acres.  On  this  he  does 
general  farming  and  fruit  growing.  On  his 
farm  also  is  a  quarry  of  splendid  sandstone. 
September  30,  1866,  he  was  married  in  this 
county  to  Miss  Ellen  J.  Fry.  She  was  born 
in  this  township  October  18,  1849,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Dellenger)  Fry.  He 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1806;  she  in 
1818.  He  died  in  1877,  April  4,  in  this 
county,  whither  he  had  moved  in  1844:  she 
still  survives.  Of  their  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, only  three  are  living,  viz.,  John, 
Zachariah  and  Mrs.  Beal.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Beal  have  four  children  living  and  one  dead, 
viz.,  David  E.,  Sadie  J.,  Charles  W.,  Fred- 
die, and  Ole,  deceased.  In  politics,  Mr.  Beal 
is  a  Republican. 

HENRY  BREEZE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Irving- 
ton,  was  born  in  Orange  County,  Ind.,  No- 
vember 23,  1823,  to  Robert  and  Margaret 
(Copple)  Breeze,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  North  Carolina  -he  of  Orange  County, 
she  of  Rowan  County.  He  in  early  life  had 
been  apprenticed  to  a  hatter  in  his  native 
State,  but  at  the  age  of  seventeen  ran  off  and 
came   to    Crab    Orchard,  Kv.,  and  for  some 


GRAND  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


113 


years  followed  the  river,  but  in  IS  10  was 
married  in  Clark  County,  Ind. ,  to  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  and  after  that,  made 
farming  his  occnpatiou.  being  quite  success- 
ful. He  was  in  the  Indian  war  under  Cien. 
Harrison,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Tippeca- 
noe. In  1827,  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
this  county,  and,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years  he  resided  in  Washington  County, 
made  this  his  home  till  the  time  of  his 
death.  December  8,  1802,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  She  died  in  1875,  also  eighty- 
four  years  of  age.  In  politics,  he  was  a 
Whig  and  then  a  strong  Union  man,  and 
when  the  war  bi-oke  out,  although  over  eighty 
years  of  age  and  feeble,  he  wanted  to  do 
his  part,  so  wrote  to  Col.  S.  G.  Hicks,  of  the 
P'ortieth,  asking  if  there  was  |,not  something 
he  could  give  him  to  do.  ^^  hile  still  in  In- 
diana, he  and  wife  joined  the  Christian 
Church  and  were  active  members  of  the 
church  till  the  time  of  their  deaths.  At  his 
house,  probably  the  first  Christian  Church 
was  organized  in  the  county,  by  Rev.  David 
R.  Chance  and  Rev.  William  Chaffen,  of 
Marion  County.  He  afterward  deeded  the 
land  to  the  church  where  Little  Grove  Chris- 
tian Church  now  stands.  The  followiug  are 
the  names  of  his  children:  Richard,  Jacob 
(deceased),  Elizabeth  (deceased),  wife  of 
Crittenden  Anderson;  John  (deceased),  Owen, 
Hannah  (deceased),  wife  of  Rev.  John  A. 
Williams;  Robert,  Henry,  James  (de- 
ceased), Jonathan,  Margai'et  (deceased),  wife 
of  Alexander  Bundy;  Catherine,  wife  of 
George  Fonts;  Mary,  widow  of  Jacob  San- 
ders; Nancy  (deceased),  wife  of  Samuel 
Bundy  (deceased).  Our  subject  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  then  came  to  his  present  farm  and  be- 
gan its  improvement.  His  farm  now  con- 
tains 180  acres  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
Mr.  Breeze  has  always  taken  an  active   part 


in  political  matters,  and  has  been  honored 
with  various  township  and  county  offices. 
He  was  one  of  the  committee  who  attended 
to  the  building  of  the  present  county  court 
house.  Since  March  ID,  1851, he  has  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  1876,  he  was 
nominated  by  the  Greenback  j)arty  to  repre- 
sent his  district  in  the  State  Legislature, 
and  carried  his  own  county  by  a  large  ma- 
jority, but  was  defeated  in  the  district  by  a 
few  votes.  For  thirty-two  yeai's,  Mr.  Breeze 
has  been  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  A.,  F.  &  A.  M,  Irving- 
ton  Lodge.  He  is  a  m  jmber  of  the  Christian 
Church.  October  28,  1847,  he  was  married 
to  Catherine  Casey,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Casey,  Sr.  She  died  December  3,  1801,  and 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living,  viz.,  Ellen,  wife  of 
Jacob  Deal;  Robert  M. ;  Harriet;  Ida,  wife 
of  William  Jollififf  and  Mary.  December  11, 
1866,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Martha  .J. 
(Taylor)  Wayman,  widow  of  M.  Wayman  and 
daughter  of  James  W.  Taylor,  who  was  a 
native  of  Georgia,  but  came  to  Marion 
County,  111.,  in  1818.  By  her  first  husband, 
Mi's.  Breeze  had  four  children,  viz.,  Willis, 
Jasper,  Wiley,  and  Margaret  I.,  wife  of 
Lewis  Breeze.  By  her  present  husband,  she 
has  two  childrea,  viz.,  Samuel  H.  aad  Jacob  S. 
SAMUEL  COPPLE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wal- 
nut Hill,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  III., 
July  16,  1837,  a  son  of  William  and  Abbie 
(Hanloy)  Copplo.  Both  were  born  in  In- 
diana and  came  to  this  State  at  an  early 
date.  He  died  in  Walnut  Hill  Prairie,  Oc- 
tober, 1875;  she  is  still  living  on  the  old 
homestead.  To  them  eleven  children  were 
born,  five  of  whom  still  sm-vive — Mary,  wife 
of  John  Due,  of  Missouri;  Levi;  Susan,  wife 
of  Charles  Simmons;  Harvey  and  Samuel. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and 
educated  in  thi.«  county,  and  has  made  it  bis 


114 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


home  all  his  life.  His  occupation  has  been 
that  of  farmer  and  fruit  raiser.  August  15, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eleventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  Capt.  George 
C.  McKee,  Col.  W.  H.  L.  Wallace.  He 
served  for  three  years  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Vicksburg.  August,  1864.  He  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  siege  of  Vicksburg. 
aad  for  nine  months  before  his  discharge 
had  been  doing  detail  work  at  ordnance  de- 
partment, Vicksburg.  In  September,  1882,  he 
came  to  his  present  fruit  farm  of  forty-three 
and  one  half  acresjbesides  forty  in  timber  and 
ten  in  orchards.  He  was  married,  in  1857, 
to  Sarah  A.  Bradford,  daughter  of  Avery 
Bradford.  She  died  in  July,  1869,  leaving 
two  children — Marion  and  Minnie.  He  was 
married,  November,  1869,  to  Luan'  a 
Moore,  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  Moore,  and  to 
them  were  born  three  children— Charity  E. , 
Wily  D.  and  Ella  A  Mr.  Copple  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.      In  politics,  he  is  a  Eepublican. 

EDMUND  COPPLE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ir- 
vington,  was  bora  in  Clark  County,  Ind. ,  Oc- 
tober 12,  1828,  to  David  and  Lovina  (Huck- 
leberry) Copple.  He  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  but  came  to  Indiana  when 
young.  She  was  born  in  Indiana.  Both 
died  in  Marion  County,  111.,  where  they  had 
settled  in  aboLit  1882.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children,  eleven  of  whom 
lived  to  be  grown.  He  served  in  the  Indian 
war  under  Gen.  Harrison.  Our  subject  was 
reared  in  Marion  County,  III.,  receiving  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  His  oc- 
cupation has  been  that  of  a  farmer.  In  1852, 
he  came  to  his  pres'snt  farm,  which  contains 
258  acres  and  is  well  improved.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Mariun  County,  111.,  in  1853,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Barcmau.  She  was  born  in  Indiana, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Christina  (Huckle- 
berry) Barcman,    who   were  the  parents    of 


nine  children,  eight  of  whom  still  survive. 
Mr.  aud  Mrs  Copple  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Chtirch,  and  in  politics 
he  is  a  Greenbacker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Copple 
have  the  folio  wing  named  children:  Lucy 
L.  (deceased),  wife  of  Albert  Copple;  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  Adolphus  Allcorn;  Effie  J.,  wife 
of  Alexander  West;  John  W. ;  Tenie  D.,  wife 
of  Charles  Copple,  and  Isaac  W.  (twins); 
Edmund  D..  Harriot  N.  and  Orrie. 

WILLIAM  L.  FISHER,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Irvington,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind., 
September  7,  1830,  a  son  of  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Fonts)  Fisher.  She  was  born  in  In- 
diana, a  sister  of  David  Fonts,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  work.  John  Fisher  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  but  came  to  In- 
diana when  small.  His  occupation  was  that 
of  farming.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Clark  County,  he  at 
eighty  years  of  age,  she  at  fifty  eight.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  took  an  ac- 
tive part  in  local  afiairs.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Uni versallst  Church.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  viz. :  William  L. ; 
Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Alexander  Work;  James 
L.  (deceased),  Isabelle  (deceased),  Jacob  H., 
John  A.,  Andrew  M.  and  Mollie.  Our  sub 
ject  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Clark  County.  He 
came  to  this  county  in  1857,  and  in  1859 
settled  on  his  present  farm  of  200  acres, 
which  was  then  unimproved,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  grain  and  stock  raising.  He 
was  married,  in  September,  1859,  to  Jane 
Boles,  daughter  of  Hugh  Boles.  She  died 
in  April,  1861,  leaving  one  child— Jennie. 
He  was  again  married,  in  1863,  to  Margaret 
Baird,  a  native  of  Madison  County,  III,  and 
daughter  of  Samuel  Baird.  Seven  children 
are  the  result  of  this  union — Erman,  Cyn- 
thia, Ollie,  Carrie,  Laura,  Wilbur  and  Har- 
land.      Mr.  Fisher  is  a  member  of  A.,  F.  & 


GRAND  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


lis 


A.  M.,  Irviugton  Lodge,  No.  050.  In  poli- 
tics lie  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  various 
township  offices. 

DA.VID  FOUTS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Irvington, 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind,,  November 
3,  1820,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Uougan) 
Fonts,  both  natives  of  North  Carolina,  she 
being  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Dougan,  a  Col- 
onel in  the  Kevolutionary  army  under  Mar- 
ion. She  was  born  in  1788,  and  died  at 
Irvington,  111.,  1868.  He  was  born  to 
Quaker  parents  in  178'2,  and  died  in  1860  in 
Indiana.  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Jacob  Fonts  were 
married  in  North  Carolina  in  1807,  and  in 
1808  landed  in  the  present  State  of  Indiana 
and  settled  within  one  mile  of  Indian  camps. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  sous  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  reached  maturity, 
and  six  still  survive.  Our  subject  was  reared 
on  the  farm  in  Clark  County,  and  obtained 
such  an  education  as  the  schools  then  af- 
forded. Till  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of 
age,  he  remained  on  the  fai-m,  but  from 
1847  till  1855,  he  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  New  Washington,  Ind., 
but  on  account  i>f  failing  health  closed  out 
business  and  came  to  this  county  to  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  400  acres.  He  remained  on 
that  farm  till  1866,  when  he  moved  to  Ir- 
vington and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, continuing  till  1873,  when  he  again 
came  to  the  farm  and  has  since  remained  on 
it.  January  3,  1850,  he  was  married  in  In- 
diana to  Elizabeth  J.  Gudgel.  She  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  county  as  her  husband,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Allen  and  Rebecca  (Rob 
ertson)  Gudgel.  He  died  when  Mrs.  Fouts 
was  only  about  one  year  of  age.  Her  mother 
is  still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fonts  have 
two  children  living  and  two  dead,  viz. : 
Jacob  O.  and  Belle  R.,  living;  Mary  F.  (de- 
ceased), wife  of  Charles  K.  Smith;  and 
Emma  J.  (deceased).      In    politics,  he    is    a 


Republican.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  but  has  always  lived  a  moral,  up- 
right life. 

DAVID  P.  FOUTS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ir- 
vington, was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1845.  He  is  a  son  of  Lemon  and 
E valine  V.  (Reid)  Fouts,  both  natives  of  In- 
diana. They  came  to  this  county  in  1846,  set- 
tling on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  our  sub- 
ject, where  his  mother  died  when  he  was 
quite  small.  His  father  now  resides  in  Ir- 
vington, where  for  years  he  was  Postmaster 
and  in  mercantile  business,  from  which  he 
has  now  retired.  In  politics,  he  is  Repub- 
lican, but  has  never  taken  part  in  political 
life.  He  organized  Companj  H  of  the 
Eightieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
was  elected  Captain,  but  through  exposure  at 
Central  City,  was  taken  si  k  and  never  went 
to  the  field.  His  family  by  his  first  wife 
consisted  of  six  children,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living — Mary  D.  (wife  of  Joseph  Por- 
ter), David  P.,  John  H.,  Evaline  V.  (wife 
of  John  M.  Breeze),  and  Cynthia  H.  (wife  of 
Joseph  D.  Baldridge).  Our  subject  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  has  made  it  his  home 
all  his  life,  except  one  season.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  this  county,  September  9,  1869,  to 
Rebecca  E.  Baldridge,  daughter  of  Alexan- 
der Baldridge  and  Evaline  (West)  Bald- 
ridge, both  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fonts 
have  six  children  living — Lemon  A.,  David 
A.,  Cora  E.,  Lula  A.  and  _Lela  E.  (twins), 
and  Daisie  I.  and  one  son  deceased.  Farm- 
ing and  stock  dealing  has  been  his  occupa- 
tion. Mr.  Fouts  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  his  wife  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal. In  politics,  he  votes  the  Republican 
ticket,  but  takes  little  part!  in  political  life. 

WILLIAM  M.  GALBR.ilTH.  fruit-grow- 
er, P.  O.  Walnut  Hill,  was  born  in  Mount 
Vernon,  Jefferson  County,  111.,  December  23, 
1826,  Sun  of  John  S.  Galbraith,  a  native  of 


IIB 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


Tennessee,  but  came  to  this  county  in  1825, 
and  died  here  in  1868.  He  was  married  in 
Tennessee  to  the  mother  of  our  subject  and 
by  her  had  two  sons,  viz.,  James  M.,  of 
Villa  Ridge,  111.,  and  William  M.  Mrs. 
Galbraith  died  in  this  county  during  the  in- 
fancy of  William  M.  Mi-.  Galbraith  was 
again  married--lo33 — and  had  a  family  of 
four  sons  and  one  daughter.  His  occupa- 
tion was  that  of  farmer  and  horticulturist. 
He  had  one  of  the  first  budded  fruit  orchards 
in  Southern  Illinois,  and  to  his  industry  and 
success  as  a  fruit  grower  can  now  be  attributed 
much  of  the  success  which  this  county  has 
attained  in  fruit  growing.  He  was  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  was  one  of  the 
stockholders  of  the  lirst  Republican  paper  in 
Mount  Vernon.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  a  thorough 
temperance  man.  Our  subject  was  reared  in 
this  county,  receiving  such  an  education  as 
the  common  schools  afforded.  When  twenty- 
tv?o  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Wayne  County, 
and  for  some  years  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Johnsonville.  When  the 
civil  war  broke  out,  he  responded  to  his  coun- 
try's call,  enlisting  in  Company  I,  Forty- 
eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
mustered  in  as  Quartermaster  Sergeant  and 
was  promoted  successively  to  the  Second  and 
First  Lieutenancy,  and  then  to  Quartermas- 
ter of  the  regiment.  He  remained  in  the 
service  till  August,  1865,  when  they  were 
mustered  out  at  Little  Rock.  After  return  - 
in2  from  the  service,  he  again  entered  the 
mercantile  business  at  Johnsonville,  contin- 
uing in  the  same  for  two  years.  Then  for 
one  year  was  in  Cairo,  and  in  1868  came  to 
his  present  farm  of  136  acre.s,  and  began  its 
improvement,  it  being  all  growing  in  brush,  etc. 
He  has  since  been  engaged  in  raising  small 
fruits,  apples,  etc.  July  16,  1865, he  was  mar- 
ried in  this  county  to  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Casey, 


daughter  of  Rev.  Abraham  T.  Casey  and  Vy- 
linda  (Maxey)  Casey.  This  union  has  been 
blest  with  the  following  childi-en:  John  and 
Charles.  He  and  wife  have  been  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  years. 
In  politics,  he  is  Independent,  not  voting  for 
the  party  but  for  the  man.  Rev.  Abraham 
T.  Casey  was  born  in  Barren  County,  Ky., 
July  29,  1798,  and  in  infancy  came  with  his 
parents  to  Illinois,  and  in  1817  to  Jefferson 
County,  111.  He  was  converted  when  only 
twelve  years  of  age.  August  28,  1824,  he 
was  licensed  as  a  local  minister,  and  in  1833 
was  ordained  Elder.  In  1819,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Vylinda  Maxey,  daughter  of  William 
Maxey.  She  was  born  December  31,  1803. 
They  were  the  parents  of  one  son — Lafay- 
ette--and  SIX  daughters — Harriet  (deceased), 
Bell  and  Catherine  (twins),  Sarah  (deceased), 
Elizabeth,  and  Martha  (deceased).  Mr. 
Casey  carried  the  first  temperance  pledge  in 
this  county.  He  died  September  14,  1834. 
Mrs.  Casey  remained  a  widow  till  the  time 
of  her  death,  March  26,  1883. 

JOHN  W.  HAILS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Rich- 
view,  was  born  in  Sumner  County,  Tenn., 
March  19,  1823.  His  parents  were  Thomas 
and  Sarah  (Justice)  .Hails,  his  father  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina  and  his  mother  of 
Virginia.  Previous  to  their  marriage,  they 
had  moved  to  Tennessee,  and  in  1827  came  to 
Illinois,  settling  in  Jefferson  County,  near 
Mount  Vernon,  where  they  lived  until  their 
death.  His  occupation  was  that  of  farming, 
making  his  home  on  the  wild  prairie,  with 
Indians  camping  near.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still 
living.  He  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  and 
fought  with  Gen.  Jackson  at  New  Orleans. 
Both  wei-e  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  and  had  been  since  early  life. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  the 
farm  and  educated  in  the  log  schoolhouses  of 


GRAND  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


117 


the  day.  When  he  reached  his  majority,  he 
began  life  as  a  farmer,  and  has  follownd  the 
same  occupation  to  the  present  time,  being 
engaged  in  stock-raising  in  connection  with 
his  farm.  When  he  left  the  old  home,  he  came 
to  his  present  farm  and  began  to  improve  it. 
He  has  now  a  well-cultivated  farm  of  330  acres, 
and  besides  this  has  deeded  to  his  children 
360  acres.  In  politics,  he  still  holds  to  the 
opinions  of  his  fathers.  He  has  held  various 
township  offices,  and  is  now  tilling  the  posi- 
tion of  Highway  Commissioner.  He  and  his 
wife  are  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  (South).  He  was  married, 
August  8,  1848,  to  Annis  M.  Casey,  daughter 
of  F.  S.and  grand-daughter  of  Abram  Casey. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hails  have  one  child,  dead, 
and  eleven  living — Narcissus  C.  (deceased), 
Thomas  F.,  Alfred  M.,  Zadok  C,  Sarah, 
Harriet  J.,  Ellen,  Ida  P.,  Mary,  Charles, 
John  and  Samuel  T. — all  living  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood. 

WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Centralia,  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind., 
December  4,  1822.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Millie  (Bower)  Johnson;  he  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  she  of  North  Carolina.  They 
came  to  Indiana  about  1808,  where  they 
died,  he  in  1836,  she  in  May,  1839.  They 
had  nine  children,  eight  sons  and  onedaugh 
ter.  seven  of  whom  are  still  living.  Our  sub- 
ject was  reared  in  Clark  County,' Ind.,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1850  came  to  this  county.  In 
1847,  he  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  war.  Com- 
pany B,  Fifth  Indiana  Regiment,  under 
Col.  James  Lane,  and  served  nine  months, 
when  the  war  'closed.  September  28,  1854, 
he  was  married  in  Indiana  to  Sarah  B.  Rog- 
ers. She  was  born  in  Clark  County.  Ind.,  a 
daughter  of  Archibald  A.  Rogers,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  Mi-s.  Johnson  died  April 
22,  1858;  she  was  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, one  of   whom  is  still  living,  viz.,  John 


A.,  of  Nebraska.  Mr.  Johnson  was  again 
married,  in  ISaU,  to  Susan  A.  Beadles.  She 
was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind.,  but  came  to 
this  State  when  six  years  of  age.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Richard  F.  Beadles.  There  is 
one  son — William  R. —  by  this  marriage.  In 
the  fall  of  1854,  Mr.  Johnson  moved  to  his 
present  farm  of  200  acres.  He  has  a  splendid 
rock  quarry  on  his  farm,  and  furnishes  stone 
for  different  localities.  He  and  his  wife  are 
both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES  D.  KELL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wal- 
nut Hill,  was  born  on  his  present  farm, 
April  24,  1859,  son  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Baldridge)  Kell.  he  born  in  North  Carolina 
and  the  son  of  Thomas  Kell.  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  this  county;  she  a  sister  of  James 
C.  Baldridge.  whose  sketch  appears  in  this 
work.  They  settled  the  farm  now  owned  V>y 
our  subject,  but  both  died  at  Walnut  Hill, 
Marion  County,  he  in  1873,  she  in  1875. 
The}'  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
three  of  whom  still  survive,  viz.,  D.  T>.  Kell, 
of  Walnut  Hill;  Margaret  M.  (wife  of  James 
L.  Patton),  and  Charles  D.  Kell.  For  some 
years  his  occupation  was  that  of  farmer;  he 
then  removed  to  Walnut  Hill  and  engaged 
in  the  milling  and  mercantile  business,  and 
in  his  business  was  a  successful  man.  In  pol- 
itics, he  was  a  Republican.  Our  subject  was 
reared  in  this  and  Marion  Counties,  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Wal- 
nut Hill  and  in  Irvington  College.  Since 
embarking  in  life  for  himself,  he  has  fol- 
lowed different  employments.  One  year  he 
rented  and  ran  the  mill  at  Walnut  Hill;  then 
for  two  years  was  in  mercantile  business,  but 
in  1882  came  to  this  farm,  which  contains 
28Q  acres  of  land.  In  connection  with  his 
farming,  Mr.  Kell  also  gives  some  attention 
to  the  growing  of  fruits,  and  in  1883,  from 
one  acre  of  strawberries,  cleared  $430.    Jan- 


118 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


narj-  13.  1881,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  E. 
Foust,  daughter  of  Reuben  Foust,  a  success- 
ful fruit  grower  of  this  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kell  have  one  child— Clara.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Republican. 

CHARLES    DULLER,   farmer,   P.  O.  Ir- 
vington,  was  boin  in  Prussia  September  28, 
1821.     He  is  the  son  of  Hemy  Miller,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in    1835,    settling 
first  in  St.  Clair  County,  then  in  Washington 
County,  where    he    died    in  1856.      His  iirst 
wife  died  in  Germany,  and  of   her  children, 
two  daughters  and  one  son,  our  snljject,  still 
survive.      Before  leaving  Germany,  Mr.  Mil- 
ler was  again    married.     The  subject  of  our 
sketch  was  reared    on    his    father's  farm,  re- 
ceiving his  education   in   th«  schools  of  his 
native  land,    except    the    English    language, 
which   he  taught    himself.      His  occupation 
has  always    been    that   of  farming,    first    in 
Washington  County,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1867,  when  he  bought    his    present  farm 
of  300  acres  of  Owen  Breeze,  paying  $12,000, 
this  being  one  of  the  largest  sales  ever  made 
in  the  county  up  to  that  time.     He  was  mar- 
ried. December    19,    1843,    to   Hannah    Mc- 
Bride,  who   was    born  February  23,  1819,  a 
daughter  of  Hugh  and  Elizabeth  (Rule)  Mc- 
Bride.     He  was  a   native   of    Pennsylvania, 
his  wife  of  Virginia;  they    were  married  in 
Tennessee   and   came  to  Washington  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  the  fall  of  1837.      They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  Mrs.  Miller  lieing 
the  youngest  and  the  only    one  now   living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  four   children  liv- 
ing and  one   dead,  viz.,  Francis  M.,  John  Q. 
M.  (died,   November  26,  1868),   Charles  M., 
William  A.  and  Emeline.    F.  M.  is  a  farmer 
in  the  county;    Charles  M.  is    a    doctor  at 
Brimfield;  William  A.  is  a  farmer  in  Marion 
County.     In  politics'  he  is  a  Republican. 

ESSEX  PAYNE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Richview. 
Among    the  most   thrifty  farmers    in    Grand 


Prairie  Township,  who  have  made  for  them- 
selves pleasant  homes  in  the  heretofore  wilder- 
ness, we  find  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch.     He  was  born  near  Mount  Ver- 
non January  31,  1840,    to   Joseph  and  Har- 
riet (Stanford)  Payne.    They  were  natives  of 
Smith  County,  Tenn.,  and  came   to  Jefterson 
County,    111.,  about    1835,  and  died    in    the 
county,  he  at  the  age  of    seventy-two  years, 
and  she  at  seventy-four.    His  occupation  was 
that  of  farming.     They  reared  to  maturity  a 
family  of  seven  children,  three  of  whom  still 
survive,  viz.,  J.  H.,  Essex   and  J.  T.     They 
were  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Ejiisco- 
pal  Church.    In  politics,  he  was  Democratic. 
Our    subject's    early    life    was  spent  on  the 
farm  and  in  attending  the  common  schools 
of   the    county.     In    1862,    he    came    to  his 
present    farm,  which  then  had  none    of   the 
splendid    improvements    it    now    has.       His 
farm  contains  240  acres,  and  on  this  he  does 
general    farming  and  stock-raising.     August 
10,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Miss   Margaret 
E.  Casey,  daughter  of  Maj.  F.  S.  Casey  (de- 
ceased).    This  union  has  been  blest  with  five 
children,  viz.,  Martha,  Mary,  Horatio,  Cora 
I.  and  Joseph  F.      In  politics,  Mr.  Payne  is 
Democratic.       He    and  wife    are    connected 
with  the  Methodist   Episcopal  Church. 

J.  W.  PORTER,  farmer,  P.  O.  Centralia. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  111. ,  March  16,  1838,  to  James 
and  Sarah  (Baldridge)  Porter;  she  is  a  sister 
of  James  C.  Baldridge  (see  sketch).  He  was 
a  native  of  North  Caro^na,  but  came  to  this 
county  when  small,  and  died  here  in  1850. 
She  it,  still  living  and  is  the  wife  of  George 
Baltzell,  of  Centralia.  Our  subject  is  one  of 
a  family  of  six  children,  viz.,  William  C, 
Joseph  W.,  Martha,  James  M.  and  Julia. 
Only  the  two  eldest  now  survive.  James  was 
lost  during  the  battle  of  Perryville.  Mr.  Por- 
ter's   life,  with  the  exception  of   two  years. 


FIELD  TOWNSHIP. 


119 


has  been  spent  in  this  county.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  has  always 
been  engaged  in  farming,  except  for  two  years 
he  was  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Walnut 
Hill,  111.  November  28,  1860,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  D.  Fouts.  She  was  born  in 
Clark  County,  Ind.,  but  came  to  this  couaty 
when  small.  Her  father.  Lemon  Fouts,  is 
now  a  resident  of  Irvingtou.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Porter  have  three  children  living  and  one 
dead,  viz.,  Sherman  S.,  James  E.,  Walter 
P.,  and  Sarah  E.  (deceased).  Mr.  Porter  has 
been  on  his  present  farm  of  300  acres  since 
marriage,  and  has  always  had  to  depend 
upon  his  own  energy  to  make  a  success.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 

THOMAS  L.  RATTS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Jr- 
vington.  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ind., 
November  27,  1830,  to  Jacob  and  Cynthia 
(Fouts)  Ratts.  He  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina in  1806;  she  in  Indiana  in  1810,  Jacob 
being  only  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his 
father  went  to  Indiana.  Jacob  and  wife 
were  married  December  25,  1828,  and  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  sis  of  whom 
still  survive,  viz.,  Thomas  L.,  David  F., 
Malinda  E.  (deceased),  Mary  E.,  Sarah  J., 
Henry  H.,  Margaret  and  Evalino.  Since 
going  to  Indiana,  his  occupation  has  been 
that  of  farming,  but  in  early  life  he  learned 


the  hatter's  trade.  In  politics,  ho  is  a  strong 
Republican.  For  many  years  he  was  a  Dea- 
con in  the  Christian  Church,  but  when  about 
sixty-five  years  of  age  changed  to  the  belief 
of  the  Universalist  Church.  Our  subject  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  the  county. 
He  remained  at  home  till  his  marriage, 
March  30,  1854,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Grisamore. 
She  was  born  November  27,  1832,  in  Clark 
('ounty,  Ind.,  to  John  and  Rebecca  (Henley; 
Grisamore.  He  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, she  of  North  Carolina.  Both  were 
born  in  1806,  and  were  early  settlers  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.,  and  for  some  years  have  been 
residents  of  Irvington,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ratts  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  still  survive- -Mary  E.  (deceased), 
Ida  E.  (wife  of  William  F.  Copple),  John 
H.,  J.  Oscar,  David  G.,  Rebecca  J.,  Cynthia 
E.  and  Thomas  L.  In  1851,  Mr.  Ratts  came 
to  this  county  and  settled  on  his  present 
farm,  which  now  contains  482  acres,  400  of 
which  are  in  good  state  of  ,cultivation.  He 
is  engaged  in  farming,  stock-dealing  and 
fruit-growing.  He  is  a  member  of  A.,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Irvington  Lodge,  No.  650.  He  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco 
pal  Church,  and  have  been  since  before  mar- 
riage. In  politics,  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  held  the  various  town- 
ship offices.  Supervisor,  etc. 


FJELD  TOWNSHIP. 


HARDIN  BARKER,  fai-mer,  P.  O.  Di- 
vide, is  a  native  of  St.  Clair  County,  111.,  and 
was  born  August  15.  1847.  His  father.  Nel- 
son Barker,  was  a  native  of  Maine,  and  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  parents  in  1820,  when  but 
a  child.     Our  subject  attended  the    common 


schools  of  his  native  county,  and  has  always 
been  a  farmer.  He  has  also  run  a  thresher 
nearly  every  season  since  he  became  grown. 
He  now  owns  the  Belleville  Separator  and 
engine,  made  by  Harrison  &Co. ,  of  Belle- 
ville, 111.      This  machine  does  excellent    and 


120 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


very  rapid  work.  In  one  day  he  threshed 
1,003  bushels  of  whecat  with  it,  and  set  three 
times.  Mr.  Barker  was  married,  first,  in  1873, 
to  Emily  Sargent,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children— Lucy,  George  and  Frank.  Mrs. 
Barker  died  in  1880,  and  he  a  ain  married  in 
December,  1882,  this  time  to  Ellen  Sledge. 
Mr.  Barker  came  to  this  county  in  1875, 
where  he  has  since  resided. 

WILLIAM  CLAYBOURN,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Dix,  was  born  in  Knox  County,  Tenn., 
August  27,  1819,  and  is  the  son  of  Ephraim 
Claybourn,  of  Knox  County,  Tenn.,  after- 
ward of  Allen  County,  Ky.,  where  he  died 
in  the  summer  of  1850.  Our  subject  got  his 
education  in  DeKalb  County.  Tenn.,  and 
came  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1840, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  was  married, 
September  4.  1838,  to  Miss  Frankie.  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  Hawker,  of  Virginia.  Mi-s. 
Claybourn  died  July  23,  1863,  leaving  ten 
children,  viz.,  Catharine,  Sarah  J.,  James 
T.,  William  P.,  John  B.,  Harriet  N.,  Eph- 
raim S  ,  Reuben  C,  Joseph  M.  and  Cassius 
C.  February  14,  1865,  Mr.  Claybourn  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  Maxey,  daughter  of 
Francis  Sterns,  of  Virginia;  by  her  he  had 
two  children — Charles  F.  and  Lucy  B.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Claybourn  had  five  children  by 
her  former  husband,  viz.,  Melissa  V.,  George 
W.,  Laura  S.,  Mary  L.  andW'illiam  H,  Sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  He  served  one  year  in  the  army,  in 
Company  H,  First  Illinois  Cavalry.  James  H. 
and  William  P.,  his  sons,  each  served  four 
years  in  Company  H,  Eightieth  Illinois  Cav- 
alry. They  were  in  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Lookout  Mountain  and  several  others.  James 
was  wounded  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  John  enlisted 
when  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  William 
when  eighteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Claybourn 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics. 


RDFUS  FIELDS,  farmer,  P.  O  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  October  1,  1844,  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  111.,  and  is  the  son  of  James 
Fields,  of  North  Carolina,  since  then  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.  James  Fields  came  here 
when  eighteen  years  of  age.  and  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Hays,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hays, 
of  Alabama,  afterward  of  Jefferson  County, 
111.  Subject  had  eleven  children,  seven  liv- 
ing, viz.,  Ruth  S..  Malinda,  Heni-y  P.,  Ru- 
fus,  James  M.,  Noah  and  Priscilla.  Rufus 
was  educated  in  Jefferson  County,  Hi.,  and 
owns  11J5  acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged  in  farm 
ing  and  stock-raising.     Politics,    Democrat. 

WILLIAM  J.  GARRISON,  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  P.  O.  Divide  (commonly  known 
as  Dick  Garrison),  was  born  in  Field  Town- 
ship, this  county,  June  4,  1837.  He  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  went  to  Califor- 
nia in  1857,  remaining  in  that  State  and  in 
Oregon  until  1869.  when  he  i-eturned  to  this 
county.  In  1865,  on  the  2d  day  of  March, 
while  in  Oregon,  he  married  Phoebe  A.  Swee- 
tin,  by  whom  he  had  five  children;  biit  two 
of  these  are  living — Joel  J.  and  Charles 
Quinc}-.  Mrs.  Garrison  died  March  5,  1874. 
and  the  20th  day  of  August  of  the  same  year 
he  married  Rachel  Payne,  by  whom  he  has 
six  children,  viz.,  Nora,  Lucy  J.,  Myrtie  E., 
James  H.,  Millie  A.  and  Myra  A.  Mr.  Gar- 
rison owns  320  acres  of  land,  and  is  a  suc- 
cessful stock-raiser.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chapter  in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Our  sub- 
ject held  the  office  of  Highway  Commission- 
er for  three  vears,  has  held  the  office  of 
Supervisor  for  six  years  and  is  the  present 
incumbent.  His  father,  Jam&s  N.  Garrison 
(deceased),  was  born  near  Nashville.  Tenn., 
and  died  October  14,  1851,  aged  thirty-nine 
years  eight  months  and  eighteen  days,  and 
is  a  pioneer  of  this  county,  who  married 
Milly  Wimberly,  and  by  her  had    nine   chil- 


FIELD  TOWNSHIP. 


121 


di'en,  six  of  whom  are  living,  viz..  Joel  V.' 
Martha  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Thomas 
W.,  Caroline  and  James  K.  The  elder  Mr. 
Garrison  died. 

JOSEPH  HA.WKINS,  farmer.  P.  O.  Dis, 
was  born  January  19.  1824,  in  Fayette 
County,  Ind. ,  a  son  of  John  Hawkins,  Sr. , 
of  Georgia,  who  came  to  this  county  in  the 
fall  of  1840,  where  he  died  October  22,1879. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  and  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  Jef- 
erson  County  eleven  years,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  Church.  He  was  man-ied, 
September  17,  1843.  to  flliss  Millie,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Whitlow,  of  Virginia,  later  of 
Jefferson  County,  III.  William  Whitlow 
died  August  7,  1866.  Mr.  Hawkins  has  ten 
children,  viz.,  Malinda  J.,  William  J.,  Nan- 
cy S.,  Rebecca,  Moses  D.,  Tiltha.  Susan, 
Pleasant  E.,  Lucy  and  Joseph  A.  Our  sub- 
ject owns  160  acres  of  valuable  land  and  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
has  been  Township  Treasurer  for  twenty-one 
years,  and  is  a  Republican. 

JOHN  HAWKINS,  Jr..  farmer,  P.  O. 
Dix,  was  born  September  8,  1827,  in  Ken- 
tucky. He  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  Hawkins, 
of  South  Carolina,  who  had  moved  to  Ken- 
tucky. Indiana,  Missouri,  and  at  last  settled 
in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  where  he  died  Sep- 
tember, 1880,  leaving  three  children,  viz., 
John,  Eliza  and  Rachel.  Our  subject  came 
to  Jefferson  County,  111. ,  when  young,  and 
still  resides  there.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  educated  in 
Jnfferson  County.  He  was  in  the  war  with 
Mexico  iu  1846,  in  Company  H.  Third  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  married, 
April  2,  1848,  to  Miss  Julia  A.,  daughter  of 
Elisha  Wimberly,  of  Tennessee,  since  of 
Jefferson  County,  III.  Our  subject  is  the 
father  of  thirteen  children,  twelve  living, 
viz.,     Elisha.   Benjamin    J.,    Charle?,  John, 


Burl,  Laura,  Maria.  Belle,  Emma.  Ella. 
Lena  and  Eva.  Mr.  Hawkins  has  been  Su- 
pervisor one  year,  Road  Commissioner  six 
years,  of  Field  Township.  He  owns  520 
acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.     Politics,  Democratic. 

ELISHA  HAWKINS,  farming.  P.  O.  Dix, 
was  born  August  22,  1836,  in  Fayette  Coun- 
ty, Ind. ,  son  of  John  Hawkins,  of  same 
county.  He  served  three  years  in  the  late 
war  in  Company  H,  Eightieth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  was  in  the  Ijattles  of 
Perryville  and  Milton  Heights,  Tenn.,  and 
several  other  skirmishes.  He  was  educated 
in  Jefferson  County,  111.,  and  was  married, 
February  16,  1859,  to  Miss  Susan,  daughter 
of  Henry  Fields,  of  Jefferson  County,  111. 
He  has  nine  children,  viz.,  Richard  W. , 
James  E.,Mary  D.,  Sarah,  Lucinda,  Emeline, 
John,  Henry  and  Laura  Our  subject  owns 
110  acres  of  land,  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  Politics,  Republican. 
Is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Chui-ch. 

S.  L.  HAWKINS,  farming,  P.  O.  Dix. 
was  born  December  5,  1859,  in  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  son  of  Jacob  Hawkins,  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.,  and  was  educated  in 
Jefferson  County,  where  he  was  married, 
January  11,  1879.  to  Rosa,  daughter  of  S. 
Murphy,  of  Jefferson  County,  111.  Our  sub- 
ject had  one  child,  but  it  died  in  1882.  He 
owns  thirty-three  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Poli- 
tics, Republican. 

M.  M.  HOWARD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dix,  was 
born  December  5,  1821,  in  Kentucky,  son  of 
Ignatius  Howai'd,  of  Tennessee,  afterward  of 
Jefferson  County,  111.  Om-  subject  wont  to 
White  County,  Tenn.,  and  remained  there 
until  1837,  and  he  afterward  moved  to  Jef- 
ferson Counly,  111.,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and   was    ;narried,  August  12,  1841, 


122 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


to  Miss  Censsey  J.,  daughter  of  Lewis  Car- 
penter, of  Marion  County,  III.,  and  has  had 
six  children,  viz.,  Hiram,  Sarah,  Hezekiah 
F.,  John  W.,  Nancy  A.  and  Censsey  J. 
Hiram,  son  of  M.  M.  Howard,  served  three 
years  in  the  array.  He  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  Twenty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try. He  was  in  the  battles  of  Mission  Ridge, 
Peach  Tree  Creek  and  several  other  battles. 
Subject  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.      Politics,  Democratic. 

JOBN  C.  McCONNELL,  farming,  P.  O. 
Dix,  was  born  January  6,  1825,  in  Jefferson 
County.  111.,  son  of  Burl  McConnell,  from 
Sumner  County.  Tenn..  late  of  Jefferson 
County,  111.,  deceased.  MJr.  McConnell  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  also  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
He  was  in  the  Mexican  war  in  1846  and  1847, 
and  was  married,  August  25,  1847,  to  Miss 
Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Cummins,  of 
Jefferson  County,  111.,  and  has  had  seven  chil- 
dren, five  living,  viz.,  Samuel  F.,  William 
H.,  Harriet,  John  D.  and  James  W.  Mrs. 
McConnell  died  April  18,  1879,  and  he  was 
again  married,  to  Amering  Howard,  of  Sa- 
line County,  111.  He  was  educated  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  and  owns  480  acres  of  land,  and 
is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
.  DR.  WILLIAM  K.  PARKER,  physician. 
Divide,  was  born  in  this  county  March  3, 
1851.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  He  farmed 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  be- 
gan to  read  medicine  and  also  worked  for 
railroad  companies  for  about  four  years.  He 
graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  in  the  spring 
of  1883.  He  at  once  began  the  prai^tice  of 
medicine  at  his  home  in  Field  Township, 
and  is  building  up  a  good  practice.  His 
father,  James  T.  Parker  (deceased),  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in   1824;  came    to    this    county 


with  his  parents  when  a  child;  was  married 
to,  Mickey  A.  Hutcherson,  by  whom  he  had 
six  children,  viz.,  Mary  C,  our  subject,  El- 
sah  E.,  Nettie  V.  (deceased),  Charles  F.  and 
Wincey  A.  The  father  died  December  14, 
1864.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  good  standing,  a  con- 
sistent Christian  and   a  temperance   worker. 

BE.^JAJHN  F.  PRIMM,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Mount  Vernon,  was  born  in  Menard  County, 
111.,  November  19,  1841 .  Subject  is  the  son 
of  Enoch  Primm,  of  St.  Clair  County,  111., 
who  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  from  whom 
subject  learned  the  use  of  tools  when  young, 
and  uses  them  at  leisure.  Subject  was  mar- 
ried, November  14,  1866,  to  Martha  J., 
daughter  of  Peter  Conover,  of  Elk  County, 
Kan.,  by  whom  our  subject  had  six  children, 
viz.,  Minnie  A.,  Thomas  S. ,  Charlon  M. ,  Ar- 
thur C,  John  S.  and  Benjamin  F. .  Our  sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge,  also  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Chiu'cb.  He  served 
three  years  in  the  army,  in  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  yras  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and 
many  other  engagements.  He  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  aad  owns  240 
ftcres  of  land. 

SILA.S  J.  SIMMONS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Di- 
vide, was  born  in  Sumner  (now  Macon)  Coun- 
ty, Tenn.,  May  28,  1835.  and  is  a  son  of  Joel 
Simmons,  of  Marion  County,  111.,  who  was 
barn  in  Franklin  County,  Va. ,  January  17, 
1804,  and  who  came  to  Marion  County  in 
1840,  and  to  this  county  in  1844,  where  our 
subject  has  since  resided.  Silas  J.  was  mar 
ried,  November  1,  1855,  to  Prudence  E,, 
daughter  of  Ellis  Branson,  of  Marion  Coun- 
ty, 111.  They  had  twelve  children,  but  three 
of  whom  are  living— Mary  J.  (Mrs.  John 
Barnett),  William  F.  (see  his  biography)  and 
Carroll  J.  The  latter  is  a  promising  young 
school  teacher,  with  a  bright  future  prospect. 


MOORE'S  PHAIHIE    TOWNSHIP. 


las 


One  daughter — Martha  A. — died  in  her  six- 
teenth year.  Mr.  Simmons  was  Postmaster 
at  Divide  Post  Ofi&ce  from  December,  1879, 
until  March,  1883.  He  owns  eighty  acres 
of  land.      In  religion  is  a  Baptist. 

WILLIAM  F.  SIMMONS,  teacher  and 
farmer,  P.  O.  Divide,  was  born  in  this  town- 
ship, where  he  still  lives,  on  Section  11,  No- 
vember 19,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  Silas  J. 
Simmons,  whose  biography  also  appears  in 
this  work.  He  was  brought  up  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  is  what  we  would  term. a  self- 
educated  man;  often  "  burned  midnight  oil  " 
in  pursuing  his  studies,  and  worked  hard 
during  the  day  to  assist  in  supporting  the 
family.  He  now  teaches  of  winters  and  farms 
during  the  summer  seasons,  aud  owns  120 
acres  of  land.  He  held  the  office  of  Clerk 
of  Field  Township  for  two  terms,  and  is  As- 
sistant— and  at  present  acting-Postmaster 
of  Divide  Post  Office,  which  is  kept  at  his 
father's  house. 

CLABORN  M.  WHITSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Dix,  was  born  in  Parke  County,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  Stephen 
Whitson  (deceased),  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
born  in  1811,  and  brought  his  family  to 
Marion  County,  111.,  in  September,  1853. 
Our  subject  attended  a  subscription  school  in 
his  native  county.  He  came  to  this  county 
in  1857,  where  he  has'  since  resided.  He 
was  married,  February  1,  1855,  to  Mrs.  Ag- 
nes   White,    daughter    of    Michael    Collins. 


They  have  had  sis  ehildi'en,  four  living — 
Susan  F..  John,  Mary  E.  and  Nancy  I.  Mrs. 
Whitson  had  five  children  by  iher  first  hus- 
band, two  living — George  W.  and  Samuel 
White.  The  last  two  are  in  Marion  County, 
111.  Mr.  Whitson  has  held  the  office  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  seven  years,  and  has 
been  School  Director  for  fifteen  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
owns  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  re- 
sides on  Section  21.  Mr.  Whitson  is  also  a 
minister  uf  the  Gospel. 

JAMES  J.  WILLIAMS,  farming,  P.  O. 
Dix,  was  born  April  29,  1822,  in  Bedford 
County,  Tenn.,  a  son  of  Moses  Williams,  of 
Bedford  Country,  Tenn.,  who  moved  to  Marion 
County.  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1849.  Our  subjec 
came  to  Jefferi^onl County  in  the  spring  of 
1852.  He  is  a;member  of  the  L  O  .0.  F., 
nlso  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
has  been  a  local  preacher  for  fifteen  years. 
He  was  married,  January  17,  1852,' to  Miss 
Sophronia,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Bryon,  of 
Jefferson  County,  111.,  and  has  had  eleven 
children,  nine  living,  viz.,  W.  C,  Mary  A., 
Moses  N.,  Sarah  E.,  Sophronia  L.,  Rosa 
C,  Lavada  J.,  Charles  H.  and  James  E. 
Mr.  Williams  has  140  acres  of  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  went 
to  school  six  weeks  only,  in  Bedford  County, 
Tenn.,  but  he  studied  of  nights  at  home  to 
obtain  an  education.      Politics,    Democratic. 


MOORE^S  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


IGNATIUS  ATCHISSON,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Opdyke,  was  born  in  Georgia  Jul}-  7, 1802,  and 
was  a  son  of  Barton  and  Prudence  (Nill)  Atch- 
isson,  both  natives  of  ^laryland.  Our  subject 
was  the  second  of  three  children  who  left 
Georgia  with  the  father  when   the   former  was 


only  eight  years  oiti.  The  father  settled  in 
Smith  County,  Tenn.,  and  there  subject  received 
his  first  education.  When  he  was  fifteen,  the 
lather  moved  to  Jetfer.son  County,  and  settled 
near  where  subject  now  lives.  Again  the  lat- 
ter was  permitted  to  attend  school,  but  it  was 


124 


BlOaRAPHICAl.: 


mainly  the  subscription  school.  On  the  home 
farm,  subject  remained  until  about  twenty -two, 
and  then  started  out  in  life  on  a  Government 
improvement.  There  he  remained  two  years, 
and  then  came  to  his  present  farm.  He  now 
owns  167  acres  in  Section  6.  Town  4,  Range  -1 
east,  and  of  that  all  except  about  thirty  acres 
is  in  process  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Atchisson 
was  married  in  1824  to  Philadelphia  Hopper, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hopper,  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  This  lady  is  the  mother  of 
ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living — 
Samuel  (in  Oregon),  Thomas.  Barton  and  Igna- 
tius. Jr.  (all  farmers  in  this  township),  Winnie 
(wife  of  John  Allan,  of  Spring  Garden  Town- 
ship), Harriet  (wife  of  James  Marlow)  ;  this  ladj- 
died  in  1860.  and  he  was  married  the  second 
time,  in  August,  1863,  to  Mrs.  Keziah  Williams. 
Our  subject  has  served  his  township  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace  one  or  two  terms.  Was  out  three 
months  in  the  Sp3"  Battalion,  one  of  the  com- 
panies that  was  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  Is  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

JOHN  BURCHELL.  farmer,  P.  0.  Opdyke. 
This  gentleman  was  born  in  Rockingham  Coun- 
ty, N.  C.,  May  5,  1823,  and  was  a  son  of  John 
and  Ruthie  (Grogin)  Burchell,  both  natives  of 
North  Carolina.  When  subject  was  five  months 
old,  his  parents  moved  to  Hawkins  County, 
Tenu.,  and  there  the  former  received  his  educa- 
tion. Subject  assisted  at  home  until  twenty- 
one,  and  then  came  to  Jefferson  Count}'.  He 
arrived  in  Moore's  Prairie  Township  November 
7.  1840.  and  settled  down  about  two  miles  from 
where  he  now  lives.  After  nine  jears'  resi- 
dence there,  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  and 
now  owns  280  acres,  most  of  which  is  in  Sec- 
tion 17,  Town  4,  Range  4  east.  Mr.  Burchell 
was  married.  November  10, 1852,  to  Mary  Da- 
vis, a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Sarah  Davis,  both 
natives  of  Tennessee.  This  lady  died  June  10, 
1855,  and  he  was  married  the  second  time, 
January  25.  1857,  to  Minerva  Jane  Bingham,  a 
daughter  of  David  and  Melinda  Bingham,  also 


of  Tennessee.  This  lady  is  the  mother  of  ten 
children — Harriet  Alice  (wife  of  Daniel  W. 
Hughey).  James  P.,  Artemesia,  Isabella  (wife 
of  James  Adams),  Lill}'  E.,  George  W.,  John 
A.,  Martin  L.,  Dellie  J.  and  Maude.  Subject 
is  a  member  of  the  Missionar}-  Baptist  Church, 
and  a  Republican  in  politics. 

G.  W.  CLARK,  farmer.  P.  0.  Belle  Rive, 
was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  October  6, 
1841,  and  is  a  son  of  J.  A.  and  Margaret 
(Beard)  Clark,  both  natives  of  that  State.  Sub- 
ject is  the  oldest  of  six  living  children,  and 
obtained  his  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  that  county.  He  remained  at  home 
with  his  father  until  1862,  and  then  came  to 
this  county,  and  worked  for  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent farmers,  among  them  James  Waters.  In 
1868,  he  purchased  his  present  property,  and 
now  owns  200  acres  in  Section  15,  Town  4, 
Range  4  east.  He  has  about  160  acres  in  culti- 
vation, and  two  acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Clark 
was  married,  January  19,  1873,  to  Jennie  Mc- 
Carver,  a  daughter  of  ]Mrs.  Margaret  McCarver, 
and  a  native  of  Northern  Arkansas.  She  is 
the  mother  of  one  child  now  dead.  He  is  a 
member  of^the  Missionary  Baptist  Church. 
He  has  served  as  Township  Supervisor.  In 
politics,  he  is  an  Independent. 

WILLIAM  COFIELD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moore's 
Prairie,  was  born  in  Wilson  County,  Tenn., 
February  12,  1826.  and  is  a  son  of  Willis  and 
Maria  (Thomas)  Cofleld.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  the  mother  was  born  in 
Kentucky.  Subject  was  the  second  of  R^-e  chil- 
dren, and  was  brought,  when  a  child  of  six  years, 
to  this  county,  where  the  father  settled  in  Pendle- 
ton Precinct,  about  a  mile  east  of  Belle  Rive.  In 
the  schools  of  that  township,  the  son  received 
his  education.  It  was  but  limited,  and  our 
subject  is  truly  what  might  be  called  a  self- 
made  man.  The  father  having  died  when  sub- 
ject was  about  sixteen  years  old,  the  latter,  to- 
gether with  his  two  brothers,  took  charge  of 
the    home    place.      There   he   remained  until 


MOORE'S  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


125 


twenty,  and  then  started  out  in  life  on  a  pur 
chased  farm,  about  two  miles  from  his  present 
place,  and  where  Thomas  Shipley  now  lives- 
There  he  remained  twelve  months,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Pendleton  Township,  and  settled  on 
the  home  farm.  After  living  on  that  farm 
eighteen  years,  he  again  moved,  and  then  set- 
tled on  part  of  the  tract  of  land  that  Belle  Rive 
now  occupies.  In  1875,  he  left  that  farm  and 
came  to  his  present  location,  where  he  now 
owns  a  farm  of  200  acres,  situated  in  Sections 
22,  23  and  27.  He  has  about  190  acres  in  cul- 
tivation, and  two  acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Cofield 
was  married,  on  June  22,  1848,  to  Bruuetta 
Wiiky,  a  daughter  of  Maxy  and  Jennie  Wilky, 
one  of  the  oldest  families  in  this  county.  She 
was  the  mother  of  three  children,  one  of  whom 
is  now  living — ^Thomas,  now  in  Clinton  County, 
111.  This  lady  died  in  January,  1854,  and  our 
subject  was  married  the  second  time,  to  Nancy 
J.  Laird,  a  native  of  Pendleton  Township,  and 
the  daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Tumble- 
son)  Laird.  Tiiis  marriage  resulted  in  ten 
children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living — W.  H. 
(in  Ottawa,  Kan.),  Leaton,  Ransom.  Charles 
Hannibal.  Isabelle  and  Charity.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is 
a  Republican  in  politics. 

C.  H.  JUDD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moore's  Prairie. 
This  gentleman  was  born  in  Gnyandotte,  Cabell 
County,  W.  Va.,  December  7,  1835;  he  was  a 
son  of  John  T.  and  Doratha  M.  (Prosser)  Judd. 
The  father,  who  was  a  mechanic,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  the  mother,  of  Prince  William 
County,  Va.  At  the  age  of  eight  years,  the 
father  moved  to  Lawrence  County,  Ohio,  where 
subject  attended  the  free  schools  until  about 
eighteen,  and  then  attended  the  Marietta  High 
School;  he  remained  there  two  years.  Then 
subject  came  to  Jefferson  County  with  his 
father,  and  settled  in  Moore's  Prairie  Township, 
where  the  father  erected  a  saw  and  flouring  mill, 
the  first  in  this  section  of  tiie  country.  When 
subject  became  of  age,  he   became  a  partner  in 


his  father's  mill,  and  soon  after  he  assumed  the 
entire  charge  of  the  concern.  When  the  father 
died,  in  1858,  the  estate  was  divided  and  the 
mill  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  younger  brother, 
Lewis  Judd.  Our  subject  then  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming,  and  first  settled  on  a  farm 
of  120  acres,  about  two  miles  from  his  present 
location.  There  he  remained  about  fourteen 
years.  In  1873,  he  came  to  his  present  location. 
He  now  owns  300  acres  in  Section  21,  Town  14, 
Range  14  east.  In  1881,  he  erected  what  is 
considered  to  be  the  finest  house  in  the  county, 
at  a  cost  of  about  $4,000,  Subject  was  married, 
March  4,  1858,  to  Elizabeth  Riddle,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  H.  and  Harriet  (Irvin)  Riddle.  The 
mother  was  one  of  the  daughters  of  Abraham 
Irvin,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State.  The  result  of  this  mar- 
riage was  ten  children,  Leota  V.  (wife  of  T.  N. 
Woodruff),  John  T.,  Nattie  L.,  Dollie  L.,  Lewis 
C.  William  T.,  Samuel  CQuincy  A..  Grade  E. 
and  Anna  P.  Mr.  Judd  has  been  Justice  of 
the  Peace  four  times.  Township  Supervisor  sev- 
eral times,  also  Chairman  of  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors.  He  is  a  Greenbacker  in  poli- 
tics. 

A.  KNOWLES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Belle  Rive,  was 
born  in  Posey  County,  Ind.,  September  7,  1844, 
and  is  a  son  of  Wiley  and  Minerva  (Scott) 
Knowles.  The  father  was  born  in  Georgia,  and 
the  mother  in  Ohio.  Subject  was  tiie  seventh 
of  ele\en  children,  and,  when  two  years  of  age, 
his  father  came  to  this  couutj*  and  settled  about 
one  mile  from  Spring  Garden,  in  that  township, 
where  he  now  resides.  Subject  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  within  the  confines  of 
that  township,  and  afterward  remained  at  home 
with  his  father  until  his  twentieth  year,  when 
lu!  started  out  on  a  trip  of  pleasure  and  obser- 
vation. He  was  absent  two  years,  and  during 
tiie  interval  he  visited  fowa,  Colorado.  Utah, 
Wyoming  Territory,  Oregon  and  California. 
He  was  engaged  a  part  of  the  time  as  a  stock- 
driver.     At  San  Francisco,  he  took  a  steamer, 


126 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


and  from  there  sailed  to  the  Isthmus,  and, 
crossing  it  again,  took  a  steamer  to  New  York, 
and  from  there  home  again  by  way  of  Chicago. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  home,  he  commenced  life 
for  himself  on  a  farm  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  Spring  Garden.  On  that  farm  he 
remained  two  years,  and  then  came  to  his  pres- 
ent farm,  where  he  now  owns  295  acres,  situ- 
ated in  Sections  8  and  9,  of  Town  4,  Range  4 
east.  'Of  this  there  are  about  290  in  cultivation 
and  3  acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Knowles  was  mar- 
ried, February  26,  1867,  to  Harriet  Smith,  a  na- 
tive of  this  township,  and  a  daughter  of  Jesse 
H.  (whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work)  and  Jane  (Bliss)  Smith.  The  result  of 
this  marriage  was  five  children,  one  only  of 
whom  is  now  living,  Gertrude,  born  in  Septem- 
ber, 1879.  Mr.  Knowles  is  a  Greenbacker  in 
politics. 

JOHN  LOWRY,  Sr.,  farmer,  P.  O.  Dahlgren, 
Hamilton  County.  One  of  the  oldest  residents 
in  this  county  is  the  gentleman  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch,  born  in  Warren  County,  Ky., 
May  3,  1803,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Reese)  Lowry.  When  three  years  old,  his  fa- 
ther brought  him  to  what  is  now  Coffee  County, 
Tenn.,  then  Franklin  County.  There  our  sub- 
ject attended  the  subscription  schools  but  slight- 
ly, but  in  after  years  he  taught  himself,  and  is 
trulj'  a  self-made  man.  Until  he  reached  man- 
hood's estate,  he  remained  at  home  assisting 
some  on  the  home  farm  and  also  in  his  father's 
cooper  shop.  January  25,  1824,  he  came  to 
Hamilton  County,  this  State,  where  he  settled 
about  three  miles  from  his  present  location,  and 
there  he  remained  about  one  year.  From  there 
he  came  to  his  present  farm,  where  he  now  owns 
280  acres  in  Sections  7,  13  and  18,  of  Town  4, 
Range  4  east.  Besides  this,  he  also  owns  86 
acres  in  Town  4,  of  Range  5,  Hamilton  County, 
52  acres  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town 
of  Dahlgren,  Hamilton  County,  and  15  town  lots 
in  that  town  Of  the  whole,  he  now  has  about 
160  acres  in  cultivation,  and  2^  acres  in  orchard. 


Mr.  Lowry  was  married  in  Franklin  County, 
Tenn.,  July  3,  1823,  to  Nancy  Martin,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Nancy  (Dabney)  Martin, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania. 
This  lady  was  the  mother  of  fourteen  children, 
the  following  of  whom  are  now  living,  viz.: 
David,  in  Washington  Territory  ;  John,  in  this 
township ;  Thomas,  in  Hamilton  County  ;  Elisha, 
in  Stoddard  Count}',  Mo.;  Jefferson,  in  business 
in  the  town  of  Dahlgren  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Zacha- 
riah  Sinks,  now  in  Texas  ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Alfred  Dees,  of  Bald  Township;  and  Mary,  wife 
of  Gabriel  Joins,  of  Hamilton  County.  She 
died  November  16,  1880.  and  he -was  married 
the  second  time,  June  9,  1881,  to  Nanc}- Willis, 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  Willis,  both 
natives  of  Virginia.  One  child  is  the  result  of 
this  union,  Susie,  born  May  20,  1882.  Sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the  Sugar  Camp  Bap- 
list  Church.  Has  held  the  offices  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  Constable,  Township  Trustee  and 
School  Trustee  and  Director.  In  the  time  of 
the  old  State  Militia,  dating  from  1832,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  Lieutenant  of  a  company, 
and  held  it  for  about  five  years.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  under  Becker- 
stoff     In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

B.  B.  PETTYPOOL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Opdyke, 
was  born  in  Rutherford  County ,Tenn.,  April  23, 
1821,  and  was  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  ( Nix- 
on) Pettypool.  Subject  was  the  second  of  six 
children,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living  of  that 
number.  When  he  was  six  years  old,  his  fa- 
ther came  to  White  Count}',  111.,  and  settled  in 
Hervel's  Prairie  Township.  There  subject  was 
permitted  to  attend  school  but  slightly,  and  is 
what  might  be  trulj'  called  a  self-made  man. 
Helped  on  the  home  farm  until  eighteen,  and 
then  settled  near  his  father's  farm,  but  in  the 
course  of  a  year  or  two,  his  father  having  be- 
come old  and  infirm,  he  returned  to  the  home 
place.  In  1868,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
and  settled  on  his  present  farm  ;  he  now  owns 
about  280  acres,  80  of  which  are  situated  in  Sec- 


MOORE'S  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP. 


127 


tion  21,  160  in  Section  20,  and  40  in  Section  19. 
Of  the  whole  piece,  240  acres  are  in  cultivation. 
He  has  about  six  acres  in  orchard.     Mr.  Pett}-- 
pool  was  married,  August  2, 1839,  to  Celia  Mc- 
Geahej-,  a  daughter  of  Parent  and  Jeminiina 
(Pierce)  McGeahej-,  both  natives  of  Tennessee. 
His  lad}-  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  and 
of  that  number  six  are  now  living — Thomas,  in 
ilffinghara  County  ;  Frances,  in  White  County  ; 
Daniel,    in    White    County  ;    Huldah  ;  Telitha, 
wife  of  John  Hanle}-  ;  Sarah  Ellen,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Jones.    The  lady  died  January  15, 1856,  and 
he    was  married,  February  28,  1857.  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Teachenor,  a  native  of  New  York.     She 
was  the  daughter   of  Reuben  Catline,  of  that 
State,  and  the  mother  of  five  children,  three  of 
whom  are  now  living — Joel,  in  Spring  Garden 
Township ;     Ezekiel,     in     Franklin      County, 
Kan.;  and  Marshall,  in  Spring  Garden  Town- 
ship.    His  second  wife  died  October  2,  1876, 
and   on    July    4,    1877,     he   was    united    in 
marriage  to  Mary  Jones,  a  native  of  this  coun- 
ty, and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mahala  Jonss. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children,  Leah,  Dora 
and  Hardin.     Subject  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
DAVID  ROTRAMEL,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moore's 
Prairie,  was  born  in  Logan  Count}-,    Ky..  April 
8,  1814,  and  was   a  son  of  Henr}-   and  Keziah 
(Simpson)  Rotramel.     When    our  subject  was 
five    years    old,  his  father  moved  to    Wilson 
County,  Tenn.,  and  there    the  former  attended 
the  schools  of  that   county.     He  remained  on 
the  home    farm  until  1837,    and  then  came  to 
Frankfort,  Franklin  Co.,  111.     He    remained   in 
that  town  until  the  next  spring,  and  then  com- 
menced farming  in  that  township.     In  1846,  he 
left   Frankfort  Township  and  went  to   Benton 
Township,  same  county,  where  he  remained  two 
years.     In  1848,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
and  first  settled   about  two  miles   from  where 
he  now  resides.     In  the  year   1850,  he  entered 
a  portion  of  his  present  farm,  but  did  not  move 
on  the  place  for   about  seven   years  afterward. 
He  now  owns  200  acres.  120  of  which  are  in  Sec- 


tion 21,  and  eighty  in  Section  20,  Town  4, 
Range  4  east.  Of  this  all  is  in  cultivation.  Mr. 
Rotramel  was  married,  January  25,  1847,  to 
Mar}-  M^-ers,  a  daughter  of  Christopher  and 
Agnes  (Bright)  M^-ers,  both  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee. This  lady  was  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  and  of  this  number  seven  are  now 
living — George  Alice,  wife  of  Richard  Nooner  ;. 
Florida,  wife  of  Edward  Burkhead ;  Henry 
Olive,  wife  of  William  Hunter  ;  David  Wash- 
ington ;  Arilla,  wife  of  Oscar  McClure  ;  William 
Lincoln  and  Richard  Yates.  Our  subject  is  a 
Republican  in  politics.  Has  served  as  Town- 
ship Commissioner. 

JESSE  H.  SMITH,  farmer,  P.  O.  Opdyke. 
was  born  in  Hickman  Count}-,  Tenn.,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1823,  and  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Millie 
(Hassell)  Smith,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Tyrrel  County,  N.  C.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
nine  children,  and  of  that  number  but  two  are 
living — Joan,  wife  of  a  Mr.  Ilarrell.  of  Spring 
Garden  Township,  and  Jesse  H.,  our  subject. 
When  he  reached  the  age  of  six  years,  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Jefferson  County,  111.,  and  set- 
tled in  Spring  Garden  Township.  In  the 
schools  of  that  county  our  subject  received  his 
education.  In  1 843-44.  at  the  request  of  his 
father,  he  attended  the  St.  Louis  Medical  Insti- 
tute, but  never  followed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  came  back  home  and  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  until  twenty-four,  and  then 
settled  on  a  Government  improvement  in  Spring 
Garden  Township,  and  finally  had  about  forty 
acres  in  improvement.  After  ten  years'  resi- 
dence there,  he  came  to  his  present  farm,  where 
he  now  owns  400  acres  lying  in  Sections  8  and 
18,  Town  4,  range  4  east,  and  of  that  360  acres, 
are  now  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Smith  was  married, 
March  30,  1847,  to  Eliza  Jane  Bliss,  a  daughter 
of  Noah  and  Elizabeth  (Martin)  Bliss,  of 
Vermont.  This  lady  is  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  are  still  living — Harriet, 
wife  of  Ananias  Knowles,  of  this  township  ; 
Florence,  wife   of  Francis  Knowles,  of  Spring 


128 


BIOGRAPHICAJ.: 


Garden  Township  ;  Hubbard  S.,  Cora,  Kirby, 
Elnora  and  A.  C.  A  son,  L.  D.,  died  October 
14,  1880.  Mr.  Smith  has  held  numerous  offices, 
among  wliich  are  those  of  County  Surveyor, 
County  Coroner,  Deputy  Sheriff,  Township 
Trustee,  Supervisor  and  Assessor,  also  the  dif- 
ferent school  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  Ham's 
Grove  Grange,  No.  1,604.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Baptist  organization.  In  politics,  he 
is  a  Greenbacker. 

JAMES  WATERS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moore's 
Prairie,  was  born  twelve  miles  east  of  Lebanon, 
the  county  seat  of  Wilson  County,  Tenn.,  March 
7,  1815,  and  was  a  son  of  Shelleah  and  Nancy 
(Turner)  Waters,  both  natives  of  Maryland. 
He  was  next  to  the  youngest  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren, and  of  that  number  our  subject  is  the 
only  one  now  living.  After  receiving  a  fair 
education,  he  assisted  on  the  home  farm  until 
the  age  of  twenty-four,  and  then  came  to  Jef- 
ferson County,  111.  On  July  15,  1839,  he  set- 
tled on  his  present  farm,  and  there  remained 
eight  years,  and  then  went  back  to  Wilson 
County,  Tenn.  There  he  remained  until  Au- 
gust 27,  1860,  and  then  returned  to  Illinois, 
and  again  settled  on  the  farm  in  this  county 
September  5  of  the  same  year.  He  now  owns 
280  acres  ;  160  are  in  Section  28,  80  in  Section 
29,  and  40  in  Section  33.  Of  this  all  is  in  cul- 
tivation except  about  sixty  acres  ;  there  are  also 
four  acres  in  orchard.  Mr.  Waters  was  mar- 
ried, July  7,  1842,  to  Sarah  Ann  Estes,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Dicia  M.  (Jordan)  Estes ; 
the  father  was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  Pen- 
dleton Township.  To  this  lady  were  born  three 
children,  one  of  whom  is  now  living — John 
Thomas.  Mr.  VVaters  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Baptist  Church  ;  he  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

JACOB  P.  WELLS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Moore's 
Prairie,  was  born  in  Indiana  County,  Penn., 
January  26,  1840,  and  was  a  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Pierce)  Wells,  both  natives  of  that 
State.     Our  subject  received  his  education  in 


the  schools  of  that  county,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  cabinet-maker 
in  the  town  of  Plumville,  Penn.,  and  remained 
with  him  three  years,  and  then  followed  that 
trade  for  himself  In  1861,  he  came  to  Rock 
Island  County,  111.,  where  he  still  follows  his 
trade.  In  the  spring  of  1866,  after  the  war  was 
ended,  he  came  to  Franklin  County,  and  settled 
there  on  a  farm  about  six  miles  from  his  pres- 
ent location.  There  he  farmed  in  the  summer, 
and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  in  the 
winter.  In  the  winter  of  1871,  he  came  to  the 
place  where  he  now  resides,  and  soon  after  his 
arrival  there  purchased  the  saw  and  grist  mill 
of  Edward  Choicer.  This  mill  was  continued 
in  operation  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1877.  Since  then  Mr.  Wells  has  given  his 
principal  attention  to  farming.  He  now  owns 
240  acres,  180  of  which  are  in  Sections  26  and  35 
of  Town  4,  Range  4  east,  and  60  acres  in  Frank- 
lin County  ;  of  the  whole,  there  are  about  200 
acres  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Wells  was  married, 
March  1,  1861,  to  Emily  A.  Pilson,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Eliza  (McCardle)  Pilson.  This  lady  is  the 
mother  of  ten  children — Clara  (wife  of  Henry 
Pickel),  Louis  C.  Elizabeth,  James  A.,  Hiley 
A.,  Charles  T.,  Lydia  A.,  Jessie  W.,  Nellie  R. 
and  Ettie  M.;  nine  of  these  are  now  living.  At 
the  breaking-out  of  the  war,  our  subject,  who 
was  then  at  Rock  Island,  returned  to  his  old  home 
at  Plumville,  Penn.,  and  enlisted  in  Company 
A  of  the  Second  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, going  out  June  7,  1862,  and  remained 
in  the  service  until  July  13,  1865,  when  he 
again  returned  to  Illinois.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Wells  is  a  Republican. 

DR.  JAMES  HENRY  WILKEY,  physician 
and  farmer,  P.  O.  Moore's  Prairie,  one  of  the 
oldest  native  born  citizens  of  this  county,  is 
the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
who  was  born  here  April  19,  1825,  and  was  a 
son  of  Carter  and  Brunetta  (Casey)  Wilkey. 
The  father  was  born  in  Walker  County,  Ga.,  in 


MOORE'S  PRAIKIE   TOWNSHIP. 


129 


1797.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  Carter  in  1818  came  to  Mt.  Vernon.  He 
was  a  house  carpenter  by  trade,  also  followed 
that  of  the  cabinet-maker.  In  the  early  history 
of  Mt.  Vernou,  he  assisted  in  many  public  en- 
terprises, among  which  was  the  erection  of  the 
first  count}'  court  house  in  Jefferson  Count}'. 
In  1840,  he  commenced  studying  for  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  and  as  soon  as  his  course  was 
completed  he  located  where  our  subject  now 
lives.  In  that  neighborhood  he  continued  in 
active  practice  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
April  3,  1876.  The  mother  was  the  daughter 
of  Isaac  Casey,  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  of 
this  county.  Our  subject  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Mt.  Vernon  Township, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  commenced 
reading  medicine  with  his  father.  He  contin- 
ued his  studies  until  he  reached  manhood's  es- 
tate, and  then  after  a  year  or  so's  practice  with 
his  father,  he  made  his  stand  in  Wayne  Coun- 
ty. He  has  since  then  practiced  in  Shadville, 
White  County,  Benton,  Franklin  County,  Nor- 
ris  City,  in  White  County,  and  then  at  Macedo- 
nia, in  Hamilton  County.  While  practicing,  the 
death  of  his  father  occurred,  and  soon  after 
that  he  returned  to  Jefferson  County,  and  took 
up  the  mantle  that  had  fallen  from  the  should- 
ers of  his  father.  He  is  now  the  only  physi- 
cian in  that  section.  He  practices  over  the 
counties  of  Jefferson,  Hamilton  and  Franklin, 
and  but  tew  fall  under  the  magic  touch  of  his 
skillful  hand,  and  the  care  of  his  watchful  brain, 
but  to  be  improved  and  to  bless  the  existence 
of  our  subject.  Besides  his  practice,  the  Doc- 
tor owns  quite  a  nice  farm  of  about  ninety 
acres,  situated  in  Section  36,  Township  4, 
Range  4  east.  He  now  has  about  sixty  acres 
in  cultivation.  The  charge  of  this  devolves 
mainly  on  the  son —Thomas  M.  Dr.  Wilkcy 
was  married,  February  25,  1847,  in  Hamilton 
County,  to  Lucy  Goodwin,  a  daughter  of  John 
Goodwin,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  This  lady 
was  the  mother  of  two  children,  one  of  whom  is 
now  living— Thomas  M.,  born  March  ],  1848, 
Her  death  occurred  May  6,  1850,  and  subject 


was  married  the  second  time,  in  September, 
1856,  to  Mary  Ann  Houseworth,  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Rebecca  Houseworth,  both  na- 
tives of  Ohio,  She  was  the  mother  of  four 
children,  and  of  this  number  there  is  also  only 
one  living — Peoria,  wife  of  Louis  Sheltoh,  of 
Hamilton  County.  This  lady  died  in  1863, 
and  he  was  married  the  third  time,  December 
2,  1865,  to  Emily  Darnall,  a  daughter  of  James 
H.  and  Mary  (Robenson)  Darnall ;  the  father 
was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  tlie  mother  of 
Franklin  County,  this  State,  The  result  of  this 
union  was  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
living — James  H,,  Jr„  born  August  23,  1866, 
and  Carter  Wilkey,  born  March  10,  187G,  In 
politics,  subject  is  a  Republican, 

ELI  R,  YATES,  farmer,  P.  O,  Dahlgren,  was 
born  in  Ilarailton  County,  111.,  May  26,  1834, 
and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Campbell 
Yates,  The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  the  mother  of  Tennessee,  Subject  was  the 
oldest  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  now 
living.  He  received  his  education,  such  as  it 
was,  in  the  subscription  schools  of  that  county. 
When  sixteen  years  old,  his  fatiier  died,  and 
subject  roved  about  for  a  number  of  years 
working  for  farmers  in  Wayne,  Hamilton  and 
Jefferson  Counties,  also  in  several  counties  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State,  In  1859,  he 
settled  down  on  a  farm  in  Wayne  County,  but 
only  remained  there  about  one  year,  and  then 
came  to  this  ooiuity,  where  he  settled  on  his 
present  farm.  He  now  owns  110  acres  situated 
in  Section  1,  Township  4,  Range  4  east.  Of 
this,  about  ninety  acres  are  in  cultivation,  and 
about  4  acres  in  orchard.  .Mr.  Vales  was  mar- 
ried, January  13,  1859,  to  Martha  Slielton,  a 
native  of  this  county,  and  a  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Margaret  R.  (Smith)  Shclton.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  This  lady 
was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living — Isara  Riley,  Oley,  Edward  anil 
Lillie,  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  31.  E. 
Church  of  Dahlgren,  Hamilton  County,  and  a 
member  of  Dahlgren  Lodije,  No,  486,  1.  O.  0, 
F,     He  is  a  Democrat  in  |)oliti(s. 


130 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


CASNER  TOWNSHIP. 


HUGH  L.  BLEDSOE  (deceased)  was  born 
in  Blount  County,  Tenn.,  in  1821,  a  son  of 
Philadelphus  and  Mildred  (Kendrick)  Bled- 
soe, both  natives  of  the  same  State.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics, and  died  in  1863.  His  wife,  who  sur- 
vives him,  was  born  July  9,  1828,  but  a  half 
mile  from  where  she  at  present  resides,  and 
has  lived  here  ever  since,  making  her  the 
oldest  resident  of  Casner  Township.  She  is 
the  mother  of  seven  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living — William  M.,  Eliza  L.,  Permelia 
E.,  Philadelphus  M.,  Thomas  H.  and  James 
D.  Mrs.  Beldsoe  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  She  has  a  fai-m  of  140  acres, 
which  is  given  to  general  farming.  P.  M. 
Bledsoe  was  born  December  30,  1855,  and 
was  married,  March  28,  1883,  to  Ollie  D. 
Henley,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(Stilly)  Henley.  He  has  a  farm  of  twenty  six 
acres  situated  in  Washington  County.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F..  Ashley  Lodge, 
No.  302,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

EDWAKD  BOND  {deceased)  came  from 
Tennessee  and  settled  in  Jefferson  County 
with  his  parents,  Mitchell  and  Elizabeth 
Bond,  at  an  early  day.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  and  during  his  life  gave  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  man  of 
quiet  and  unpretending  ways  and  was  held 
in  high  esteem  and  respect  by  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  humbly  toiled  for  many 
years.  He  responded  -to  the  country's  call 
for  troops  for  the  Mexican  war.  and  also 
served  a  year  in  the  late  war— in  the  Thirty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  Decern 
ber  11,  1850,  he    married  Elizabeth  A.  Gill, 


I  d  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Maria  (Campbell) 
Gill.  She  still  survives  him.  as  do  also 
three  of  their  sis  children — William  E.,  Mi- 
chael A.  and  Francis  M.  Mr.  Bond  died  Au- 
gust 23,  1874,  at  which  time  his  farm  con- 
sisted of  240  acres.  Although  departed,  his 
record  is  with  us.  and  it  is  resplendent  with 
achievements  which,  although  humble  and 
unassuming  in  their  nature,  are,  nevertheless, 
noble  and  grand,  reflecting  great  credit  to 
the  worth  of  his  character,  which  was  at  all 
times  pure  and  imdefiled. 

WILLIAM  R.  CHA.MP,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Jefferson  County,  having  come  here  with 
his  parents,  who  unloaded  their  small  stock 
of  this  world's  goods  in  Grand  Prairie  Town- 
ship November  9,  1829.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 15,  1828,  in  Lincoln  County,  Tenn., 
to  Henry  and  Delanie  (Brown)  Champ.  The 
father  was  a  Georgian  by  birth,  was  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  during  life,  had  filled  many 
offices,  and  was  a  man  who  occupied  a  high 
position  in  popular  favor.  He  died  August 
30,  1876.  aged  nearly  seventy-three  years, 
his  noble  wife  having  departed  this  life  in 
1872.  Their  union  had  been  blessed  with 
twelve  children,  of  whom  five  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  still  living,  our  subject  being 
the  eldest.  His  early  schooling  was  ex- 
tremely limited — to  a  single  spelling  book  he 
was  indebted  for  all  that  he  obtained.  Farm- 
ing claimed  his  attention  in  early  life,  and 
he  has  since  made  that  his  exclusive  busi- 
ness. August  5,  1852,  he  wedded  Nancy 
Bond,  a  daughter  of  Mitchell  and  Elizabeth 
Bond,  and  by  her  raised  a  family  of  sis  chil- 


CASNER   TOWNSHIP. 


131 


di'pin,  of  whom  five  sui'vive — Franklin  P., 
William  H  ,  Olive  M. ,  Benjamin  P.  and  Sey- 
mour. Mr.  Champ  has  a  farm  of  262 j  acres, 
mostly  in  Casner  Township.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Woodlawn  Lodge, 
No.  522.  He  has  tilled  many  offices,  includ- 
ing that  of  Supervisor,  Collector,  Town 
Clerk,  etc.,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
With  a  possible  exception,  Mr.  Champ  is 
Casner  Township's  oldest  resident  at  the 
present  time.  His  success  in  life  is  altogether 
due  to  his  own  energy,  and  it  is  such  charac- 
ters as  these  that  insure  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  country. 

SPENCER  S.  EUBANK,  farmer  and 
stock-dealer,  P.  O.  Woodlawn,  was  born  in 
Lincoln  County.  Tenn..  May  13,  1814,  a  son 
of  John  and  Susan  (Shelton)  Eubank,  both 
natives  of  Georgia  (or  South  Carolina,  as 
they  were  right  cm  the  line;,  and  here  they 
were  also  married.  The  father  was  a  car- 
penter and  millwright  by  trade,  which  he 
followed  the  most  of  his  life.  The  parents 
removed  to  Lincoln  County,  Tenn.,  where 
our  subject  was  born,  and  after  residing  in 
different  counties  in  Alabama  and  Carroll 
County,  Tenn.,  they  came  to  Washington 
County,  this  State,  about  1830.  Their  mar- 
riage had  given  them  fourteen  children,  five 
of  whom  were  living  at  last  accounts -Polly, 
Spencer  S.,  Richard,  Margaret  and  Betsey. 
Mr.  Eubank  received  but  very  little  early 
schooling.  He  has  been  variously  en- 
gaged during  his  long  and  active  life.  He 
made  his  tii'st  crop  of  corn,  and  it  was  a 
good  crop,  too,  with  a  grass  collar  and  hick- 
ory bark  traces,  and  was  the  first  owner  of  a 
■■painted"  plow  in  Washington  (bounty. 
With  his  father,  he  put  up  the  first  frame 
house  in  Ashley,  and  they  burned  the  first 
lime  in  the  county.  Mr.  Eubank  built  sev- 
eral steam  mills,  one  of  them  the  second  in 
the    county.     For   thirty    years    he    was  en- 


gaged in  farming  and  milling,  owning  at 
one  time  1,400  acres  of  land,  which  he  lost 
in  the  flom-ing  mill  business  in  Ashley.  He 
has  a  present  farm  of  220  acres,  mostly  in 
meadow,  which  is  devoted  to  stock-raising 
and  grazing.  He  winters  large  herds  of  stock 
in  Missouri  and  Arkansas  and  disposes  of 
them  in  the  Northern  markets.  He  was 
married  to  Sally  White,  a  daughter  of  Stin- 
son  White.  She  died  in  1875.  the  mother 
of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  seven  are  liv- 
ing— James,  Anrow,  Emily,  Richard,  Robert, 
Susan  and  Margaret.  Politically,  Mr.  Eu- 
bank is  a  Republican.  .41though  advanced 
in  years,  he  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  and  en- 
gages in  active  every-day  wo'"k. 

THOMAS  J.  GASKINS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  is  a  native  of  Clark  County,  Ind., 
born  August  23,  1838,  a  son  of  Elias  and 
Mary  (Bear)  Gaskins,  lie  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  she  of  Indiana.  The  father  was  a 
farmer,  and  died  in  1882,  aged  nearly  seven- 
ty-three years;  the  mother  is  still  living. 
The  married  life  of  the  old  folks  had  been 
blessed  with  eleven  children,  seven  of  whom 
still  survive — Thomas  J.,  Sarah,  Harriett, 
Owen,  Mary,  Martha  and  Leah.  When  Mr. 
Gaskins  was  quite  small,  his  parents  came  to 
Jefferson  County,  and  here  he  obtained  what 
little  education  was  afforded  by  the  common 
schools.  He  started  in  life  as  a  tiller  of  the 
soil,  and  has  been  always  thus  engaged, 
having  at  present  a  farm  of  105  acres,  which 
is  devoted  to  farming  in  its  various  branches. 
March  7.  1801,  he  married  Sarah  E.  West- 
cott,  born  June  4,  1830,  a  daughter  of  John 
D.  and  Margaret  S.  (Willis)  Westcott,  he 
born  September  12,  1803,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 29,  1850.  and  she  born  August  24,  1804, 
and  died  November  30,  1858.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gaskins  have  five  children — W^illiam  T. , 
born  March  23,1862;  Mary  R.  E.,  February 
27,  1864;  Francis   M.,    November  19,  1866; 


132 


BIOGKAPHICAL: 


Annie  S.  C,  July  7,  1869;  and  Harriett  E. 
I.,  February  27,  1872.  Our  subject  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Democrat. 

THOMAS  W.  HARVEY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  was  born  June  27,  1830,  in 
Hampshire  CounLy.  Va.  (now  Weat  Vir- 
ginia), to  Zachariah  and  Betsey  (Ward)  Har- 
vey, both  natives  of  Virginia.  His  father 
wa-i  a  fjirmer  by  occupation,  and  was  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  parents  had  fourteen  chil- 
dren, only  two  of  whom  are  now  livings 
Ann  and  Thomas  W.  The  latter  received 
what  little  education  the  old  subscription 
schools  afforded.  At  the  age  of  five,  he  re- 
moved with  his  pa-'ents  to  Tazewell  County, 
111.,  where  the  mother  died.  Shortly  after- 
ward, the  father  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
and  here  our  subject  has  since  resided.  His 
present  farm  consists  of  160  acres,  which  is 
given  to  farming  in  its  general  branches. 
He  was  united  in  marriage,  July  23,  1852, 
to  Catharine  Watkius,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Barbara  (Bear)  Watkins,  and  the  union 
has  been  blessed  with  fourteen  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  now  living — Mary  E. 
(wife  of  Simeon  L.  White),  John  H. ,  Isaac 
Z.,  Elijah  B.,  Leah  F.,  Thomas  J.  and  Bar- 
bara L.  Mr.  Harvey  was  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.  until  his  lodge  broke  up.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Southern  Meth- 
odist (/burch.  He  has  tilled  the  offices  of 
Supervisor,  Assessor.  Deputy  Sheriff  and 
Constable,  and  iu  politics  gives  his  support 
to  the  Democratic  party. 

THOMAS  KELLY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Wood- 
lawn,  is  a  native  of  County  Galway,  Ireland, 
born  September  25,  1829,  the  eldest  child  of 
Edward  and  Ma«-y  Kelly,  both  natives  of  the 
same  cotmtry.  His  parents  had  a  large  fam- 
ily of  children,  our  subject  being  the  only 
one  in  America.  He  spent  his  early  life  in 
Ireland,    and    iu     1849    embarked     for    the 


United  States,  landing  in  New  Orleans.  In  the 
spring  of  1852,  he  came  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, where  he  has  since  resided,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  several  years'  residence  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Washington.  He  has  been 
twice  married,  first  to  Catharine  Hayes,  who 
bore  him  one  child — Ashford — and  after- 
ward to  Lucinda  (Green)  Pitts,  by  whom  he 
has  four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living — 
Hattie  C.  and  Charles  W.  In  January,  1862, 
Mr.  Kelly  enlisted  iu  the  Forty- ninth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  Col.  Morrison,  and  was 
in  many  heavy  engagements  throughout  the 
Mississippi  and  Western  campaigns.  He  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound  in  the  left  leg  at  the 
battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  but  served  his 
three  years  of  enlistment  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Springfield.  He  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church,  in  which  he  is 
also  a  licensed  preacher.  He  has  been  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  for  seven  years  in  succes- 
sion, and  has  filled  many  other  offices.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Democrat.  Although  abrupt 
and  decisive  in  speech,  the  Squire  is,  never- 
theless, courteous  and  considerate,  and  'is 
ever  ready  to  give  his  support  to  enterprises 
calculated  for  the  public  good. 

JOHN  KENDALL,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ashley, 
was  born  in  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  January 
5,  1823,  the  eldest  son  of  William  and 
Christina  (Lawson)  Kendall,  he  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  she  of  Virginia.  The 
father  was  first  married  to  a  Miss  Brown, 
who  bore  him  seven  children,  only  one  of 
whom  survives — Thomas — aresident  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  Of  his  second  marriage,  four 
children  are  now  living — John,  Jeremiah, 
Susan  and  Louvina.  William  Kendall  was 
a  surveyor  and  located  a  great  amount  of 
land  in  Ohio,  and  also  assisted  in  laying 
out  Portsmouth,  that  State.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  furnace  business  in  Scioto  County,  and 
also  steamboat  building,  and  built  many  of 


CASNER    TOWNSHIP. 


133 


the  first  to  run  on  the  Ohio  River.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  for  many 
years,  and  at  his  death  was  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Senate.  He  was  a  Whig  in 
politics,  and  during  his  life  was  actively 
identified  with  numberless  popular  enter- 
prises of  various  kinds.  He  served  in  the 
war  of  1812.  John  Kendall,  the  subject  of 
these  lines,  obtained  a  little  schooling  in 
his  native  county,  and  was  raised  on  the  farm. 
He  was  in  the  mercantile  and  also  coal  bus- 
iness in  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  was  after- 
ward railroad  agent  for  two  years  at  Jack- 
son, same  State,  after  which  he  came  to 
Jefierson  County  and  located  on  his  present 
place,  which  now  consists  of  320  acres,  with 
a  large  orchard  and  the  various  attributes  of 
a  good  farm.  He  was  first  married  to  Louisa 
Lucas,  who  died  a  short  time  after  her  mar- 
riage. His  second  marriage  was  with  Louisa 
J.  (Stamper)  Martin.  Mr.  Kendall  has  tilled 
many  minor  offices,  and  is  the  present  School 
Treasurer  of  Casner  Township.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics.  He  holds  a  high 
position  in  popular  esteem,  and  his  humble, 
yet  vigorous  life,  sets  but  another  example 
that  is  worthy  of  emulation  by  all. 

THOMAS  B.  LACEY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  was  born  February  17,  1827,  in 
St.  Clair  County,  111.,  to  Joshua  and  Ma- 
linda  (Gooding)  Lacey,  the  father  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  the  mother  of  Kentucky. 
Joshua  Lacey  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and 
came  with  his  father  to  Illinois  Territory 
about  1807  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Madi- 
son  County.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812, 
as  did  also  several  of  his  brothers.  He  died 
in  June,  1858,  leaving  his  wife,  who  is  yet 
living.  Their  married  life  had  been  blessed 
with  ten  children,  of  whom  six  are  living-- 
Annio,  Thomas  B.,  J.  R.,  Thompson,  Cynthia 
and  Permelia.  The  early  education  of  our 
subject  was    limited  to   what    little    was  ob- 


'  tainable  in  the  early  schools  of  his  native 
county.  In  1848,  he  came  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty and  taught  two  terms  of  school  at  Jor- 
dan's Prairie.  He  returned  to  St.  Clair 
County,  and  was  there  married  to  Eliza  Mc- 
CuUey.  a  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  (Nel- 
son) McCulley,  and  the  union  has  been 
blessed  with  twelve  children,  of  whom  there 
are  now  living— John  O.,  Laura  A.,  Matilda 
J.,  Joshua  v.,  Charles  A.,  Hugh  B.,  Thomas 
M.,  Myrtle  Belle,  Lillian  and  Lorenzo  D. 
Mr.  Lacey  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Woodlawn  Lodge,  No.  522,  in  which  he  was 
a  charter  member  also.  He  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Church;  has  tilled  many  minor 
offices,  including  that  of  Supei'visor,  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  etc.,  and  in  politics  votes  the 
Republican  ticket.  He  has  a  good  farm  and 
residence  in  Casner  Township. 

THOMPSON  LACEY,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Woodlawn,  is  a  native  of  St.  Clair  County, 
111.,  born  September  1,  1834,  a  son  of 
Joshua  and  Malinda  (Gooding)  Lacey.  (See 
sketch  of  T.  B.  Lacey  elsewhere.)  He  ob- 
tained his  early  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  county,  and  started  in  life  as  a 
farmer.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Nancy  Reed,  a  daughter  of  Bird  and  Emily 
Reed,  and  the  union  has  been  blessed  with 
eight  children — America,  Lucinda,  Charles 
S.,  Robert  L.,  Logan  B.,  Permelia,  Frederick 
and  Emma.  Mr.  Lacey  came  to  Jefferson 
County  in  1858,  and  has  resided  here  ever 
since,  with  the  excej)tion  of  returning  to  St. 
Clair  County  for  a  few  months.  He  has  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  engages  in  general 
farming.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
W'oodlawn  Lodge,  'No.  522,  and,  with  his 
wife,  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  votes 
the  Republican  ticket. 

DAVID  ROACH  (deceased)  was  born  in 
Ireland  and  came  to  America  when  small. 
He  was  a  son  of  Frank  Roach.     In  early  life 


134 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


he  learned  the  trade  of  shoe-making,  and  was 
thus  engaged  for  several  years,  mostly  in 
Boston,  Mass.  Here  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  A.  Riley,  who  still  sur- 
vives him.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Margaret  Riley.  In  February,  1856, 
Mr.  Roach  came  West  and  located  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  and  at  tirst  boarded  hands, 
then  working  on  the  railroad.  Shortly  after- 
ward, he  pui'chased  the  place  his  widow  now 
lives  on.  which  consists  of  191  acres,  which 
is  devoted  to  farming  in  its  various  branches. 
Mr.  Roach  died  in  ISSl,  leaving  a  widow 
and  seven  children —Frank  P.,  Sarah  M. 
and  David  R  (twins),  Annie.  Louisa,  Isa- 
belle  and  Charles.  Mr.  Roach  was  a  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Jefferson  County.  He 
gave  liberally  to  church  and  school  purposes, 
and  Lis  material  assistance  was  forthcoming 
for  the  aid  of  all  enterprises  calculated 
for  the  good  of  the  community,  his  generos- 
ity ofttimes  exceeding  his  actual  means. 
The  grim  hand  of  death  cannot  blot  out,,  but 
only  brightens  with  a  perpetual  glow  the 
footprints  of  such  noble  lives,  the  thoughtful 
study  of  which  tends  to  the  edification  and 
enlightenment  of  all  mankind. 

JOHN  M.  SEVERS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Ash- 
ley. Abram  Severs  was  born  in  Indiana. 
He  was  a  farmer  in  early  life,  but  in  later 
years  engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business  in 
Jefferson  County,  being  the  owner  of  several 
different  mills.  He  married  Rebecca  C. 
Dubrise,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  raised  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  now  living — John  M. ,  Eliza  J.,  Joel  F., 
William  A.,  Abraham  L.,  Nancy  R. ,  Dora 
B.  and  Laura  A.  John  M. ,  the  subject  of 
these  lines,  was  born  May  26.  18-16.  in  this 
county,  in  which  he  obtained  his  early  edu- 
cation, and  which  he  has  always  made  his 
home.  He  has  been  a  farmer  all  bis  life, 
his  present  farm  consisting  of  eight}'  acres, 


which  is  devoted  to  farming  in  its  various 
branches.  In  February,  1865.  ho  enlisted 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixtieth  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  Col.  Stevenson,  and  was  at 
Tullahoma  and  Memphis,  at  which  latter 
place  he  was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  January  7, 
1872,  to  Cansada  McMillion,  a  daughter  of 
Merediths,  and  Caroline  (Carter")  McMillion. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  live  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living — Emery  E. , 
born  December  12,  1S74;  and  Frank  M..  May 
21,  1880.  Politically,  Mr.  Severs  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

JAMES  WOOD,  farmer,  P.  O.  Woodlawn. 
was  born  in  Saline  County,  111.,  March  30, 
1817,  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Mary  (Jackson) 
Wood,  he  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  she  of 
South  Carolina.  The  father  was  a  son  of 
William  Wood,  who  was  known  throughout 
the  country  as  "  Roaring  Billy."  Alfi-ed 
Wood  was  a  farmer  by  occupation;  was  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  was  accidentally  killed 
when  our  subject  was  small,  by  a  limb  strik- 
ing him  while  felling  a  bee  tree.  The  par- 
ents were  blessed  with  six  children — James, 
and  Leonard,  who  resides  in  Texas,  being  the 
only  ones  now  living.  James  received  but  a 
very  limited  schooling,  his  parents  being  in 
poor  circumstances.  There  were  no  winter 
schools  at  that  time,  and  his  father  needed 
his  assistance  in  the  summer  in  making  the 
crops  He  has  always  given  his  attention  to 
farming  pursuits,  his  present  property  con- 
sisting of  320  acres,  and  he  has  given  largely 
to  his  children.  He  was  married  to  Marga- 
I'et  A.  Dyer,  a  daughter  of  Martin  Dyer,  and 
by  her  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  six  still  survive — Francis,  John. 
Pierce.  Rodum,  Isaac  and  Annie.  Mr.  Wood 
has  filled  many  minor  ofilces.  Politcially.  he 
has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  is  one  of 
Casner  Township's   respected   citizens,  and, 


FAHRINGTON   TOWNSHIP. 


135 


although  advanced  in  years,  is  still    actively 
engaged  in  every- day  farm  vpork. 

WILLIAM  A.  WRIGHT,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Kichview,  is  a  native  of  Rockingham  Coun- 
ty, N.  C,  born  July  14,  1827,  to  George  W. 
and  Susan  A.  (Wrion)  Wright,  both  of  the 
same  State.  His  father  was  a  farmer;  was 
in  the  war  of  1812;  was  a  strong  Democrat 
of  the  Jacksonian  type,  and  was  identified  with 
many  popular  enterprises.  He  died  in  1846. 
His  noble  wife  still  .survives  him,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-nine  years.  The  ven- 
erable lady  has  lived  in  this  vicinity  for  up- 
wards of  fifty  years,  and  is  still  quite  hale 
and  vigorous,  the  hand  of  time  having 
touched  her  lightly.  Their  marriage  was 
blessed  with  seven  children,  of  whom  three 
are  now  living — James  M. ,  William  A  and 
George  W.  Mr.  Wright's  parents  moved  to 
Marion    County,    this   State,    when    he  was 


about  four  years  old.  His  father  was  in 
poor  circumstances,  and  was  unable  to  give 
his  children  an  adequate  schooling.  After 
several  years'  residence  in  Marion  County, 
our  subject  removed  to  Washington  County, 
and  about  two  years  later  to  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  has 
a  farm  of  120  acres,  and  engages  in  general 
farming.  October  11,  1848,  he  wedded 
^lary  A.  Martin,  a  daughter  of  James  M. 
and  Mary  (McCrackeu)  Martin,  and  they 
have  one  child — Sarah  A. — wife  of  Amos 
Downs,  of  Casner  Township.  Mr.  Wright, 
his  wife  and  his  aged  mother  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Church.  In  politics,  he 
is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Wright's  reputation  is 
above  the  slightest  reproach.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  a  humble  and  honest  man,  always 
seeking  opportunities  to  do  good,  and  of 
such  men  the  people  feel  justly  proud. 


FARRINGTON  TOWNSHIP. 


CHARLES  S.  BURKE,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Pigeon,  was  born  in  Jefferson  County  Janu- 
ary 31,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  F. 
Burke,  of  this  township.  Our  subject  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm  and  has  always  been 
a  farmer.  He  was  married,  in  1876,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Hutcherson,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children,  viz.,  Augustus  C  and  Mary  E. 
Mi's.  Burke  died  November  10,  1881,  and  on 
the  15th  of  March,  1883,  Mr.  Biu-ke  married 
Miss  Ruannah  J.  Fults,  daughter  of  Isaac 
Fults,  of  Allen  County,  Ind.  Mr.  Burke 
owns  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land  and  re- 
sides on  Section  35. 

WILLIAM  A.  DALE  is  a  native  of,Smith 
County,  Tenn.,  born  February  17,  1814. 
His  father,  William  Dale,  was  born  in  Mary- 
land.     Our  subject  came  to  this  county  in 


March,  1839,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  was  married,  in  1834,  to  Martha  John- 
son, by  whom  he  had  ten  children;  of  these  but 
two  are  living,  viz.,  James  and  Nancy.  Mrs. 
Dale  died  November  2,  1864,  and  he  again 
married,  September  30,  1865,  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
White.  She  had  three  children  by  her  first 
husband,  one  living,  viz.,  Frances.  Mr. 
Dale  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Chm'ch.  He 
was  Captain  of  the  militia  company  that 
used  to  drill  at  Moore's  Prairie. 

PETER  DAMITZ,  farmer,  P.  O.  Logans- 
ville,  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  was  born 
April  8,  1840.  His  father,  Ernst  Damitz, 
brought  his  family  to  Warren  County,  111., 
in  1847,  where  he  died  in  February,  1883, 
at  the  age  of  seveaty-nine  years.  Our  sub- 
ject went    to    California    in    1802,  where  he 


136 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


learned  the  stone  mason's  trade.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  also  in  Nevada,  Utah,  IMontana 
and  Idaho.  He  traveled  through  Colorado, 
and  returned  to  Illinois  in  1866.  The  next 
year  he  went  to  Lynn  County,  Kan. ,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  and  farmed.  Mr. 
Damitz  has  built  enough  stone  fence  to 
reach  half  way  from  Mount  Vernon  to  St. 
Louis.  In  1876,  he  married  Mrs.  Sai-ah  A. 
"Wagner,  who  died  when  on  their  way  to 
Colorado  in  1878.  Mr.  Damitz  again  mar- 
ried, in  February,  1880,  Mary  A.,  daughter 
of  Lewis  Cooper.  They  have  one  child — 
Lewis  E. 

EGBERT  FRENCH,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  P.  O.  Pigeon,  was  born  in  Harrison 
County,  Ind.,  February  13,  1832,  and  is  a 
son  of  Mason  French  (deceased)  a  native  of 
Virginia.  Mr.  French  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm  and  attended  a  subscription  school 
in  a  log  cabin  and  sat  on  a  slab  bench.  He 
came  to  Jefferson  County  in  March,  1854. 
He  was  married  to  Eliza  J.  Matheney,  by 
whom  he  had  fourteen  children,  nine  living 
- -Samantha  A.,  Sarah  D.,  M.  Hamilton, 
John  N.,  Albion  T.  and  Albert  C.  (twins), 
Viola  B.,  Robert  W.  and  Agnes  M.  Mr. 
French  was  Constable  of  this  township  two 
years.  He  owns  280  acres  of  land.  Has 
been  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  for  forty  years. 

SAMUEL  GREENWALT,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Logansville,  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
111.,  April  18,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  David 
Greenwalt  (deceased),  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
who  came  to  Wayne  County  about  1820. 
Our  subject  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  was 
married.  March  13,  1865,  to  Ellen  Harvey, 
by  whom  he  has  had  eleven  childr^^n,  eight 
living— Martha  C,  Olive  R.,  Annie  E.,  Mar- 
garet, George  S. ,  Bertha,  Frederick  and 
Walter.     Mr.  Greenwalt  came  to  this  county 


in  the  fall  of  1865.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
late  war  for  Uncle  Sam  three  years  in  Com- 
pany K,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  jiarticipated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Fort  Donelson,  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, Tupelo.  Little  Rock.  Pleasant  Hill.  La., 
Fort  Derusa,  La.,  Nashville,  and  others.  He 
owns  240  acres  of  valuable  land,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
held  the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner  for 
three  years. 

DR.  L.  B.  GREGORY,  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  P.  O.  Logansville.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  "hom  in  Simpson  County, 
Ky.,  February  19,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin Gregory  (deceased),  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  who  brought  his  family  to  this 
county  in  1832,  where  our  subject  has  since 
resided,  except  a  short  time  in  Missouri.  He 
was  reared  on  the  farm  and  educated  in  a 
subscription  school,  in  a  log  cabin  with  dirt 
floor,  split  pole  seats  or  benches,  and  no 
window — just  a  large  door.  He  graduated 
from  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College  in 
1856.  He  at  once  began  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  his  neighborhood,  and  built  up 
a  large  practice  He  has  been  trying  to  give 
up  his  practice,  but  has  freouent  calls  from 
fi'iends.  The  Doctor  began  life  without  a 
dollar;  he  educated  himself,  and' is  therefore 
a  self-made  man.  He  now  owns  1,400  acres 
of  valuable  land,  and  is  extensively  engaged 
in  fanning  and  stock-raising  and  dealing  in 
stock.  He  also  has  a  general  store,  in  which 
he  does  a  ^ood  business.  His  land  is  di- 
vided into  seven  farms.  He  maiTied  Eliza 
Cochran,  bv  whom  he  has  had  eight  chil- 
dren,  seven  living — Charley,  Mary  E.,  Le- 
ander  M. ,  Sophronia,  Lenna  B.,  Ida  and 
Leona.  The  Doctor  also  has  the  post  office, 
name  Logansville.  He  is  the  present  Su- 
pervisor for  Farrington  Township;  resides 
on  Section  '^4. 


FARRINGTON  TOWNSHIP. 


137 


NOAH  HYRE,  farmer,  P.  O.  Logansville, 
was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  July 
15,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Absalom  Hyre  (de- 
eeased),  a  native  of  the  same  county.  Our 
subject  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  has 
been  a  farmer  for  the  most  part  all  his  life. 
He  is  also  a  cai'penter  by  trade,  and  carries 
that  on  in  connection  with  farming.  He  was 
married,  December,  1866,  to  Caroline  Hack- 
ett,  by  whom  he  has  had  eight  children;  of 
these  six  are  living — Flora  B.,  Harriet  J., 
Charles  W.,  John  P..  Maud  R.  and  .James  V. 
Mr.  Hyre  owns  forty  acres  of  land. 

JOHN  W.    JOHNSON,    farmer   and   me- 
chanic, P.  O.  Pigeon,  is    a   native    of  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  and   was   born  July  17,    1831. 
His  father,  William  B.   Johnson  (deceased), 
was  also    a  native  of  Nashville,  and  brought 
his  family  to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1831, 
when  the  wolves  were  howling,  and  panthers, 
bears  and    wild    cats    were   roaming  at  will 
through  the  dense  forests    of    this  then  wil- 
derness.    Our  subject   attended   a   subscrip- 
tion school  in    a   log   cabin    with   puncheon 
floor,  clapboard  door,  stick  chimney,  greased 
paper  over  a  crack  in  the  wall  for  a  window. 
He  was  married  in  June,    1854,    to  Caroline 
Payne,    a   daughter  of  Joseph    Payne    (de- 
ceased).    They  had  seven  children,    five   liv- 
ing, viz.,  Mary  (Webb),  Josejih    L.    (in  Ari- 
zona), Emma  D.,  Hattie  C.  and  Laura.   Mrs. 
Johnson    died  in  March,   1871.      She  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  as  also  are 
Mr.    Johnson    and    the    most  of  his  family. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  also  a  Mason  in  good  standing. 
He  owns  320  acres  of    land   and   is  engaged 
in  farming,  stock-raising  and  blacksmithing. 
He  also  owns    a    set    of   buhrs   for  grinding 
corn,  which    is    propelled    by    steam   power. 
These  buhrs  were  cut  from  a  large  bowlder 
in    this    county    by    a   Frenchman    from  St. 
Louis  in  1817.     They  were  used  many  years 
in  an  ox-tread  mill;  then   they  lay   idle    for 


about  thirty  years.  They  do  first-class  work, 
are  tifty  inches  in  diameter  and  grind  faster 
than  any  other  set  of  stones  in  Jefferson 
County. 

PERRINGTON  T.  MAXEY  (deceased). 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  this 
county  September  10,  1822,  and  was  a  son 
of  Elihu  Maxey  (deceased),  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  a  pioneer  of  JefTerson  County. 
Mr.  Maxey  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and 
educated  in  the  old-fashioned  subscription 
school  (for  a  description  of  the  pioneer 
schoolhouses  see  biographies  of  John  W. 
Johnson  and  Dr.  Gregory  of  this  township). 
He  was  married,  February  19,  1846,  to  Har- 
riet E.,  daughter  of  William  B.  Johnson 
(deceased),  and  a  sister  of  the  well-known 
John  W.  Johnson,  of  this  township.  They 
had  eight  children,  five  living — Frances  M.. 
Ellen  M.,  Emma  L.,  Horace  T.  and  Frank- 
lin M.  Mr.  Maxey  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade; 
also  carried  on  the  farm.  He  died  April  13, 
1865,  leaving  his  family  a  farm  of  160  acres 
on  Section  29,  where  his  widow  and  son 
Franklin  still  reside.  Mr.  Maxey  was  a 
worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

DANIEL  E.  MILNER.  farmer.  P.O.  Hick- 
ory Hill,  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  111. , 
February  21,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
Milner  (deceased)  a  native  of  Grayson  Coun- 
ty, Ky.  Our  subject  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  the  High  School  of  Xenia, 
111.  He  wont  to  Missouri  in  1876,  where  he 
engaged  as  sawyer  for  four  years.  In  June, 
1881,  he  came  to  this  county,  was  married 
January  27,  1881,  and  has  one  child— Leola 
V.     He  owns  eighty  acres  of  land. 

WILLIAM  WILSON,  farmer.  P.  O.  Lo- 
gansville,wa8  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio, 
August  12,  1812,  and  is  a  son  of  James  Wil- 
son fdeceased).     Our  subject    came    to    this 


138 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


township  in  1851,  among  the  deer  and  wolves. 
He  married  Susan  Boudinot,  a  great  niece 
of  the  eminent  and  philanthropic  Hon.  Dr. 
Boudinot,  of  CoJonial  Congress  fame.  They 
have  had  nine  children,  seven  living — Caro- 
line, Horace,  William  E.,  Harriet  (Coyle), 
Mary  (Stonesifer),  Kate  (Ellis),  and  Ann  L. 
(Pearce).  Mr.  Wilson  was  eleven  months  in 
the  late  war  in  Company  I,  Forty-eighth  Reg- 
iment Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
disabled  and  discharged  from  duty.  He  now 
di-aws  a  pension;  he  owns  120  acrts  of  land. 
WILLIAM  L.  YOUNG,  farmer  and  mer- 
chant, P.  O.  Pigeon,  was  born  in  White 
County,  Tenn. .  December  24,  1843,  and  is  a 
son  of  Robert  S.  Young  (deceased),  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  who  brought  his  family  to  this 
county  in  1854.  Our  subject  was  reared  on 
the  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  is  a  farmer  and  merchant  at 
Farrington.  He  married  Laura  C.  Byard, 
by  whom  he  has  had  seven  children,  six  living 
— John  G.,  James  E.,  Cora  C,  Adda  R.,  and 


infant  boy  and  girl  (twins).  Mr.  Young  es- 
tablished his  store  in  July.  1880,  keeps  a 
general  stock  and  does  a  good  business.  He 
owns  120  acres  of  laud,  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  Mr.  Young  has  held  several 
ofi^ces  of  trust. 

JAMES  B.  YOUNG,  farmer,  P.  O.  Pig- 
eon, was  boru  in  White  County,  Tenn., 
March  27,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  S. 
Young  (deceased).  Mr.  Young  was  brought 
to  this  county  by  his  parents  in  1854;  ho 
was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and  educated  in 
the  common  schools.  He  taught  school  for 
five  winters.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Young 
has  devoted  all  his  time  and  attention  to  thfi 
farm.  He  was  married,  December  9,  1880, 
to  Miss  Lydia  Brewer,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Brewer  (deceased).  They  have  one  daughter 
— Maud.  Mr.  Young  and  wife  own  160 
acres  of  land.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  He  was  Assessor  for 
Webber  Township  one  year,  and  is  present 
Clerk  of  Farrington  Township. 


ELK    PRAIRIE    TOWNSHIP. 


J.  H.  CROSNO,  farmer.  P.  O.  Elk  Prairie, 
was  born  in  McClellan  Township,  Jefferson 
County,  November  16,  1832,  a  son  of  R.  S. 
and  Mary  (Wells')  Crosno.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Smith  County,  Tenn. ,  and  came 
to  this  county  in  an  early  day,  first  settling 
in  McClellan  Township,  where  he  resided 
imtil  1836,  when  he  moved  to  BIk  Prairie 
Township.  Here  he  remained  until  1865, 
and  then  moved  to  Washington  Territory, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1867.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Giles  County,  Tenn.  Subject  was  the  oldest 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  liv- 


ing. His  education  was  received  from  the 
subscription  schools,  but  he  afterward  taught 
one  of  the  first  free  schools  of  the  county. 
He  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until 
about  twenty- two,  and^then  purchased  a  farm 
in  the  south  part  of  Elk  Prairie  Township. 
On  that  place  he  resided  until  after  his 
father's  death,  when,  buying  the  interests  of 
the  remaining  heirs,  he  returned  to  the  old 
homestead,  on  which  he  now  resides.  He 
has  at  present  300  acres  in  Sections  1,  2  and 
14,  of  which  about  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  are  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Crosno  was 
married,  June  29, 1854,  to  Larinda  Howard, 


ELK    PRAIRIE    TOWNSHIP. 


139 


a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Jane  Howard,  ear- 
ly settlers  of  McCleHaa  Township,  coming 
from  Tennessee  to  this  couuty.  This  union 
resulted  in  the  following  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living:  Pueblo  K  (on  a  farm  in 
MeClellan  Township),  Peoria  K.  (wife  of 
O.  P.  Duncan,  of  McClellan  Township), 
Florida  (wife  of  Lucius  Johnson,  of  Spring 
Garden  Township),  Rosa,  Willie,  Charles  E., 
R.  H.,  S.  J.,  A.  O.  and  Hardin  W.  Our 
subject  has  served  as  Township  Assessor, 
Justice  of  the  Peace  and  member  of  the 
County  Board  of  Supervisors.  In  politics, 
is  a  Greenbacker. 

WILLIAM  S.  DODDS,  farmer,  P.  O. 
Laur,  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides, 
in  Elk  Prairie  Township,  Jeflerson  County, 
on  December  21,  1849;  was  a  son  of  John 
and  Lucy  (Kel'er)  Dodds.  The  father  was 
also  a  native  of  this  county,  being  born  near 
Mount  Vernon,  and  died  in  Elk  Prairie 
Township  October  8,  1879.  The  grand- 
father, Joseph  Dodds,  however,  came  from 
South  Carolina  to  this  county  in  a  ver^-  early 
day.  Subject  was  the  second  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  live  are  now  living — Maggie 
(wife  of  T.  H.  Mannen),  William  S.,  Susan 
(wife  of  Sydney  T.  Hirons),  David  and  Neal. 
Subject  attended  the  free  schools  of  this 
county.  He  remained  on  the  home  farm  un- 
til his  father's  death,  and  after  the  division 
of  the  estate,  subject  acquired  140  acres. 
Mr.  Dodds  was  married,  September  8.  1880, 
to  Mary  MeConnel,  a  native  of  Rome  Town- 
ship, this  county,  and  a  daughter  of  John  C. 
and  Sarah  Jane  (Cummings)  MeConnel.  The 
result  of  the  union  was  one  child — Beitha, 
born  June  11,  1882.  This  lady  died  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1883,  and  was  buried  in  the 
MeConnel  Cemetery,  in  Rome  Township. 
Mr.  Dodds  has  served  as  Township  Assessor 
three  terms.  In  politics,  Mr.  Dodds  is  a 
Democrat. 


J.  J.  FITZGERRELL,  P.  O.  Fitzgerell, 
probably  one  of  the  foremost  and  most 
extensive  farmers  in  Jefferson  County,  the 
gentleman  whoso  name  heads  this  sketch, 
was  born  about  three  miles  from  Owens- 
ville,  Gibson  Co.,  Ind.,  January  25,  1815. 
He  was  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Roy)  Fitzgerrell,  who  were  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  that  rpgion.  The  father 
was  born  near  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  and  the 
mother  near  Lancaster,  Garrett  Co.,  Ky. 
Subject  was  the  third  of  fourteen  children, 
of  whom  seven  are  now  living.  His  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  subscription  schools 
of  his  county.  When  eighteen,  his  father 
moved  to  Posey  County,  Ind.,  to  which  place 
the  son  accompanied  him,  and  with  whon;, 
the  latter  made  his  home  until  twenty-two, 
and  then  commenced  life  for  himsesf  on  a 
farm  in  that  county.  There  our  subject  re- 
mained until  1839,  and  then  came  to  Jeffer- 
son County.  Here  he  remained  only  ten 
weeks,  but  in  that  time  he  fenced  eighty 
acres  and  entered  about  two  hundred  acres 
more  of  his  present  farm.  He  then  returned 
to  Posey  County,  Ind.,  and  there  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1840,  and  then  came 
again  to  this  county,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided and  where  he  stands  to-day  as  one  of 
the  largest  land  owners  of  the  county.  In 
connection  with  his  farming,  Mr.  Fitzgerrell 
was  also,  until  about  four  years  ago,  one  of 
the  most  extensive  stock-raisers  of  the  coun- 
ty. In  the  last  few  years,  owing  to  sickness, 
he  has  decreased  somewhat  in  that  line.  Our 
subject  was  married  in  Posey  Co., Ind., March 
24,  1837,  to  Patsey  Ann  Martin,  a  native  of 
Gibson  County,  Ind.,  and  a  daughter  of 
j  James  and  Sarah  (Williams)  Martin,  who 
!  wore,  probably,  originally  from  Kentucky, 
and  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Gibson 
i  County.  Twelve  children  blessed  this  [mar- 
riat'o,  of  whom  six  are  now  living — William 


140 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


L.,  born  August  18,  1889;  Evans,  born  No- 
vember 10,  1844;  Sylvester,  bom  February 
6,  1850;  Elzina  J..  April  9,  1852,  wife  of 
Dr.  I.  G.  Gee,  whose  sketch  appears  else- 
where in  this  work;  Sarah  E.,  born  December 
9,  1851,  and  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  H. 
Mitehel,  of  Mount  Vernon:  and  Eliza  B. , 
born  November  3,  1859,  wife  of  A.  Q. 
Mitehel,  of  Franklin  County.  Of  the  de- 
ceased ones,  Bailey  was  bora  January  13, 
1838,  died  May  20,  1840;  John  S.,"  born 
March  1,  1841,  died  August  11,  1862;  An- 
drew, born  November  10,  1842,  died  Novem- 
ber 15,  1847;  Easter  M.,  born  October  26, 
1854,  died  April  1,  1864;  J.  J.,  born  April 
8,  1857,  died  August  11,  1864;  Patsey,  born 
March  4,  1862,  died  July  4,  1862."  Mrs. 
Fitzgerrell  passed  away  March  31,  1862.  and 
our  subject  was  joined  in  wedlock,  in  Frank- 
lin County,  on  July  19,  1862,  to  Sarah  M. 
Whitlow.  This  lady  was  born  in  Franklin 
Coimty  July  22,  1840,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Tompkins)  Whitlow, 
natives  of  Hardin  County,  Ky.  The  parents 
came  to  Jefferson  County  about  1827,  and 
settled  in  Moore's  Prairie  Township,  and 
there  lived  until  1839,  \\hen  they  moved  to 
Franklin  County,  where  the  father  died 
April  12,  1846,  and  the  mother  August  17, 
1854.  The  result  of  this  union  has  been 
seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  now  living — 
Eobert  C,  born  May  3,  1863;  Mary  C,  born 
August  23,  1865;  Daniel  G.,  February  10, 
1868;  Edgar  Lee,  born  February  6,  1872; 
Euterpe  W.,  born  May  11,  1874;  Elnora  R., 
born  November  27,  1877;  Catharine  M., 
April  14, 1880.  Mrs.  Fitzgerrell  is  aiuember 
of  the  Union  Baptist  Church  of  Elk  Prairie 
Township.  In  his  lifetime,  our  subject  has 
kept  free  from  office-seeking  and  political 
strifes,  and  has  devoted  himself  mainly  to 
his  business.  In  politics,  he  has  been  a 
lifelong  Democrat. 


DR.  I.  G.  GEE,  physician  and  farmer, 
P.  O.  Fitzgerell.  The  gentleman  of  whose 
life  this  is  a  brief  sketch  is  at  present  one  of 
the  leading  physicians  of  Jefferson  County, 
and  wa.s  born  in  Simpson  County,  Ky.,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1841.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Melinda  (Billingsly)  Gee.  The  father 
was  born  about  1810,  in  Barren  County,  Ky. , 
his  father  having  come  from  Virginia,  and 
the  mother  was  born  Februray  24,  1816,  in 
Wai-ren  County,  Ky.  In  October,  1852,  the 
parents  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Perry 
County,  near  Tamaroa,  and  here  subject  re- 
ceived his  education.  In  the  spring  of  1863, 
he  commenced  reading  medicine  with  Dr.  W. 
Sims,  of  Tamaroa.  After  reading  with  that 
gentleman  six  months,  he  went  to  the  Eclec- 
tic Medical  Institute,  where,  except  fiJr  a 
short  time,  he  attended  lectures  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1865,  when  he  graduated  from  that 
institution  and  returned  to  Illinois,  where 
he  settled  in  Elk  Prairie  Township,  Jefferson 
County.  Here  he  has  since  remained  in  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  which  now 
extends  over  parts  of  Jefferson,  Perry  and 
Franklin  Counties.  The  Doctor  also  finds 
time  to  give  considerable  attention  to  farm- 
ing, and  at  present  owns  80  acres  in  Section 
26,  80  in  Section  29,  515  in  Section  30,  65 
in  Section  35,  of  Township  4,  Range  2,  160 
acres  in  Perry  County  and  240  acres  in 
Franklin  County.  Our  subject  was  joined 
in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony  to  Elzina  J. 
Fitzgerrell  on  December  26.  1867.  This  lady 
is  a  native  of  this  county,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  J.  J.  Fitzgerrell.  whose  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  result  of  this 
union  has  been  live  children,  of  whom  three 
are  now  living — Harl,  Earl  and  Knox.  Sub- 
ject has  served  as  Township  Clerk,  Highway 
Commissioner  and  School  Treasiu-er;  is  a 
member  of  Goode  Lodge,  No.  744,  A. ,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Franklin    County,    and  of  fl.   W. 


ELK   PRAIRIE   TOWNSHIP. 


141 


Hubbard    Chapter,    No.     160,    Royal    Arch 
Masons,  ol  Mount  Vernon. 

JAMES  LOMAN,  farmer,  P.  O.  Elk 
Prairie,  was  born  in  Madison  Qounty,  Ky., 
May  28,  1831,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Phoebe 
(Davenport)  Loman.  who  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina.  Subject  was  the  oldest  of 
seven  children,  and  when  eleven  years  old 
his  father  died.  The  former,  however,  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  mother  and  assisted 
on  the  farm.  In  the  winter  time,  however, 
he  found  time  to  attend  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  county  some.  When  subject 
was  eighteen,  his  mother  man'ied  a  Mr. 
Coffman,  but  Mr.  Loman,  however,  made  his 
home  with  his  step-father  until  he  became  of 
age,  and  then,  in  the  fall  of  1852,  he  removed 
to  Rliuois  and  settled  in  Gallatin  County, 
where  he  remained  six  years.  From  there 
he  came  to  Jefferson  County,  and  settled  on 
his  present  farm  in  Elk  Prairie  Township. 
Here  he  now  owns  about  one  hfindred  and 
seventy  acres,  located  in  Sections  23,  24 
and  26.  of  Township  4,  Range  2  east.  Of 
this,  there  are  about  one  hundred  and  forty - 
two  acres  in  cultivation  and  two  acres  in  or- 
chard. Mr.  Loman  was  married,  July  1, 
1850,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  McClaine,  a  native  of 
Hopkins  County,  Ky.,  and  a  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Lurenna  McClaine.  This  marriage  has 
resulted  in  seven  children,  of  whom  iive  are 
now  living — Mary  (wife  of  William  Hester), 
AVilliam,  Vienna  (wife  of  Newton  Wells),  I. 
B.  and  Leota.  Subject  enlisted  in  the  Thirty  - 
tirst  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  in  October, 

1864,  and   remained  in  service  until  August, 

1865.  Among  the  campaigns  in  which  his 
regiment  participated  was  that  of  Sherman's 
famous  march  to  the  sea.  Mr.  Loman  has 
served  in  many  places  of  trust  in  his  town- 
ship, having  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  six 
teen  years.  He  is  at  present  tilling  the  otfice 
of  School  Trustee.     He  is  a  member    of    the 


Elk  Prairie  Christian  Church,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  at  present  connected  with  the  Green- 
back party;  formerly,  however,  he  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

JOHN  MARTIN,   deceased,  was    born    in 
Gibson  County,  Ind. ,  August  14,  1813.      He 
was  a  son    of    James    and  Sarah  (Williams) 
Martin,  and  was  the  third  of  six  children,  of 
whom  two    are    living.     His    education    was 
received  in  the  schools  of    that  day,  and  was 
somewhat   meager,   his    father    having    died 
when  subject  was  a    mere    boy.      The    latter 
rendered  what  service  he  could  to  his  mother, 
and  remained  at  the  home  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-seven.      Then,  starting  out  in  life,  he 
married  and  settled  down  on  a  farm  in    that 
county,  where  he  remained   until    1847,  and 
then   came    to    Jeiferson    County,  where    he 
settieci  in  Elk  Prairie  Township,  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  his  widow.      His  first   pur- 
chase of  200  acres  had  been  partially  cleared. 
By  careful  saving  and  frugality  he  added    to 
that  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned 
about  nine  hundred  acres,  which  have    since 
been  divided  amoiig  his   heirs.      In    Gibson 
County,  Ind.,  February    11,    1841,  Mr.  Mai-- 
tin  was  wedded    to    Julia    Ann    Ai-mstrong, 
who  was  born  in  Wayne   County,  111.,  April 
2,  1822,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Elsberry    and 
Elizabeth    (Landers)  Armstrong,    who    were 
jirobably     originally    natives     of     Indiana. 
Nine    children    have     come    to    bless    this 
union,     of    whom    seven    are     now    living, 
viz.,    Elsberry,    born    November    11,     1841; 
Melissa,  born  January  1,  1845,  wife  of  Har- 
ry H.  Hartley;  Sarah  E.,  born  November  29, 
1847, wife  of  J.  J.  Pierce,  of  Frauklin  Coun- 
ty; Mary  J.,  born    November   25,  1849,  wife 
of  J.  A.  Allen;  Nancy  E.,  born  February  24, 
1852,  wife  of  M.  M.  Fitzgerrell;  Martha  A., 
wife  of  Elijah  Webb;    John   B.,  born    June 
23,  1862.      Two    infants  were  born  Ajiril  23, 
1855,  and  died  the  same    day.      It    was    the 


142 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


nature  of  our  subject  to  remain  aloof  from 
political  struggles  and  strifes,  and  was  in  no 
"way  an  ofljce  seeker  and  holder,  but  bent  all 
of  his  energies  to  the  amassing  of  a  consid- 
erable competence,  which  his  heirs  now  en- 
joy. As  far  as  his  political  opinions  and 
principles  went,  however,  he  gave  his  support 
to  the  Democratic  party.  Mr.  Martin,  in  his 
lifetime,  was  a  true  and  faithful  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  at  his  death,  August 
17,  1875,  he  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of 
that  church  in  Elk  Prairie  Township.  His 
widow  and  the  unmarried  children  now  re- 
main on  the  farm. 

WILLIAM  WELLS,  farmer,  P.  O.  Elk 
Prairie,  was  born  in  Giles  County,  Tenn., 
September  16,  1813,  a  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Livingston)  Wells.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to 
Tennessee  in  a  very  early  day;  the  mother 
was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Subject  was  the 
third  of  nine  children.  In  1819,  his  father 
went,  with  his  family,  to  Lauderdale  County, 
Ala.,  and  there  William  attended  subscrip- 
tion school  some.  In  1825,  the  father  again 
moved,  this  time  to  Jefferson  County,  and 
settled  in  Mount  Vernon  Township.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  neighborhood, 
where  he,  however,  remained  only  about 
three  years,  and  then  moved  to  Wolf's  Prai- 
rie, McClellau  Township,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  June, 
1865.  The  father,  in  his  day,  was  one  of 
the  foremost  men  of  the  township  in  which 
he  resided,  and  served  in  numerous  township 
offices.  After  subject  came  to  this  county, 
he  also  attended  the  subscription  schools  of 
his  township.  His  first  teacher  was  old  Ned 
Maxey.  Another  teacher  was  a  young  man 
of  the  name  of  Bee,  who  afterward  was  Coun- 
ty Judge.  Oiu-  subject  remained  at  home 
most  of  the  time  until  he  was  twenty-five, 
and  then,  starting  out  in  life  for  himself,  im- 


mediately settled  on  his  present  farm.  The 
place  was  at  first  a  piece  of  Government  land, 
entirely  unimproved.  He  owns  at  present 
180  acres  in  Sections  1  and  12,  40  in  Section 
14,  120  in  Sections  22  and  23  of  Township  4, 
Range  2  east;  also  160  in  Section  25  and  73 
in  Sections  14  and  23  of  McClelland  Town- 
ship. Of  the  whole,  there  are  about  350  acres 
in  cultivation,  about  fom-  acres  in  orchard. 
Mr.  Wells  was  married,  m  Jefferson  County, 
February  14, 1838,  to  Lucy  Farthiae,  a  native 
of  Madison  County,  Ky. ,  and  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Sarah  Farthine.  The  father 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  McClellan 
Township.  This  union  has  resulted  in  ten 
childi-en,  of  whom  eight  are  living — Eliza- 
beth (wife  of  Joseph  Dial,  of  Spring  Garden 
Township),  Thomas  (in  McClellan  ToXvn- 
ship),  John  (in  Elk  Prairie  Township),  Har- 
vey, Mary  (wife  of  Thos.  Puckett.of  Blissville 
Township),  Newton  Edward  and  Jonathac, 
all  at  home  with  their  father,  and  Joseph,  in 
Spring  Garden  Township.  Mrs.  Wells  is  a 
member  of  the  Elk  Prairie  Campbellite 
Church.  Mr.  Wells  has  served  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  eight  years.  Road  Supervisor, 
School  Director,  etc.  In  politics,  he  is  Dem- 
ocratic. 

JOHN  WILB4.NKS,  farmer  and  banker, 
P.  O.  Mount  Vernon,  is  a  descendant  of  an 
old  and  prominent  family  of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty— a  family  who  came  here  when  the  coun- 
try was  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness,  with 
danger  lurking  everywhere.  In  its  subjection 
to  civilized  life,  they  bore  an  active  and  im- 
portant part,  and  the  education,  wealth  and 
refinement  by  which  we  are  to-day  surround- 
ed attest  the  labors  of  these  and  other  pio- 
neers of  the  county.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  a  native  of  the  Spartansburg 
District,  S.  C,  where  he  was  born  June  15, 
1770.  He  grew  up  to  manhood  there,  and 
married  Miss  Jane  Thomas,  a  native  of    the 


ELK  PKAIKIE   TOWNSHIP. 


134 


same  flistrict,  a  union  which  resulted  in  tlie 
birth    of    nine   chikiren — Joseph    (father  of 
subject,  bom  July  2,  1795),  John   (born  Oc- 
tober 22,  1796;  he  was  a  carpenter  in    South 
Carolina,    and   never    came    West),    Thomas 
(was  born  December  11,  1798,  and  was  a  sad- 
dler by  trade:  he  came  to  St.  Louis  when    a 
young  man,  where  he  lived  for    some    years, 
and  was   afterward    drowned),    James    (was 
born  march  19,  1801;    he   came   West,    and 
after  living  in    this  county  a    few    years  re- 
moved  to   Benton,  Franklin   County,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death;    his  daughter.  Roz- 
ella,  is  the  wife  of  William  Jones,  the  pres- 
ent Sheriff  of    that   county),  William  (born 
March  19, 1803,  was  the  first  one  of  the  fam- 
ily to  come   to   this    county    and    settled    in 
Moore's   Prairie    Township   first,  where    he 
remained  some  years  and    then    moved    to    a 
f;u-m  in  Spring  Gai'den  Township,  whore   he 
died  in  an  early  day),  Robert  A.  D.  (born  in  1 
1 805,  the  father  of  the  present  Clerk  of    the 
Appellate  Court)-Robert  Wilbanks  (who  is  ap- 
propriately mentioned  in  another  part  of  the 
work),  "Peggy"  (as  she  was  called,  was  born 
in  South  Cai'olina,  came  West  in  1823   with 
her  parents  and  August    10,  1824,  was  mar- 
ried to  James  Black,  a  native  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  the  twain  settling  down  in    the   south 
part   of  Moore's    Prairie  Township;    at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Black  Hawk  war.  he  en- 
listed in  it,  and  was  killed  at   the    battle   of 
Kellogg's  Grove  in    1832,  and    iu    1837    his 
widow  was  man'ied  to  Uriah  Campbell),  Jud- 
ith (was  born  .-'Lugust  13,  1813,  and  was  mar- 
ried. November   19,    1839,  to    John    Robert- 
son),  Daniel  P.  (was  born  May  13,  1817,  came 
West  and   settled    in    Gallatin  County,  111., 
where  he  married  Margaret  Campbell  March 
7,  1841;  Mr.  Wilbanks  lived  in  that    county 
for  a  number  of  years,  was  Circuit  and  Coun- 
ty Clerk  and  finally  moved  to    Arkansas;     in 
1854,  while    retm-ning    East    on    a    visit,  he 


died  from  fever  on  a  steamboat  at  Memphis. 
The    grandfather    came    West    about  1823, 
and  settled  on    the   old    Wilbanks    farm    in' 
Moore's  Prairie  Township.      There    he  lived 
until  his  death.      In   1827,  the   great-grand- 
mother,   Judith   Wilbanks,   came   out    from 
South  Carolina  to  pay  her  son  and  her  grand- 
children a  visit,  and  died  at  the    old   home- 
stead   January  11,  1829,  aged  eighty   years. 
Joseph,     the   father   of    our   subject,    came 
West   soon    after   the  close    of   the   war    of 
1812,  and  first  settled    in    Madison    County, 
111 . ,  where  he   married   Candace   Pickering 
October  14,  1819.     The  mother  was  a  native 
of  Broome    County,  N.  Y.,    and  came    West 
about  1815.     They  resided  in  Madison  Coun- 
ty until  about  1826,  and  then  came  to  Jeffer- 
son    County,    where    the    father    settled    in 
Mount  Vernon  and  commenced    merchandis- 
ing.     He  was  afterward  elected    to  the  posi- 
tion of  Sheriff.      At  that  time  the  county  was 
not  very  thickly  settled,  his  vote  being  thirty- 
five  and  his  two  opponents    receiving  thirty- 
four    and    thirty-three    respectively.       Also 
served  as  Postmaster.     To    them    were    born 
four  children,  three  boys  and  one  girl — John 
(our  subject),  Luke  (deceased  ,  was  a   soldier 
in  the  late  rebellion,  serving  as    Captain    in 
the  Sixtieth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
while  in  the  service  contracted  disease    from 
which    he    afterward    died),  Q.  A.    (lives    at 
present  in  Belle  Rive,  Pendleton  Township), 
Margaret  (married  Alexander  Moore  and  died 
in  Mount  Vernon  about  1853).     The    father, 
who  was  consumptive,  thinking  a  change    of 
climate  would  help  him,  went  to  South    Car- 
olina about  1828,  and  there    died    from  .the 
effects  of  the  disease  January  7,  1829.     The 
mother  afterward  married  Stiuson  H.  Ander- 
son, who,  in    1838,    was    elected    Lieutenant 
Governor  aud  served  one  term;  his  death  oc- 
cuiTed  in  1853.    When  subject  was  about  six 
years  old,  his  step-father  moved  to  Elk  Prai- 


144 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


rie  Township.  Here  subject  attended  the 
subscription  schools  of  his  day  and  helped 
on  the  home  farm  until  he  reached  manhood. 
In  1843,  he  commenced  farming  on  a  piece 
of  unimproved  Congress  land.  In  1849,  he 
entered  eighty  acres,  and  soon  afterward  for- 
ty acres  more,  which  he  had  cultivated.  He 
at  present  owns  422  acres  in  Sections  10  and 
11;  about  live  acres  in  orchard.  He  has 
given,  in  past  years,  a  good  deal  of  attention 
to  stock-raising,  but  in  the  last  few  years  he 
has  turned  his  attention  more  to  agriculture. 
In  June,  1873,  he  embarked  in  the  general 
banking  business,  with  G.  W.  Evans,  in  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Evans 
&  Wilbanks.  Mr.  Wilbanks  was  married, 
December  9,  1849,  to  Elizabeth  Evaline  New- 
by,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  H.  B.  and  Nancy 
(Brown)  Newby,  who  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Mount  Vernon  Township.  This 
union  has  resulted  in  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living — Vanwert,  born  Octo- 
ber 27,  1852,  Cashier  of  Evans  &  Wil- 
banks' Bank;  Florence,  born  December  11, 
1854;  Nannie  C.  born  July  26,  1859; 
Frank   A.,  born    August    18,    1863;    Robert 


Lee,  born  June  25,  1866.  Of  the  deceased 
ones.  Euterpe  was  born  August '  16,  1850, 
died  May  28, 1874;  Joliet,  born  February  13, 
1857,  died  March  19,  1875;  Newby,  born 
February  24,  1861,  died  April  18,  1862. 
Mr.  Wilbanks  served  in  the  Mexican  war. 
He  enlisted  in  June,  1846,  in  the  Third  Reg- 
iment, and  remained  in  the  service  for  twelve 
months — the  time  for  which  he  enlisted.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo, 
and  experienced  during  his  term  all  the 
hardships  of  a  solider's  life,  and  the  dangers 
and  exposures  incident  to  being  in  an  en- 
emy's country.  In  1848,  he  was  elected  Cir- 
cuit Clerk  of  Jeiferson  County,  served  one 
term,  and  was  then  (in  1852;  elected  to  rep- 
resent his  county  in  the  State  Legislatm-e. 
In  both  of  these  important  positions  he  dis- 
charged his  duties  faithfully,  and  to  the  full 
satisfaction  of  his  constituency.  He  is  at 
present  Commissioner  of  Highways.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Greenbacker,  but  has  formerly 
been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  Marion  Lodge,  No.  13, 
I.  O.  O.  F,  at  Mount  Vernon. 


McOLELLAIT    TOAVNSHIP. 


JOSEPH  BRADLEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  May  9,  1809,  in  Maryland. 
His  lather,  Purnell  Bradley,  was  also  a  native  of 
Maryland,  and  a  large  farmer;  he  died  there. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  Sinah  TuU,  was  a 
native  of  Delaware;  she  came  to  this  county, 
where  she  died.  Her  father,  James  Tuli,  was 
also  a  farmer,  and  a  highl3'  respected  member 
of  society;  he  died  in  Hancock  County,  111. 
Our  subject  was  educated  in  Delaware.  He 
has  farmed  all  his  life,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of 
199  acres  of  good  laiul  in  Wolf's  Prairie.  He 
was  married   twice.     His  first  wife,  Mary  Van 


Cleave,  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  four  are  now  living,  viz.:  Sarah  P.  Down- 
er, Mary  A.  Langley,  Parthenia  31.  Williams 
and  Eliza  B.  Gilbert.  His  present  wife,  Mrs. 
Ellen  L.  Rahm,  born  August  30,  1820,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Decourcey)  Kirbj'.  She  is  the 
mother  of  Anna  C.  Lawrence.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bradley  are  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ  Church.  His  son-in-law,  Louis  Law- 
rence, is  a  minister  in  that  church.  In  politics, 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party  till  Greeley  was  run;  of  late  j'ear.s  he  has 


McCLELLAX  TOWNSHIP. 


145 


been  independent  in  politics.  Mrs.  Ellen  L. 
Bradley's  children  by  iier  lirst  Imsband,  John 
Rahm,  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn.,  were — George  A. 
Rahm,  James  K.  Kahni,  Alice  L.  Raliin.  wife  of 
Mr.  Joseph  Meritt,  of  Salem,  111. 

ELIJAH  COLLINS,  fanner,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  born  April  18,  1846,  in  Rush 
County,  Ind.  His  father,  Charles  Collins,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  liorn  Octolier  5, 1802; 
he  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  came  to 
this  county  in  the  fall  of  18G5;  he  was  well 
known  and  highl}-  respected  in  this  count}-, 
where  lie  died  April  i;{,  1S72.  His  father, 
Ephraim  Collins,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
The  motherof  our  subject,  Agnes  Johnson,  was 
born  July  22,  1815,  in  Bullitt  County,  Ky., 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Rebecca  (Irons)  John- 
son; her  father,  Jonathan  Irons,  was  the  dis- 
coverer and  owner  of  what  is  now  called  the 
Sheperdsville  Salt  Works,  and  was  scalded  to 
death  in  one  of  the  kettles.  Mrs.  Agnes  Col- 
lins is  the  mother  of  seven  children  now  living, 
viz.:  Charles,  Isaac,  Elijah,  Anna  .Morgan,  Su- 
san Keaton,  John  W.  and  Isabella  Gray.  Our 
subject  was  educated  mostly  in  Brown  Count}', 
Ind.  He  has  made  farmini;  his  vocation,  hav- 
ing a  farm  of  sixty  acres.  He  has  tilled  the 
otfices  of  Constable  and  Highway  Commissioner, 
and  now  holds  the  office  of  Township  Supervi- 
sor. In  politics,  he  Is  a  Democrat.  lie  was 
married,  July  25,  1867,  to  Sarah  M.  Downer, 
born  December  29,  1846,  in  Jefferson  County, 
111.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  M. 
(Neil),  verj-  old  settlers.  She  is  the  mother  of 
six  children,  viz.:  Jennie,  Agnes,  Walter,  Mary 
C.  (deceased),  Ethel  M.  and  Louie.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Collins  are  members  of  the'Christian  Churclii 
of  which  he  is  an  Elder. 

WILLIAM  A.  DAVIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  Ijorn  January  16,  184f'),  in  Mc- 
Clellan  Township,  Jetferson  County,  III.  His 
father,  Clinton  S.  Davis,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  a  farmer,  who  came  to  this  county 
in  or  about  1838;  he  is  yet  living,  aged  sixty- 


thi-ee  years.  His  father,  Alfred  Davis,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina.  The  motherof  our 
subject,  Susan  (Wells)  Davis,  was  born  June  11, 
1811,  is  yet  living,  and  the  motiier  of  seven 
children;  her  parents  were  William  and  Eliza- 
beth (Levingston)  Wells.  Our  subject  was  edu- 
cated in  this  county,  and  here  he  was  joined  in 
matrimony,  November  29,  1870,  to  Nancy  G. 
Davis,  born  May  29,  1852,  in  Smith  County, 
Tenn.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  M. 
and  Rebecca  (Roister)  Davis.  Mrs.  Nancy  G. 
Davis  is  the  mother  of  four  children,  viz.:  Su- 
san R.,  born  October  20,  1870;  C.  Clinton,  born 
November  8,  1873;  N.  Norman,  born  January 
8,  1879;  W.  Willis,  born  August  16, 1881.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Davis  are  connected  with  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Hei  is  a  member  of  the  A.  P.  & 
A.  M.,  Mount  Vernon  Lodge.  He  has  served 
the  people  in  the  capacity  of  Township  Clerk 
for  one  year,  as  Township  Supervisor  five  years, 
and  for  the  last  seven  j'ears  he  has  been  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace,  filling  the  office  with  tact  and 
ability.  He  has  a  farm  of  260  acres,  and  in 
politics  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

J.  G.  HOWE,  farmer,  P.  0.  Woodlawn,  was 
born  February  17,  1827,  in  Davis  County,  Tenn. 
His  father,  Samuel  Howe,  was  a  native  of  Mary- 
land, and  died  here,  he  being  the  sou  of  William 
Howe,  a  native  of  Scotland.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  Anna  Berry,  was  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee. She  was  the  mother  often  children,  of 
whom  only  Eliza  Rightnowar  and  James  G., 
our  subject,  are  now  living.  He  went  to  school 
but  little  in  this  count>'.  He  has  farmed  all  pf 
his  life,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  180  acres, 
which  he  made  all  himself.  He  supported  his 
mother  from  1838  till  1863,  when  she  died.  He 
married  Margaret  Cameron,  born  September, 
1828,  in  this  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Klizabeth  Cameron,  old  settlers, 
and  she  is  the  mother  of  live  children,  viz.; 
Mary  ¥..  William  W.  (deceased).  Samuel  S., 
Sarah  A.  (deceased),  anil  Margaret  H.    Mr.  and 


146 


BIOGRAPHICAL  : 


Mrs.  Howe  are  members  of  the  Christian 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternity-,  Woodlawn  Lodge,  No.  522.  In  pol- 
itics, he  has  been  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  His  grandmother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Sela  Gorden,  was  married  three  times, 
and  all  three  husbands  were  killed  by  the  In- 
dians in  Tennessee. 

D.  C.  JONES,  farmer,  P.  O.  Mount  Vernon, 
was  born  August  1,  1812,  in  Virginia,  son  of 
George  Jones,  also  a  good  farmer.  The  mother 
of  our  subject.  Prudence  Keith,  was  the  mother 
of  eight  children.  Our  subject,  D.  C.  Jones, 
was  reared  in  Jackson  County,  Ind.,  but  was 
married  in  Jennings  County,  where  also  all  of 
his  children  were  born.  His  wife,  Susan  M. 
Prather,  was  born  August  8.  1811,  in  Clark 
County,  Ind.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Lettice  (McCarroll)  Prather,  highly  respect- 
ed people,  who  reared  a  large  family,  and  who 
became  useful  members  of  society,  and  were 
all  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Mrs.  Susan  M.  Jones  reared  seven  children,  viz.: 
Maria  J.,  Marinda  A.  Meredith,  Cyrena  P.  Mont- 
gomery, Lettia  A.  Titsworth,  Calvin  L..  Mar- 
garet R.  Mills  and  Irena  Bell  Klein,  deceased. 
Mr.  Jones  farmed  man}'  years  in  Indiana,  and 
finally,  in  1803,  he  came  to  Jefferson  County, 
where  he  has  farmed  ever  since,  owning  now 
almost  300  acres  of  land,  and  is  a  good  farmer 
and  inan.ager.  His  past  life  is  worthy  of  imi- 
tation and  ouglit  to  be  recorded  in  these  pages. 
which  will  serve  as  a  guide  post  to  the  coming 
generations.  In  politics,  Mr.  Jones  has  been 
a  Democrat. 

SAMUEL  LACEY,  farmer,  P.  O.  Woodlawn, 
was  born  April  13,  1825,  in  St.  Clair  County, 
111.  His  father,  Thomas  Lacey.  the  old  United 
States  Mail  carrier,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  February  9,  1800  ;  he  died  here  in  1879. 
He  came  to  Illinois  Territory  in  1806,  with  his 
father.  Liner  Lacey,  a  native  of  Virginia.  Tiiey 
settled  in  what  is  now  called  St.  Clair  County. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  Kentucky,  as  well  as  Illi- 


nois. The  mother  of  our  subject.  Lucinda 
(Greathouse)  Lacey,  was  the  mother  of  three 
children,  of  whom  our  snbject  is  the  only  one 
living.  He  was  educated  in  Belleville,  111.,  and 
early  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  He  now 
owns  lliO  acres  of  land.  His  wife,  Jane  A. 
(Caulk)  Lace}',  was  born  March  27.  1832.  in 
Carlinville,  111.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, viz.:  Thomas  M.,  deceased;  Mary  M., 
Emma  B.,  James  H.,  Edward  S.,  Charles  G. 
Jenette  D.  and  Anna  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lacey 
are  connected  with  the  Jletbodist  E|)iscopal 
Church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, Mount  Vernon  Lodge,  No.  31.  He 
has  been  Highway  Commissioner,  and  in  politics 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party.  His 
son,  James  H.,born  February  2, 1857,  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College.  His  pre- 
ceptor was  Dr.  H.  S.  Plununer,  of  Mount  Ver- 
non. 

ADAM  RIGHTNOWAR.  farmer.  P.  0. 
Woodlawn.  was  born  March  29,  1824.  near 
Elizabethtown.  in  Hardin  Count}',  111.,  son  of 
George  Rightnowar,  a  native  of  Penn.sylvania  ; 
he  was  a  farmer,  and  came  here  in  an  early 
day.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Jerusha  (Ruse) 
Rightnowar,  raised  ten  children.  Our  subject 
never  went  to  school  three  months,  all  told,  in 
his  life.  He  has  followed  farming  all  his  life, 
and  owns  280  acres  of  land,  having  given  about 
200  acres  to  his  five  children,  now  married. 
He  was  married,  Blareh  8,  1849,  to  Eliza  Howe, 
born  August  26,  1829,  in  this  county,  (laughter 
of  Samuel  and  Anna  E.  Howe.  She  is  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  viz.,  Francis  (who 
married  Harriett  Giles),  Elizabeth  Rutherford, 
Anna  Mandrel,  Levina  Wells,  George  (who 
married  Sarah  Mayberry),  Eliza  E.  (born  Au- 
gust 28.  1861),  Mary  D.  (born  December  30, 
1863),  and  Adam  D.  (born  October  18,  1866). 
Mrs.  Rightnowar  is  connected  with  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  .Mr.  Rightnowar  is  identified 
with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  man  who 
started  out  in  the  world  with  nothing,  but  has 


BALD  HILL   TOWNSHIP. 


147 


done  well  without  an  cilucation,  liis  example  in 
life  being  worthy-  of  imitation. 

DANIEL  STURGIS,  farmer,  P.  0.  Mount 
Vernon,  was  Ijorii  Fcbruai y  14,  18Ij2,  in  Ham- 
ilton County,  Ouio,  son  of  Daniel  Sturgis,  Sr., 
a  native  of  New  Jersey  ;  he  was  a  blacksmith, 
and  died  in  Ohio,  his  father  being  .Mo.se.s  Stur- 
gis.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mary  McKee, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio ;  she  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  McKee,  a  native  of  Ireland  ;  she  was 
the  mother  of  eleven  children,  and  died  in 
Mount  Vernon.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
Ohio.  In  earl}-  life  he  was  a  mechauic,  and 
followed  it  for  man^-  j-ears  in  Mount  Vernon  ; 
for  the  last  four  years,  he  has  been  a  farmer, 
owning  a  farm  of  120  acres.     He  was  joined  in 


matrimony  twice.  His  first  wife,  Anna  A. 
Mayhevv,  was  the  mother  of  four  children  now 
living,  viz.,  Martha  Hiserman,  Viola,  Charley 
and  Albert.  His  present  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  Kel- 
l}-,  born  November  tj,  1841,  in  Brown  County 
Ohio,  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  A. 
(Guthrie)  Edgington,  natives  of  Ohio.  She  is 
the  motiier  of  four  children,  viz.,  William,  De- 
lilah, Mary  A.  and  Daniel.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stur- 
gis  are  both  church  members.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  was  an 
ardent  supporter  during  tiio  war,  in  which  he 
served  about  one  year,  enlisting  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-first  Indiana  Volunteers. 
Company  D,  serving  till  close  of  war,  when  he 
was  honorably  discharged. 


BALD    HILL    TOWI^ISHIP. 


R.  W.  MANNEN,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
P.  0.  Laur,  was  born  in  Bald  Hill  Township, 
Jefiferson  County,  July  a,  1851  ;  is  a  son  of 
Sydney  S.  and  Eliza  A.  (Walton)  Mannen.  The 
parents  were  originally  from  Mason  Countj'. 
Ky.,  and  came  to  this  county  about  1844.  They 
settled  on  the  farm  now  occupied  b}'  subject, 
where  the  father  died  in  187U.  The  mother  is 
still  living.  Subject  was  the  fifth  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  eight  are  living.  In  childhood 
and  youth,  he  attended  the  free  schools  of  his 
township,  and  worked  on  the  home  place  until 
the  father's  estate  was  settled.  And  when  the 
estate  was  divided,  subject  inherited  the  part 
that  he  now  occupies.  At  present,  he  owns 
220  acres  in  Sections  1  and  10,  of  Town  4, 
Range  1,  eighty  acres  in  Section  6,  of  Town  4, 
Range  2,  and  eighty  acres  in  Section  33,  of 
Town  3,  Range  1.  Of  the  whole  farm,  tliere  are 
about  240  acres  in  cultivation.  He  also  pays 
some  attention  to  stock-raising,  having  about 
130  head  of  cattle,  and  some  sheep  and  hogs. 


Mr.  Mannen  was  married,  December  31,  1879, 
to  Amanda  E.  Dodds,  a  native  of  Shiloh  Town- 
ship, Jefferson  County,  and  daughter  of  'ViU. 
iam  and  Anna  (Hall)  Dodds.  The  father 
was  born  in  this  county-,  his  parents  having 
come  here  from  South  Carolina.  The  mother 
was  a  native  of  Gallatin  County,  111.  The  father 
in  his  da}-  was  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  this 
county,  and  served  as  Circuit  Judge,  County 
Clerk,  and  other  responsible  positions.  He  died 
in  1870.  The  mother  is  still  living,  in  Elk 
Prairie  Township.  This  marriage  has  resulted 
in  one  child — Walton  Dodds,  born  March  13, 
1881.  In  politics,  Mr.  Mannen  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

SIDNEY  S.  MANNEN,  farmer,  P.  0.  Laur, 
was  born  October  31,  1853,  a  son  of  Sidney  S. 
and  Eliza  A.  (Walton)  Mannen.  (See  sketch  of 
T.  H.  Mannen,  in  Blissville  Township.)  He  ob- 
tained what  little  schooling  this  county  afforded 
in  his  younger  days,  and  has,  during  his  life, 
devoted    his   attention    to    the  prosecution  of 


148 


BIOGRAPHICAL : 


farming  industries.  His  present  place  consists 
of  about  200  acres  of  land,  and  also  a  good 
residence,  wliicb  he  erected  in  1880.  Mr.  Man- 
nen  married  Eliza  S.  Stewart,  a  daugliter  of 
Peter  Stewart,  now  deceased.  Two  children 
have  blessed  this  union,  one  of  whom  is  living — 
Lelia.  Politically,  Mr.  Mannen  gives  his  sup- 
port to  the  interests  of  Democrac}'. 

J.  W.  PHILP,  farmer,  F.  0.  Laur,  was  born 
in  Bracken  Count}-,  K}'.,  October  10,  1833,  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Baltzell)  Philp — 
the  father  being  a  native  of  England,  the 
mother  of  Gallipolis,  Ohio.  Our  subject  was  ■ 
the  sixth  of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  now 
living.  When  six  years  old  his  parents  moved 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Jefferson 
Countv.  There  the  family  only  remained  about 
six  mouths,  and  then  moved  to  Bald  Hill  Town- 
ship and  settled  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
where  our  subject  now  resides.  There  the 
father  resided  until  the  spring  of  1854,  -when 
he  moved  to  Central  City,  111.,  where  he  died  in 
1856,  and  the  mother  in  1872.  The  subscrip- 
tion schools  of  this  county  afforded  our  subject 
his  means  of  education.  He  remained  at  home 
with  his  father  until  of  age,  and  then  com- 
mencing life  for  himself,  settled  on  his  present 
farm,  whore  he  now  owns  about  400  acres  sit- 
uated in  Sections  1,  2  and  11,  of  Town  4,  Kange 
1  east,  and  of  that  there  are  about  240  acres  in 
cultivation.  Mr.  Philp  was  married,  April  6 
1856,  to  Augusta  Kinne,  a  native  of  Posey 
County,  Ind.,  and  a  daughter  of  George  N. 
Kiune.  This  unirfn  has  resulted  in  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  now  living — Ida  E.,  wife 
of  Ichabod  Newell,  of  Blissville  Township  ; 
Emma  F.,  wife  of  Wilburn  Dodds,  of  MeClellan 
Township  ;  Charles  T.,  James  W.,  Henry  0. 
and  Maggie.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Williams- 
burg Universalist  Church.  Has  served  his 
township  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Township 
Trustee  and  School  Director.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Thirty-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry 
in  October,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  in  June, 


1865.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of 
Bentonville,  N.  C,  but  was  exchanged  at  Kich- 
mond  nine  days  after  being  taken.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

PETER  W.  STEWART  (deceased).  Mr. 
Stewart  came  from  Abbeville  District,  S.  C, 
where  he  was  born  February  18.  1806,  a  son  of 
John  and  Ann  (Stewart)  Stewart.  During  his 
life,  he  was  mostly  engaged  in  farming  pursuits. 
He  was  first  married  in  South  Carolina,  to  Jane 
Crawford,  and  moved  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Monroe  County.  She  died  about  1859.  This 
marriage  gave  three  children,  all  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  In  1862,  Mr.  Stewart  married  the 
lady  who  now  survives  him.  She  was  Hester 
A.  Upton,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Margaret 
(Carmiehael)  Upton.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  nine  children,  of  whom  there  are  three  who 
are  probably  living — Jennie  A.,  Eliza  S.  and 
Ida  L.  Mrs.  Stewart  had  been  previousi}'  mar- 
ried to  Jeremiah  Carmiehael,  by  whom  she  had 
one  child,  who  was  living  at  last  accounts.  His 
son,  Hiram  S.,  is  now  living  with  his  grand- 
mother. The  Stewart  place  consists  of  about 
208  acres  of  land. 

JOHN  B.  WARD,  farmer,  P.  0.  Fitzgerell, 
is  a  native  of  Hampshire  County,  Va.,  born 
September  28,  1820,  to  Lloyd  and  Catharine 
(Wilson)  Ward,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  same  State.  The  father  was  a  farmer.  He 
was  a  son  of  Lloyd  Ward,  who  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  blessed  with  ten  children,  of  whom 
there  are  six  living — Sarah  A.,  John  B.,  Will- 
iam, Edward,  Ruth  and  Lloyd  S.  Mr.  Ward 
obtained  but  a  meager  education  in  the  old- 
fashioned  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nearly  four- 
teen, came  with  his  parents  to  McLean  Countj', 
111.,  where  they  resided  about  two  years,  and 
removed  to  Jefferson  Countj',  where  our  subject 
has  since  made  his  home.  He  has  a  farm  of 
460  acres  which  he  devotes  to  farming  in  its 
various  branches.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
in  1845   to  Prudence   Reeves,  a  daughter    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL: 


149 


Barnes  Reeves.  This  union  has  given  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  survive — James  S., 
Lewis  D.,  William  K.,  Franklin  P.,  Rachel, 
Lncy  A.,  Mary  E.  and  Richard  M.  The  oldest 
son,   James  S.,  served  in  the  late   rebellion,  a 


member  of  the  Eighty-first  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantrj-,  Col.  Collins.  Mr.  Ward  has  served 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Supervisor  for  many 
years.  In  political  affairs,  he  casts  his  lot 
within  the  Democratic  ranks. 


Sketch    received    too    late    fo 

HON.  CHARLES  T.  STRATTON,  rail 
road  and  warehouse  commissioner,  Mount 
Vernon,  111.  We  have  in  the  character  of 
this  sketch  a  representative  man,  vrhose  ear- 
nest efforts  have  won  for  him  a  position  of 
high  merit,  and  whose  genial,  pleasant  man- 
ners have  not  failed  to  leave  an  impress  on 
the  minds  of  all  with  whom  he  has  become 
acquainted  of  genuine  regard.  He  was  born 
May  1,  1855,  in  Wilmington,  Ohio.  He  re- 
moved with  his  father,  Stephen  T.,  to  Mer- 
cer County,  111.,  in  1855,  and  in  1857  to 
Mount  Vernon.  He  attended  the  Mount 
Vernon  Seminary  and  awhile  at  McKendree 
College,  two  years  at  Washington  University, 
at  St.  Louis,  and  two  years  he  spent  at  the 
Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  fin- 
ishing his  school  course  there  in  1873.  In 
1872,  he  returned  home  from  Delaware,  and 
being  in  poor  health  he  was  advised  by  the 
family  physician  to  teach  a  term  of  school 
some  distance  in  the  country.  This  he  did, 
taking  a  school  at  130  per  month,  and  rode 
on  horseback  a  distance  of  five  miles  from 
his  home  and  return  daily.  By  the  close  of 
his  school,  he  was  able  to  resume  his  studies 
at  the  university,  of  Delaware,  Ohio.  In 
1874,  the  authorities  of  the  Mount  Vernon 
High  School  wisely  chose  him  as  Principal. 
One  year  later,  he  accepted  the  Principalship 
of  the  high  school  at  Nashville,  111.  Here  he 
had  the  chance  to  show  his  worth,  having 
the  advantage  of  one  of  the  finest  school 
buildings  in  Southern  Illinois  and  a  large 
number  of  enterprising  students.      He  sub- 


r    insertion    in    proper    place. 

sequently  withdi'ew  from  this  place,  much  to 
the  regret  of  the  citizens  of  Nashville,  and 
took  charge  of  the  schools  of  Edwardsville, 
this  State.     In  the  fall  of  1878,  he   was    in- 

I  vited  to  take  a  position  in  Washington  Uni- 
versify,  at  St.  Louis,  which  he  accepted,  and 
his  services  were    much    appreciated    in    the 

i  academic  department  for  two  years.  During 
the  time  he  was  here,  hie  time  was  not  all 
consumed  at  teaching,  and  he  studied  law. 
In  the  spring  of  1880,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  in  the  same  year  was  nominated  and 
elected  from  the  Forty-sixth  District  to  the 
Thirty-second  General  Assembly  of  the  State 
of  Illinois.  In  1882,  he  was  the  Republican 
nominee  for  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  but  was  defeated.  Although 
beaten  at  the  polls,  he  made  a  noble  fight  for 
the  nomination,  having  as  competitors  several 
of  the  best  teachers  of  the  State.  In  the  fall 
of  1882,  be  resiimed  the  practice  of  law  at 
Mount  Vernon,  and  on  March  9,  1883,  he 
was  appointed  by  Gov.  Hamilton  as  one  of 
the  three  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commis- 
sioners for  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  succeed 
Hon.  William  H.  Robinson,  of  Fairfield,  111. 
This  position  he  now  occupies.  The  record 
of  Mr.  Stratton's  life  is  a  history  of  earnest 
and  faithful  work;  'of  the  actions  and  em- 
ployments of  one  who  has  done  thoroughly 
and  well  whatever  he  undertook  to  do,  and 
whose  life  will — imperceptibly,  perhaps,  but 
not  the  less  surely^exercise  an  influence  for 
good  on  those  with  whom  he  was  brought  in 
contact. 


